CAPITAL HUMANE SOCIETY
2320
The Fearful Cat
Copyright
Denver Dumb Friends League and Humane Society of the
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 and eliminate right
where they are. Each cat has his/her preferred way of dealing with a crisis.
You’ll notice that 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 the following: first, 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 that the person or animal
approaching your cat has good intentions, doesn’t mean that she feels safe. The
trigger for her fearful behavior could be anything. Some common triggers are:
·
A particular person
·
A stranger
·
Another animal
·
A child
·
Loud noises
What
You Can Do
Take
the following steps to 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:
v Determine
what distance your cat can be from the fear stimulus without responding
fearfully.
v Introduce
the fear stimulus at this distance while you’re feeding your cat tasty treats
and praising her.
v Slowly
move the fear stimulus closer as you continue to praise your cat and offer her
treats.
v If
at 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, and it can be
avoided by working in short sessions, paying careful attention to your cat so
that you don’t progress too rapidly for her.
v You
may need help from a professional animal behavior specialist with the
desensitization process.
A
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 that 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 that is 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.