My male cat is scared to death of ballons. His sister likes to play with the baloons but the male cat (When he sees a balloon) cries and runs under the bed and hides. The way he acts one would think he was running from a big dog. Anyone else have this problem?
2007-10-04 09:26:32 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
About three of four times a year we have a family party for children and we have ballons. (And a scared cat)
2007-10-04 09:27:22 · update #1
OK...balloons! Sorry about the spelling.
2007-10-04 09:27:59 · update #2
Some fine replies here.
2007-10-04 11:07:19 · update #3
I'm guessing that your male cat had a "close-encounter of the WORST kind" with a balloon, and your female has been a little more gentle with them. Just wait until she has one pop in her face--she's going to be afraid of them, too. It's the shock & surprise of the noise. I'd simply suggest that whenever you throw a party where balloons are going to be involved, just put the cats in another room (naturally, with a litter box, food, water and a couple of toys), and enjoy yourself at the party. This is NOT something that you're going to "break" him of, and it's only a matter of time before your female will get a little too rough, and she will have the same reaction. Don't give her the "opportunity" to find out the hard way.
Now, I have NO IDEA what Leslie L is talking about by calling this a "bad behavior". No, it isn't--it's just the way your cat IS. Heck, if I were to call all of my cat's quirks "bad behaviors", then he'd qualify as the worlds most "neurotic" cat--he HATES the vacuum cleaner, runs from ALL MEN (except my son), is afraid of birds--but, loves dogs + he's claustrophobic! I do NOT consider ANY of these to be "bad" behaviors--it's just the way he is.
2007-10-04 09:56:27 · answer #1 · answered by sharon w 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
There's a few things you can try for this problem.
Soap bubbles are smaller and can get your cat somewhat more acclimated to the balloon issue.
You can try to leave the cat in an enclosed space with some balloons to desensitize him.
It's never a good idea to ignore phobias and fears. Best to confront them and try to see things from the cat's point of view. His fear may be associating the balloons with the loud noise of popping, but encouraging that fear by comforting only reinforces the unwanted behavior.
Edit for Sharon W - I didn't say it was bad behavior. Simply unwanted behavior. There's always a good reason for cats to have quirks whether that be from trauma, habit, environment or whatever. Hiding isn't bad behavior. It's self-preservation and something the cat learned through a bad experience.
A well-adjusted cat isn't neurotic. Yes, they have fears and those are perfectly natural, but there are ways to desensitize cats to their fears so that the object or activity becomes more acceptable and not as frightening.
2007-10-04 09:32:34 · answer #2 · answered by Leslie L 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Cats are quirky animals and there's no way of knowing why they might have a fear which seems irrational to us. Maybe the balloons remind him of something scary, or maybe he doesn't like how they smell or something.
It could be he heard a balloon pop before and dreads that awful sound again. Their ears are super sensitive.
Whatever the case, just let him stay in a room by himself BEFORE you get the balloons out and let him stay in there until the party is over. If he is that frightened I don't think it's worth it to try to get him to "confront" his fear since balloons are only a once or twice a year affair and you can easily separate him from the problem.
2007-10-04 09:33:51 · answer #3 · answered by Veritas 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
They scare me too. I don't know that there's much you can do about it, and if you don't have them around that often, no worries. If you were a professional clown I'd say get a different cat, but I think you'll all be ok if you either put him away when the balloons are around, or just let him go hide.
2007-10-04 10:28:03 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes I have had a cat that was scared of balloons. I think some cats see their reflection in a mylar balloon which is what scares them.
2007-10-04 11:03:02 · answer #5 · answered by Spin 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Plain and simple "the cat is afraid of balloons" just like you might be afraid of a masked man running after you in a dark parking lot...gosh
2007-10-04 09:35:08 · answer #6 · answered by Crazy cat lady >^ ^< 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Cats are curious about balloons but scared of the noise, my cat is afraid of traffic, motorcycles and noise
2007-10-04 09:31:24 · answer #7 · answered by Sunshine 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Why not shut the male cat in a room when you have the parties?
2007-10-04 09:29:46 · answer #8 · answered by Nefertiti 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Every cat is different. I have no clue.
2007-10-04 09:34:05 · answer #9 · answered by catlover80 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋