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THE
FEARFUL CAT
When cats
feel threatened, they usually respond in three ways to the object, person
or situation they perceive as a threat … fight, flee or freeze.
Some cats become so frightened they lose control of their bladder or
bowels. Each cat has a preferred way of dealing with a crisis. You'll
notice your cat probably tends to try one option first, and if that
doesn't work, she's forced to try a different option. For instance,
if your cat is afraid of dogs and a friend brings his dog to your home
to visit, you might notice your cat puffs out her fur to make herself
look big, then hisses and spits at the dog. If the dog doesn't retreat,
your cat may flee the situation, find a hiding spot, and freeze until
she deems the situation safe.
Your
Cat May Show The Following Behaviors When She Is Fearful
- Hiding
- Aggression
(spitting, hissing, growling, piloerection, swatting, biting, scratching)
- Loss
of control over bladder and/or bowels
- Freezing
in place
It's normal
for you to want to help and comfort your cat when she's frightened.
However, this isn't necessarily the best thing to do from your cat's
point of view. It's normal for a cat to feel insecure or frightened
in a new environment. Often, your new cat will hide for a day or two
when you first bring her home. Sometimes a traumatic experience like
a visit to the veterinarian, or introducing a new animal into the household,
can disrupt her routine and send her under the bed for a few days.
What
Causes Fearful Behavior?
You'll need to closely observe your cat to determine the trigger for
her fearful behavior. Keep in mind that just because you know the person
or animal approaching your cat has good intentions, doesn't mean she
feels safe. The trigger for her fearful behavior could be anything.
Some common
triggers are a particular person, a stranger, a child, another animal,
and loud noises.
What
You Can Do
The following
steps can reduce your cat's anxiety and help her become more confident.
- First,
schedule an appointment with your veterinarian for a thorough physical
examination to rule out any medical reasons for your cat's fearful
behavior. Cats don't always act sick, even when they are. Any sudden
behavior change could mean that your cat is ill and should be taken
seriously. Some common symptoms that your cat may be ill are aggressiveness,
hiding and eliminating outside of the litter box.
- If your
cat is healthy, but hiding, leave her alone. She'll come out when
she's ready. To force her out of her hiding spot will only make her
more fearful. Make sure she has easy access to food, water and her
litter box from her hiding place. Clean the litter box and change
the food and water every day so you know whether she is eating and
drinking.
- Keep
any contact with the fear stimulus to a minimum.
- Keep
your cat's routine as regular as possible. Cats feel more confident
if they know when to expect daily feeding, playing, cuddling and grooming.
Try
to desensitize your cat to the fear stimulus.
- Determine
the distance your cat can be from the fear stimulus without responding
fearfully.
- Introduce
the fear stimulus at this distance while you're feeding your cat tasty
treats and praising her.
- Slowly
move the fear stimulus closer as you continue to praise her and offer
her treats.
- If any
time during this process your cat shows fearful behavior, you've proceeded
too quickly and will need to start over from the beginning. This is
the most common mistake people make when desensitizing an animal.
It can be avoided by working in short sessions, paying careful attention
to your cat so you don't progress too rapidly for her.
- You
may need professional help from an animal behavior specialist with
the desensitization process.
An Important
Note About Aggression
If your cat is threatening you, another person or an animal, you should
seek help from a professional animal behavior specialist. To keep everyone
safe in the meantime, confine your cat to an area of the house where
all interactions with her are kept to a minimum and are supervised by
a responsible person. Cat bites and scratches are serious and can easily
become infected. Bites should be reported to your local animal control
agency so your cat can be quarantined and watched for signs of rabies.
If you can't keep your cat separated from the stimuli that brings on
her aggressive behavior and you're unable to work with a professional
animal behavior specialist, please consider having your cat humanely
euthanized. The safety of your cat and the other animals and humans
she encounters, should be your first consideration.
What
Not To Do
- Don't
punish your cat for her fearful behavior. Animals associate punishment
with what they're doing at the time they're punished, so your cat
is likely to associate any punishment you give her with you. This
will only cause her to become fearful of you and she still won't understand
why she's being punished.
- Don't
force her to experience the object or situation causing her fear.
For example, if she is afraid of a certain person, don't let that
person try to pick her up and hold her. This will only make her more
frightened of that person.
Reprinted
with permission from the Denver Dumb Friends League.
