Cats have a natural curiosity. However, not all cats immediately trust people. This especially happens when the cat has grown up without contact with humans or has had bad experiences. It is important, if your cat is afraid, that you treat her with caution.
- What caused the sudden fear of cats?
- Why does the cat run away from its owner?
- Cats are afraid of the new place
- Cats' fear of humans
- How to calm the frightened cats?
- How do you make cats not afraid of me?
In this article, we will review (How do I deal with my scared cat) some information that may be useful to you, thank you for visiting our site.
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How do I know that my cat is afraid?
You will know that the cat is afraid through (cats' body language):
- The cat's body tends to bend
- Coat looks shaggy and shaggy
- There are hardly any friendly ways towards other cats or new things
- Cats often seem uninterested or rude
- When other cats who are interested in new things, mates, or people approach, they withdraw
- Does not play or communicate with cats or other people
- The high, friendly tail displayed by more confident cats is rarely seen: the tail hangs neutrally at best, but is often tucked between the hind legs or even strongly twisted fur.
- The coat always looks shaggy, not only during the shedding season. The caregiver may even find hairless patches on the skin
- Uncalm behavior: Both aggressiveness and apathy can indicate anxiety disorders.
Why is my cat afraid?
Whether the cat is more sensitive or courageous depends on:
- dynasty
- Education and socialization
- The surrounding environment.
Like people, each cat has an individual personality. There are domestic cats who gain confidence with people, there are cats who follow their owner wherever he goes.
There are also other specimens that are less interested in social contact with humans.
Finally, there are scary animals that gain confidence little by little or simply never gain. The reasons can be very diverse.
Cats are mostly instinctive. Some experiences that may seem unimportant to you (such as: loud noises, an unpleasant visit to the vet, or the absence of a human due to the holidays) can greatly upset felines and cause anxiety.
It is not always clear why a cat is reluctant to interact with humans, reacts with anxiety to certain situations, or develops a phobia of certain objects or organisms. The better you know the kitten, its breeding conditions and living conditions, the easier it will be for you to determine the cause of the fear.
Cats that were raised without human contact
A cat's character and behavior with humans is influenced, above all, by the mother cat. During the calving period and for the first twelve weeks of a kitten's life, the kitten learns everything important from its mother and siblings, and this includes the attitude towards other animals and people.
In general, mothers who are not related to humans raise fickle kittens.
After all, the mother cat is the most important example of a cat.
Cats raised in an abandoned shed or in the wild take longer to gain confidence than cats that have been in contact with people since birth.
However, making friends with a wild cat is not impossible.
Scary cats because of bad experiences
- Parenting is not everything. Even cats that have grown close to humans and have been in contact with people from the start can lose trust or never develop a relationship with them.
- The common reason for this is bad experiences and trauma.
- Animals that have been physically or mentally abused have a hard time coping with this.
- With a lot of work and effort, it is possible for a kitten to return to human contact again.
- The success of your attempts depends on the nature of the cats and their own experience.
In any case, it is important for a frightened cat to have options to retreat when there is direct contact. When a cat feels stressed, the animal's stress gets worse and it has more reason to be afraid of you. Act with caution and care. Don't lose motivation when you take one step forward and sometimes two steps back.
Fear in private situations
Sometimes your cat's fear is related to a special situation, thing, or person.
It is usually caused by physical or emotional trauma, trauma, or a bad experience.
For example, cats often do not like to get into the carrier ( cat transport box). They associate it with vet visits or long drives.
Focused training can work wonders. Make sure your cat associates the thing that scares him with something positive.
As always, snacks are very useful here. For example, you can reward the cat with one cookie each time it approaches the carrier.
sudden fear
Sometimes even unsuspecting cats suddenly startle. Here there is a difference between the phobias associated with certain things such as plastic bags or dogs, and the state of pain in which cats are constantly under stress.
What happened to your cat?
Has your cat suddenly lost interest in people and play sessions?
Is his tail always low or tucked between his legs?
Is it possible that he has stopped eating or is being aggressive?
So possible causes may be trauma or chronic stress. Here, too, sudden fear can be caused by psychological reasons. Consult your veterinarian to rule out chronic pain or any health problems.
If your cat is frightened and in good health, you should consider that this is due to psychological stress or trauma.
Has he started to fear some external change?
Was there a critical experience, such as an accident?
Are there new members in the family?
Have the cats not received enough socialization and cohabitation, eg the arrival of new cats in the house creates insecurity? Are the living conditions suitable for a multi-cat household? Are there enough sandboxes, bowls of water and food?
Is it possible for an anxious cat to feel threatened by other cats and that social pressure causes them to constantly fear?
What do I do when my cat is afraid?
As you can see, anxiety disorders in cats can have many causes. As a herder for them, you know your cat better than any expert and it is possible that by reading this article, you have already understood one thing or the other.
You may have recognized your cat's/cat's behavior in one of the cases mentioned. Do not despair if the reason for your cat's behavior is still a mystery to you.
Perhaps you can seek help from your vet. You know your cat better than anyone and you can spot behavioral changes that no stranger would ever know. However, a second opinion can often work miracles.
Even when you find the cause, making the fear disappear from a cat's life is no easy feat. But it's not impossible either!
In any case, be careful, impulsive actions do not help. Give your cat time, don't stress him out and celebrate every little progress.
Steps to reduce stress, anxiety and fear for cats at home
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If you have a stressed or anxious cat, it is important that you take steps at home to try to reduce stress, anxiety and fear by following these steps:
1- Make sure they have their own space.
- One of the most important things for many cats is to have their own space where they can hide when they are frightened.
- Why not make them a den if they like to hide under or behind furniture?
- Or consider making a comfortable bed for them above the wardrobe
- Or put shelves for them to sit on if they prefer height?
- If the cause of their fear can be avoided or reduced, it often helps to prevent their fear from getting worse.
- If your cat is afraid of something that she will encounter while outside, it may be best to keep her indoors for part of the day.
- They may be much happier staying home all the time, especially if that means you can keep them away from whatever scares them.
- If they seem more nervous when they are stuck inside, make sure they have an easy way in and out as they choose, for example using a kitten's flutter.
3- Give them space.
- Some cats will want to come to you for comfort when they are frightened, while others will want to hide or be left alone.
- It is always best to respect your cat's choice and not force her to come to you if she is afraid - this may make them feel even more afraid.
4- Close the curtains and try to turn on the music or the TV.
- Cats have very sensitive hearing and can find it cumbersome when strange things happen outside (eg storms, fireworks).
- If you notice that your cat seems anxious, try closing the curtains and turning on some music or the TV so they can relax in a safe and comfortable place, especially if your cat is afraid of things you can't control or loud noises like fireworks.
5- Always stay calm.
- Cats often pick up if you're scared or stressed, so trying to stay calm is really important.
- If they are showing signs of stress, staying calm will help them feel more comfortable.
6- Try to stick to the routine.
- Most cats like routine because it means they can predict what will happen next.
- Feed your cat and let her go out at the same time every day.
- You can also set aside some special time each day when you pet your cat or play with her if she enjoys it so she knows when she will have your full attention!
7- Introduce new things slowly.
- Sometimes change can frighten your cat, especially if he's not ready and has found something new in his home that he feels he can't stay away from.
- If you are making any changes to your home, try to make a gradual change if possible.
- Always make sure your cat has somewhere she can go if she wants to get away from new things.
- Cats also love the opportunity to look at, smell or explore things, so if possible try to give them some supervised access at first so they can get used to any new sights, sounds or smells in a safe way.
8- Keep some litter trays inside.
- If your cat is afraid of something outside, she may not want to go to the outdoor toilet, so make sure there are at least litter trays in various places in the house to use if she needs to.
9- Try an extra pheromone supplement.
- These products can help your cat feel calm and relieve any tensions in the house. Consult your vet before using it.
10- Make sure your cat has a microchip and that your data is up to date.
- If your cat is afraid, she may panic and run away and get lost. If they have a microchip and your data is up to date, you have a much better chance of reuniting them if they can't find a way back home.
- Veterinarians and rescue centers will check your kitten's microchip and will be able to contact you if your cat is brought to them.
11- Call the vet
- We recommend contacting your vet as soon as possible if your cat is feeling fearful or anxious as fears tend to worsen over time. Not only is this annoying for your cat but her behavior often becomes more and more extreme.