why wont my kittie go down the stairs on his own?

Question

i always hav to carrie my cat, its getting wierd can you help me pwiz?

my cat is 2 and a half and has 3 legs!!!

Answer 1

I believe the phrase is " let them be, they need to learn by themselves"? Ignore the cat when she cries for you to pick her up. Leave her food downstairs and she will in time come down on her own if she is thirsty or hungry. Its just like a baby crying to be in the arms all the time.....not good, it gets spoilt!

Answer 2

Well, you really sort of answered your own question, it may be the three leg aspect. Your cat may be afraid of falling down the stairs. He may have tried it on his own when you weren't looking and maybe fell, since then maybe he's now scared.

Another possibility is that you just got your cat use to being carried down the stairs, so it in fact may just be spoiled.

I'd give it some time, try not carrying it up the stairs and see what happens. It just may surprise you and come up all on its own. And it just may find a way to navigate the stairs when it comes down. It just may need some time to figure out that if I wants to be with you it has to learn to navigate the stairs by its self.

I use to have a three legged cat and that cat could run like the wind, it's name was peewee. I think my brother named it. It was a great cat.

Answer 3

Don't be such a stickler. So what if your cat wants to be carried.

Carry your cat. What's the point in putting his food at the bottom of the stairs? Cats are clever and know their limits, most of the time, yours apparently feels ill at ease going down stairs. If you attach hunger to an already frightening situation for your cat that is just compounding the problem.

Animals don't look at climbing stairs the way humans do, where it may be exertion to humans, cats love to climb, remember?

Your cat is going against his nature in order to avoid doing something. Is there a chance you could just accept this as a character trait of your cat and leave it alone?

Answer 4

Theres nothing wierd about it. Kittens, pups and 3 legged animals have a problem coming down the stairs. They have a tendency to overbalance and fall. It might make a difference which leg he's missing, front or back. If its a front leg you'll have to carry him.
If its a back leg he's probably lacking confidence. Try sitting him on the bottom step and let him manage that one, then leave him on the second step and so on. Gradually he'll learn to deal with it.
But if he falls he'll lose confidence again.

Answer 5

Maybe he isn't sure he can navigate the stairs on his own. Encourage him by placing some food treat 3 or five steps down and call to him to come get it. Be patient and don't make him go all the way down at once. Small steps, big gains is the key. He just needs to realize that he CAN get down those steps even with 3 legs.

Answer 6

Poor cat. I also think your cat is scared & it would be cruel to put the food at the bottom of the stairs.

I think your have your answers is a few of the previous answers. Eg, it is a good idea to put the cat on the bottom stair so see how it manages but if it can't manage the stairs so what if you have to carry it.

Answer 7

Here is an idea you might be able to adapt to your situation. Get a piece of 2 x 4 and cover it with some light carpeting material, or a fibered material like sisal. You can attach this with a staple gun. Then secure the carpet plank to your stairs on one side. Your kitty should be able to use it as a "handicapped ramp" and since it is small, it should not interfere with traffic on the stairway.

Answer 8

Is he a small kitten or an adult cat? If kitten, probably cause they are frightening to him since he is so small. He will eventually will go down the stairs on his own. If adult, could be maybe something scared him enough to stop him from going down stairs. Not sure how to handle a situation like that.

Answer 9

If your cat only has three legs she may not feel safe going down the stairs. You may have to keep on carring her.

Answer 10

How old is the cat? If he's under a certain age he won't go up and down on his own because his tendons might not be fully developed. Or maybe he's just scared.