Why is my cat so scared?

Question

My one year old cat has suddenly become scared.

She is a house cat and nothing in the home has changed but she has suddenly became very jumpy and scared.

If you touch her and she was not expecting it then she literally jumps in the air (she never used to do that)

I watched her walk downstairs last night and she kept looking in all directions all over each stair walking really slowly looking really worried.

We have a kitten that we got in March and she has excepted her well, they play together, wash each other etc so it can't be that.

I thought there may be something wrong with her eyes but when she and the kitten have a mad turn they are belting about all over the place without bumping into things.

I hate to see her like this and cannot understand what is wrong .... and sensible suggestions would be very much appreciated.

There is no sign that she has hurt herself and nothing at all within the home has changed.
The kitten does pounce out on her but saying that she does the same to the kitten.

This has happened suddenly over the last few days ... before she was fine.

Just got back from the vets and my cat was given a clean bill of health.
She did vomit up a really big fur ball late last night and today she seems a bit more at ease today. We are just letting her have some quiet time alone now .... so hopefully she will be more like herself very soon ... saying that as I type she is belting around the house playing with the kitten !!! Thanks for all your answers xxxxx

Answer 1

Difficult one. Does the kitten dive on her at all in play? If so maybe she is nervous because of this, she may also be displaying a maternal instinct - scouting the land so to speak to ensure it's safe. I can't think of any other reason, failing that I would get her checked at the vets.

Answer 2

As always, when something suddenly changes, take the kitty to the vet.

But if the vet check comes clean - something must have happened to her that scared her- Take note of where she is scared, and where she acts normal. Maybe she got pounced on the stairs, and is now afraid of them. Or maybe its something else entirely. You will probably never know

Theres a product called Feliway that is suppose to calm cats and some people have a lot of success with that. You could also ask your vet for some sort of anti-anxiety medicine.

If she is always scared, start by confining her to a single room with a litterbox and food without the kitten. Having a safe room might be enough to get her settled, also, if your cat likes treats- give her treats at the places she gets scared at, that way she starts associating good things with places shes scared of.

If you can find one - You might also want to call an animal behaviorist - someone who can come in, and help you figure out how to help your cat.

Theres also a book that talks about weird quirky cat problems and I beleive one or two of the examples cover this topic - its called "Hiss and Tell" by Pam Johnson-Bennett

Edited to add- be careful that this doesn't chain to cause a litterbox problem because she's scared of the location the litterbox is in.

Answer 3

It's possible that there is something wrong with her eyes so the first thing I would recommend would be taking her to the vet. Her vision may be fuzzy or distorted in some way. The other thing that came to mind was that her hearing may have become compromised. She may not be able to hear well any longer. That also may account for the fearfulness and the jumpiness. If she is facing away from you try making a sound - see if she reacts - if she doesn't seem to - it might indicate that she is not able to hear. Either way, I would recommend that you take her to the vet. To have such a big change in her, something is not right - even something internally could cause her to react strangely. If she has sharp pains that come and go, she may feel as if 'something' outside herself is causing it and react fearfully to it. So you see, best to rule out the physical end of it first and then go from there. I know not everyone wants to hear that they need to go to the vet but truly, that's the case here! Good luck and I hope that the vet finds that there is nothing physically wrong with her. If that is the case, then please do replace your question with that information to rule out the physical problems and we'll work on the mental end of it. Good luck!!

Answer 4

You're going to think this is a very odd answer but it can happen. She may have seen a massive house spider thats spooked her by walking on her whilst she's been resting and, as yet, she hasn't been able to find it to kill it! Maybe thats why she's looking so intently when she walks or jumps when you touch her unexpectedly? I've another theory but you may think i've totally lost it ha ha ha. Do you believe in the after life? If you do, or even if you don't, have you lost someone close to you recently? It needn't be a human, it could be an old cat or dog? Don't panic, i'm not saying your home is haunted or anything like that, besides, its the living you need to be afraid of, the dead have never hurt anyone! It could be a spirit your cat is sensing? The next time it happens and your cat is scared, pick her up and say out loud, hello - you are welcome in this house. Your cat will sense that whatever it is thats scaring her is not scaring you so she's ok if you are! Your family will think you've gone round the loop and the neighbours might put up for sale signs ha ha ha but as long as your cat's ok, who cares ha ha ha.

Answer 5

Hi there!

I'm glad you took her to the vet and she is all clear :-)

As you don't have a cat flat, it is very unlikely that another animal got into your house, so that rules that out.

To be honest, it could be something as simple as her hearing things that we humans cannot hear. Sometimes my male cat (who is usually very brave and adventurous) skulks around the apartment and becomes jumpy - he scares the hell out of me! I wonder what it is that he can hear!

It could also be something along the lines of a large insect that she has found in the home. My cat found a big spider once and although he killed it, he was quite jumpy and cautious afterwards - as if he was expecting more of them to come and attack him!

What Miss Tracey said about your cat seeing a spirit could also be true. I know it sounds far fetched, but there are hundreds of stories about cats being able to see things that we can't. Not to worry though ;-) Just talk to her in a soothing voice and try to show her that there isn't anything to worry about.

If you have neighbours or people living above or below you, she may have heard them moving furniture or something similar. She may even be able to sense that there is a new pet in the building.

Here's a bit of an amusing story for you! I live in a ground floor apartment and the people above us have a juliette balcony. One day, they very considerately hung a huge tent over their balcony to dry. It covered most of our lounge window. My cat saw it, hissed, postured and then ran off! We found him hiding under the bed and he didn't come out for 2 hours! He wouldn't come in the living room for the rest of the day! And yet another time when a repair man came over, he was straight in there investigating all the tools and getting in the man's way! Cats are funny creatures sometimes ;-)

See how she goes over the next few days, try not to startle her, and she should settle down :-)

xx Emmie

Answer 6

I have a cat who is a house cat, and she is, lets say, a little demented. I love her to bits, but she is scared of everything, and she didn't used to be this bad either. I have never hurt her in any way, nor has anyone I live with, but she doesn't like noise or people moving too fast. Or any new, big objects like pieces of furniture.
She often has mad hours where she runs about all over the place chasing air and mischief making, she loves it when i groom her and is generally a happy cat. Just a bit scatty really. I don't think anything is wrong with your cat, its just her personality. Cats are naturally cautious creatures.

Answer 7

it incredibly is probable merely your cat's character. He could have inherited a spooky gene from one in each of his father and mom or grandparents. they are like human beings. some anybody is outgoing and a few are shy. some anybody is brave and different play it risk-free. each cat has his own character and temperment, even from the comparable muddle. it is likewise accessible that when you weren't around one time the canines could have been working around and accidently ran over or into your cat and scared him so he hides now while the canines runs around so it does not ensue lower back.

Answer 8

This is abnormal, it sounds as if the cat has lost part or whole of one sense, either sight, smell or hearing.

Cats may suddenly become blind. This may happen as a result of high blood pressure, itself usually secondary to kidney problems. Therefore I recommend to look for any of the following signs:
- dilated pupils (black center in the eye)
- increase drinking/urinating
- loss or increase appetite

Should you find any of those signs than it is important to seek veterinary opinion very soon: the cat's sight may be saved if medications (amlodipine/istin) are administered within 24h.

Good luck

Answer 9

Could she have ear problems and be experiencing deafness? So when you touch her it comes as a surprise? Ear problems also affect the sense of balance, which might explain the careful walk downstairs.

Have the vet look at her. Seeing as you are are caring for her well, it is very likely to be something straightforward which is easily treated

Answer 10

is there anyway that mice or other rodents can be in the house? we live in an old house with a field behind us and mice get in all the time my cat does this too during the fall she begins a routine she sleeps all day and "hunts" at night she caught 3 mice last fall she gets jumpy like this too b/c she is in her stalking mode