For the last three weeks, my cat's behaviour has suddenly changed: he's absolutely terrified in our flat. It all started with some frightened meowing one night when I was away. My partner got up and found him terrified of a small chair cover (one he knows well, he used to sleep on it) that he'd managed to move in front of the TV stand himself. It just seemed funny at the time, but we soon realised there was a real problem.
Since that day, he's been completely different; he's scared of everything in the house as if he's seeing it for the first time (he 'paws' at the throws and slippers, and is really frightened of my scarf left on a chair...). At first, he couldn't even move around; I had to pick him up and put him down in front of his food bowl or whatever, as if he was petrified of walking on the floor. Sometimes he won't go past a certain point (like the hallway) and stays in the same room for hours. He only seems 'okay' when he's up high on the arm of the chaise longue or out on the balcony.
He's constantly scanning the room, moving very tentatively. He's scared of our slightest movement, backing away if I walk past him. It's always worse in the evenings and at night. Sometimes he gets 'stuck' in the living room: he starts meowing and we find him right in the middle, unable to move. So we take him back to the bedroom onto our bed where he sleeps. And then it's the same story all over again; we're woken up by meowing in the night because he wants to get off the bed but he 'can't bring himself to do it'... More to follow in my next post! :-)
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I haven't changed any cleaning products (and there haven't been any new objects or anything else, for that matter), so if it’s a smell that’s bothering him, it’s not that. It seems more likely to be the theory about a cat having sprayed outside and mine being afraid he’ll run into them indoors?
It really is a bit of a mystery, this whole situation!
At the moment, there’s no improvement at all (well, as I was saying, it’s mostly in the evenings that he gets panicky; sometimes I get my hopes up for nothing!). I’ll keep you posted if I manage to get to the bottom of it. Thanks :-)
Hi again,
A mouse won't scare a cat; it triggers its hunting instinct. That would explain why he might spend hours 'on watch' trying to catch it, without showing any signs of fear. On the other hand, the scent of an unneutered tomcat can really traumatise a sensitive cat.
Have you changed the wallpaper (smell of paste) or put in any plug-in air fresheners, candles, or washed the curtains with a new washing powder? Or perhaps you've bought new furniture that has a strong smell, or used a new dusting spray, floor cleaner, carpet stain remover, etc.? The list of potential disturbing smells is endless, but I might be barking up the wrong tree with this scent theory.
Older cats can suffer from feline dementia (I’ve been through it myself), but if that were the case, he would have had hallucinations at your mum’s house too—unless she just didn't notice. Even so, the behaviour you’re describing is usually quite hard to miss.
Please keep us posted if you find the key to the mystery!
So, yeah, it’s possible—a cat or a mouse (I’m thinking that because I see them on the balcony quite often!) that might have got in once without us noticing, though it does seem a bit odd! Especially as the "trauma" happened during the night.
But yes, you’re right, maybe it is a lingering scent? I’ve actually cleaned everything to try and get rid of any smell he might not like... I don’t think there are any new cats or dogs in my block, as far as I know. :-/
But would a scent left by another animal really make him fearful of everything in the flat? To the point where he won’t even move? That’s mad!
He won’t even go in his little bed anymore, the one that’s just his size where he used to sleep all the time.
It’s a mystery, but one thing’s for sure, it’s definitely only happening here, as he was fine at my mum’s (otherwise I was starting to think he was having hallucinations...).
Hi there,
Since the problem only seems to happen at your place, that's where you need to look for the cause. You mentioned you live on the ground floor—could there be one or more cats roaming around outside? Or perhaps a new dog in the neighbourhood? An unneutered tomcat can easily terrorise your cat, for example by spraying on your patio. Your cat picks up the scent and might be worried it’s going to turn up inside the flat. Is it possible an intruder cat managed to sneak in for a few minutes while you weren't looking and left its mark? Cats are very much scent-oriented, and the smell of an unneutered male can definitely unsettle your cat for quite a while. An intruder's scent lingers for ages to a cat's nose, even if it’s completely odourless to us.
Obviously, this is just a theory, but issues with new or threatening smells are often the answer to these sudden and unexplainable changes in behaviour.
Of course, the first thing I did was take him to the vet on the second day: no visible health issues (besides, he’s eating, drinking, and using his litter tray normally). The vet was just as baffled as we were; she prescribed Feliway, Bach flower remedies, and Zylkene. Nothing has worked so far. I tried leaving him for 10 days at my mum’s place—she looks after him from time to time and he’s used to her flat—just to see if the problem was my place. And well, he was absolutely fine, just the cat I know. We brought him back here and it’s back to square one.
What’s most frustrating is that at times (especially in the morning) he seems a bit better, he walks around the flat more calmly, plays a bit with us or on his own... Then an hour later I see he’s totally stressed and terrified again, and it starts all over...
We’ve thought of everything, we’ve searched the whole flat, we just don't understand it. My cat seems miserable in his own home and it breaks my heart! I don’t even recognise him anymore. Most of all, I feel completely helpless because I just can’t seem to help him!
One tiny inkling I’ve had, though it doesn’t explain everything: for a few weeks now (I’d say maybe 2 weeks before his sudden change in attitude), he’s been obsessed with watching a little mouse on the terrace that comes out at night (we’re on the ground floor and it’s true that it—or they—have been coming onto the terrace quite a bit lately). But he doesn’t seem scared, it seems to keep him entertained! He gets all excited at the patio doors, he wants to catch it. Mind you, it must be stressing him out too because he can spend hours on the lookout. So, could he be panicking inside the flat (especially in the evening) because he thinks this intruder might have got inside and he’s looking for it? But surely not terrified to this extent? Overnight? And for it to get better and then suddenly worse?
Sorry for the long essay, I just wanted to explain everything properly! Thank you in advance if you have any suggestions or similar stories that might help... I’m at my wits' end, the poor thing!
Have a good evening!
