Scaredy Cats!...

[Noodle 10]

Hello!

 

We have two beautiful, adored and spoilt rotten kitties. They've always been a little cautious (they don't like anyone but us) but lately they are terrified of everything, even their own home! They are really jumpy and after much persuasion they will go into the lounge (they are about ok in dining room) but won't dare go anywhere else! What do you think is going on? They are a year old now and have always been happy in their little home!

[Lotti 10]

I really don't know (Medusa's the expert on cats here!) but at a year old our two kitties who adored one another suddenly decided they could stand the sight of each other, so perhaps it's their age

 

Hope someone can shed some light on it for you!

[Guest]

Has anything changed in your home? Little children who have started to get a bit more boisterous? Have the neighbours aquired a dog which they can hear barking? Any new furniture? Even the slightest of things can sometimes throw kitties off their usual behaviour, even new smells.

 

As Lotti suggests, it could be their age too. Have they been neutered yet?

 

I hope they settle down soon .

[medusa 16]

Apart from changes to the home that could be making your cats more cautious (this includes things like steam cleaning your home as it deletes their smell from their territory), I think that this is probably down to their age.

 

Nine months to a year is the age when cats start to exert their adult personality and become territorial in a way that they didn't as kittens. You haven't mentioned whether they have been neutered (this would probably calm them down) or whether they're boys or girls.

 

There could be anything at play here from suddenly finding that their home territory is threatened by an incumbent well 'ard local tom to a little known behavioural problem relating to cat flaps (where your beloved cats may not feel that their house is secure to other cats if they think that other stronger cats can get in through the cat flap).

 

The likelihood is that the solution to your problem will be muti-faceted. Getting them neutered if they're not already done should help, as should making sure that their catflap is secure to other cats, but there's another thing that you could try that you could discuss with your vet.

 

If we want to make a cat feel more secure at the Shelter, then we restrict them to a small comfy space overnight (dining rooms tend to be quite good for this) with a Feliway plug in. This is derived from pheremones that cats spray within their own territories, so it sort of makes them feel secure in their own space. You do need to have an enclosed space for it to work, and it's not cheap, but it's really very effective in helping them feel confident.

 

If they're very nervy it's also useful trying a little Rescue Remedy in their water bowl- only a couple of drops- but it definitely helps with the very nervy cats at the Shelter.

 

I hope that you can find a way forwards through this, and any changes that you can make are likely to be helpful to your little ones, but you have to remember to make changes in a subtle way, or the very fact that you're making changes is likely to upset them further.

 

Good luck- and please tell us how things go.

[Noodle 10]

Thanks everyone, especially Medusa, this is really helpful. I'm super over-protective of them so anything upsets them then I'm not happy either! They are a boy and girl (from the Shelter!) and are neutered. They have a magnetic catflap so no other kitties can get in. I did get some Rescue Remedy (my partner has since pinched it....!) but didn't know how to give it to them because my sweet boy is water obsessed... He thinks it funny to "dig" in the waterbowl, covering him and everything else in water!! I'm now constantly filling it up. Trust us to get the crazy cats! I'm going on the internet to get one of those plug ins now....

[Noodle 10]

UPDATE!!

 

Good news! The little ones are much happier! I've drugged 'em with the Rescue drops and the plugins are finally working! My little girl cat didn't even bother to get off the sofa today... spent the whole day sprawled out! Ahhh...