Reptile & Amphibian Forums

this morning when we woke up, our 2 year old cat is terrified of ever little noise he hears. he used to be the one that didnt freak out over every little noise, which is why we liked him so much. he used to play ball and jump very high to play with the ball. it's so sad. now he wont do anything. he hides under the bed and isnt the same cat at all!!!!! its very sad. he was the only one that wouldnt hide when visitors came over, our other two cats hide. this is really stressing my mom and i out because we loved our cat but he's not the same and it just happened literally overnight!! please help me out. if you can email me at sikamikanico4@hotmail.com or just reply. thanks please help :,(

It sounds like your cat is sick. Sudden changes in behavior are usually a signal that the cat isn't feeling well or is hurt from some sort of injury that you can't see. The best advice I can give you is to take him into a vet ASAP.

Good luck, and please let us know what the vet says.

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PHCurious
Cat Chat Host

It does sound like your cat may be sick. A vet check is in order. However, if all checks out on the health front perhaps something startled him that you don't know about. In this case all it may take is some time for the cat to regain confidence. If the vet gives you the all-clear, let the cat "do his thing" and hide if he wants to. You can sit in the same room with him - do something else like reading to avoid eye-contact and occasionally toss a treat near where he is hiding. After a few days of this he may regain some confidence!
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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

This happened to one of our cats also. No idea of what changed her. The vet didn't find anything wrong in her case. We raised this girl from day one (orphan) and she went everywhere with us for weeks so she was exposed to new things all the time. One day she was layed back and easy going and the next day everything in the world scared her. We have no idea of what could have upset her. She's 8 yrs old now and still spooks at every little noise. Still a very loving girl that wants to be held (on her terms only) and we wouldn't give her up for anything.
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Topaz an Da Idyho Clan
Vester, Mystry, Trey, Gidget, Tuff. Rusti, Michael, Carmen, KC, Badger, Panda, MamaCat, Tasha, Chip, Sierra and Tribble

I agree with the others...take the cat to the vet asap. Sudden behavioral changes such as this usually signify a medical problem. It's quite possible that something spooke dthe cat and it will take time for the cat to become at ease again, but I would suggest a visit to the vet before anything else.
If the vet finds no medical reason for your cats behavior, then you may want to try Feliway..the new plug in called Comfort Zone....helps calms anxious cats because it mimics the calming pheromone a cats emits when it rubs it's cheek up against something. You can get it online or in most pet stores.
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Dottie
Proudly owned by The Catnip Crew...Munchkin,Casey,Maddie,Harley,Meadow,Ashley,Nicky and Mushka