Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone. Thanks in advance for suggestions in helping my kitty!

We have 3 "garage" kitties. They are definitely outdoor kitties, but we make sure they have a nice, safe, place to sleep in our garage each night.

One of our cats (they are almost 3 years old) went missing for 3 days. She is definitely the one that wasn't scared of anything and we were really afraid that she acted too tough with something, possibly a coyote, and it got her. Finally, when we almost gave up, she popped up in a window like usual when she wants to come in to the garage via our house. Usually I will open the door and she will go straight to the garage. This time, she stayed hunched up and fearful and I had to physically go up to the window sill and get her. It has been a week and she will not go outside. She is clearly afraid of something. When we open our garage doors, she will not go out like usual and just be hunched up in some corner. She is VERY scared of something outside. Although we don't mind if she stays inside every day 24 hours a day, we find it really strange because she loved the outdoors and was the first to want out. We want her to roam and love the outdoors like she did before. Do you think this is something she will eventually enjoy again after her fear level drops off a bit ... should I do something? I tried coaxing her outside ...even carrying her once...but she almost clawed my eyes out wanting to go back indoors. I hate that her life is so boring and depressing being in a garage

I will say that she does still love us and will allow us to pet her and love on her, but you can tell she is clearly not the same kitty and is a little bit apprehensive of us.

Any help or tips would be appreciated. If it is something that has to just run it's course, that's fine.

Thanks,
Kristi

Kristi, have you checked her for injuries? Does she look like she has gotten into a fight? If not, have you monitored her eating, drinking and eliminating? As you describe the situation it certainly sounds like something gave her a real fright - a dog maybe, or some children playing rough with her, or someone trying to take her or even trying to keep her locked up against her will. But you don't know, and it could be something else as well. She could have been hit by a car and have internal injuries - her being away for three days, maybe sitting somewhere hurt, would fit. I would advice to have her seen by a vet, just to be on the safe side.

If she's physically in the clear, why not adopt her completely? There are so many people worried that their cat might run out, and you are worried that she doesn't go out! If you could provide her with a nice home ... why not allow her into your house instead of just in the garage? Why not allow all three of them in for that matter?

It would also be a good idea to have these three cats spayed/neutered, otherwise you will be faced with offspring soon. And really, there are too many cats anyway.

Just a thought ...

In the immediate sense, I would have her checked by a vet first. If she's okay, I would just continue to provide a loving haven for her, as you are already doing. She might relax after some time. But really, do you want whatever happened to her outside happen again? Just think about it, as long as she goes out she WILL be in danger, and you will have no control over it, might never find out what happened to her. I feel strongly about this because I lost my beloved Lucy to the outdoors, and I never found out what happened to her. My cats are indoors only now, but they are not bored as I provide them with lots of play and excitement.

Another thing you could try to help her is Bachflower Rescue Remedy drops. They are for shocks and fear. They might help her to relax.

Good luck! Keep us updated!

Another thought. When she came back, was she very hungry or did she look like she hadn't eaten anything in three days? In that case she might have been locked in somewhere accidentally. You really want to watch her though, as cats that go more than two days without food are in danger of developing a certian liver disease (fatty liver) that is very difficult to treat and often ends with death. If she doesn't eat now, or eats only little, and is lethargic etc, please get her to a vet immediately!

hmm...she wasn't really overly hungry, but ate when she got home. She was plump, but she's our "hunter" of the brood...always catching birds and small rodents. She was never scared of anything and we were worried she'd be the one that take on "something" bigger than she was. I guess she did! I have a feeling she was cornered and scared. She is not afraid of the other cats or us.

Thanks again for all of the suggestions!!!

Kristi

Thank you so much for your suggestions! I never really even thought about taking her to the vet. There are no apparent injuries to her, not a single scratch.

I would love to bring her in or all of them, but we just put down our 15 year old kitty a few months ago, got new carpet and are adopting a baby in a few months and I vowed to never have an indoor cat again. Of course, these cats come in occasionally to visit But I'm not doing the litterbox thing with a new baby.

They are all spayed and neutered though...have been since 6 months

Thanks for the suggestions! I will definitely think about each thing you suggested!

Kristi

If at all possible she should stay inside. Unless she is showing symptoms of disease - lethargy, no appetite, etc. she is probably going to be OK. Her aprehensiveness will probably go away, but she might never want to return to the outdoors.
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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

Thank you! You have always been a great source of information and compassion! This board benefits from having you on it

The funny thing is that we will let her inside and she wants back out in the garage. She is TOTALLY an outside cat. She loved the outdoors...was the first to want out.... So I really want to just let her try to get over this and then maybe if she doesn't and I see she is miserable, I could try to find her a home to be an inside cat, but it would kill me. She is not acting sad and quite happy on her perch watching out the window and enjoying her nice semi-airconditioned garage with no cars in it ! haha I was wanting to know suggestions of what I could do to put her at ease...like herbal stuff or something to calm her a bit.

Thanks again...I'm gonna keep my eye on her.

Try the Rescue Remedy. It might help her. Do you know what it is and how to use it?

Vitamin B is also known to calm nerves. Are you actually feeding her now that she's not hunting? You could try vitamin B rich foods, such as boiled cow's liver, or a supplement. But although surplus vitamin B is eliminated from the body it would be a better to talk to a vet first before supplementing her. On the other hand, I think a ten day course of vitamin B won't harm her.

Maybe someone else here has more knowledge about this?

Sorry, I mistyped. I meant to say:

I don't think a ten day course of vitamin B WOULD harm her.

Tilda

No, I definitely do not know what that is and where to get, or where to get the vitamins? My vet is taking his annual 2 week vacation right now.

Let me know. And thanks again for helping me and my baby

Kristi

You can buy rescue rememdy at a natural food store for humans.
It is about 10 dollars for a small bottle. You can either put a few drops in her watet, or try to rub a drop into each ear tip.

Also you might want to get a feliway spray from the pet store.

Are you adopting a human baby?
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Jaime owned by
Mya the dog
and the cats:Crash, Moxie, Gabby and sometimes Tucker

Bachflower Remedies are similar to homoeopathic remedies, but they work on the mental and emotional level rather than the physical. They are COMPLETELY safe, and you usually give a couple of drops either on the tongue or exposed skin several times a day, or mix them in their water dish. In acute cases (accident, extreme fear etc), you can give them every 10 minutes. They are actually for humans but have been shown to work great on animals and even plants, too. What you want now is the Rescue Remedy, which is a mixture of 5 different Bachflower essences.

Here is a good site, in case you want to read more about Bachflowers:
http://store.yahoo.com/herbal-remedies-usa/bacflowremfo.html

Vitamin B complex should be available at drug stores or pharmacies.

Thank you! You all are so knowledgeable! I would have never thought of this!

I will get some! We have a store here in town that would probably carry that!

Thanks again,
Kristi

A human baby, yes! hehehe.

And I forgot...thank you!! I will buy some!!

Good luck with all of your babies! If and when you have time, post an update!

I'm proud to announce that after 1 month, our kitty is back outside enjoying the outdoors! I bought the Rescue Remedy and she just would not even take that stuff (tried rubbing on her ears, giving it to her directly in the mouth AND in food---nothing worked). We tried the open garage door approach. We left the back door to the garage open and she eventually a day or two so ago mustered the courage to go out. She was gone all day....waited on the front door step for me to open the door to let her in to the garage....and seemed fine...loving, not scared at all. She stayed in a couple more days...and today she was back out again all day. Just laying around, enjoying the nice weather, and is happy as can be now. I think we have whipped whatever was wrong with her. I'm beginning to think that perhaps she was just simply lost and when she found us, she was just really scared and perhaps associated the outside with being lost. We'll never know what happened to her, but glad she is behaving like the normal cat she once was and enjoying the outdoors, but yet still has her cozy bed in our garage to sleep in at night.

Thanks again for all the support and help! I'm sticking around here to try to help some others, as you all have helped me! Thanks!!

Kristi

Thanks for the update. I'm glad that all seems to be going well and that we were able to help.

>>I'm proud to announce that after 1 month, our kitty is back outside enjoying the outdoors! I bought the Rescue Remedy and she just would not even take that stuff (tried rubbing on her ears, giving it to her directly in the mouth AND in food---nothing worked). We tried the open garage door approach. We left the back door to the garage open and she eventually a day or two so ago mustered the courage to go out. She was gone all day....waited on the front door step for me to open the door to let her in to the garage....and seemed fine...loving, not scared at all. She stayed in a couple more days...and today she was back out again all day. Just laying around, enjoying the nice weather, and is happy as can be now. I think we have whipped whatever was wrong with her. I'm beginning to think that perhaps she was just simply lost and when she found us, she was just really scared and perhaps associated the outside with being lost. We'll never know what happened to her, but glad she is behaving like the normal cat she once was and enjoying the outdoors, but yet still has her cozy bed in our garage to sleep in at night.
>>
>>Thanks again for all the support and help! I'm sticking around here to try to help some others, as you all have helped me! Thanks!!
>>
>>Kristi
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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

Hello - We have a 2-year old cat that has been an indoor cat all her life. She is EXTREMELY curious and doesn't seem to be scared of anything. About a month ago, we purchased a new home with a big backyard. Little miss curiosity managed to get out the back door a number of times, and she would just play in the yard and chase birds. More recently, she's started disappearing into other people's yards, and on several occasions, has gone off on full-day long adventures. I guess she is officially an outdoor cat now.

Yesterday she disappeared for about 6 hours. When she returned, she looked a little dazed and confused, and didn't respond to me the way she normally does. When I brought her back in, she was absolutely petrified of something INSIDE the house. She seems to be on the constant lookout for something sneaking up on her from under the couch, top of a table, or behind a wall. She jumps about 3 feet in the air at the slightest sound, and she has isolated herself in one corner of the house and refuses to come out. She's not scared of me or my wife, and actually is okay with us petting her. She'll even let us pick her up and walk around, but the whole time she's got her head on a swivel making sure nothing attacks from the floor or up above. The bravest little cat in the world has gone completely scaredy cat on us!

What's mind boggling is that whatever happenned to her happenned while she was out, but she's acting weird inside the house. What's even more odd is that as soon as we open the door, she tries to make a break for the outside again. Her only movement inside the house is to try and escape from the house! Something inside the house really has her freaked out, but she wasn't acting like this EVER before she took off on her adventure yesterday.

Any thoughts? What could have happenned? We're NOT letting her out again until she returns to normal.