My 6-year old feline has always been skittish and afraid of everyone except me & my husband (whom she only tolerates). She has now taken up residence in the hall closet and won't come out (at least during the day). When she is forced out (gently), she sits between the vertical blinds and the sliding glass door until she can go back into the closet.
She is eating (yes, I bring her food to the closet. I'm trying to soothe her and make her feel safe) and and has been declared healthy by the the vet. Blood work, x-rays all came back fine. Temp is normal, lungs clear, heart good, etc.
We introduced a new cat into the house 7 weeks ago. As expected, she was not happy and hissed, but seemed to be slowly adjusting to him. 4 days ago we came home and found her hiding under the futon in my room. She was out and about after that, but slowly has become more reclusive.
I'm torn between letting her be and letting her work her way out of this apparent anxiety attack (my guess) and doing some behavioral stuff. She is not afraid of me or my husband and seems to enjoy my visits to the closet and seems to like being petted.
But she won't come out. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
My cat is hiding & won't come out
Re: My cat is hiding & won't come out
Can you explain what steps you took when you introduced the cats?
..........Traci
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youngatheart
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- Joined: Thu Sep 17, 2009 12:27 pm
Re: My cat is hiding & won't come out
We kept the new cat in a separate, closed room for 2 days. Then we let him out for a half hour and let our two cats into the closed room, so they could smell each other's scent.
Then we kept the new cat into the room, but kept the door open. Slowly they all just sort of looked at each other, but kept their distances. We gave extra attention and affection to two we had.
The older came around doing what we expected -- some hissing, some sniffing, some touching noses, a few 5 to 10-second fights and now they seem to have established some kind of relationship, even if it's not warm and fuzzy.
This younger one seemed to be following along in the pattern, but keeping a farther distance. Then suddenly she started hiding out. We thought that perhaps there was a bad fight between the two males and she got scared. Or perhaps the new cat decided to follow after her -- he appears to be very friendly and wanting to play. Usually backs off when the established cat turns.
I tried to follow the advice I got for introduction. The mystery to me is that this behavior is occuring 7 weeks after the introduction of the new cat.
Then we kept the new cat into the room, but kept the door open. Slowly they all just sort of looked at each other, but kept their distances. We gave extra attention and affection to two we had.
The older came around doing what we expected -- some hissing, some sniffing, some touching noses, a few 5 to 10-second fights and now they seem to have established some kind of relationship, even if it's not warm and fuzzy.
This younger one seemed to be following along in the pattern, but keeping a farther distance. Then suddenly she started hiding out. We thought that perhaps there was a bad fight between the two males and she got scared. Or perhaps the new cat decided to follow after her -- he appears to be very friendly and wanting to play. Usually backs off when the established cat turns.
I tried to follow the advice I got for introduction. The mystery to me is that this behavior is occuring 7 weeks after the introduction of the new cat.
Re: My cat is hiding & won't come out
Well, it does sound like maybe there was a sparring event when you weren't home, or a slight altercation....with which cat(s) would be difficult to know unless you see similar behavior in another cat, like intimidation.
Have you tried closing off the closet so she can't hide there? Do you have another room with her favorite things, that she can retreat to, but with the door left OPEN?
Have you tried bringing her out and engaging both cats in a playtime session? Sometimes, a scheduled playtime session can help get the cats back into their comfort zone.....by playing with you or toys, they are more focused on the event rather than each other and if they can be and play in the same space together, this can help them overcome their fears. Try to be consistent with the playtime schedule, and be sure to give all the cats equal attention, try to feed them together, play with them together, but of course, when one might be sleeping, give attention to one who isn't, and vice versa.
Since she can't tell you why she's scared or withdrawn, you have to be the investigator and for lack of knowing the true event that caused her to hide, bring her out and about and "prove" to her there is nothing to be afraid of, then try to act as if nothing is unusual, keep an eye on her reactions and behavior and be consistent with the attention you give her, the schedules of feeding, playtime, attention time etc.
Have you tried closing off the closet so she can't hide there? Do you have another room with her favorite things, that she can retreat to, but with the door left OPEN?
Have you tried bringing her out and engaging both cats in a playtime session? Sometimes, a scheduled playtime session can help get the cats back into their comfort zone.....by playing with you or toys, they are more focused on the event rather than each other and if they can be and play in the same space together, this can help them overcome their fears. Try to be consistent with the playtime schedule, and be sure to give all the cats equal attention, try to feed them together, play with them together, but of course, when one might be sleeping, give attention to one who isn't, and vice versa.
Since she can't tell you why she's scared or withdrawn, you have to be the investigator and for lack of knowing the true event that caused her to hide, bring her out and about and "prove" to her there is nothing to be afraid of, then try to act as if nothing is unusual, keep an eye on her reactions and behavior and be consistent with the attention you give her, the schedules of feeding, playtime, attention time etc.
..........Traci
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youngatheart
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Thu Sep 17, 2009 12:27 pm
Re: My cat is hiding & won't come out
I would have to close off a LOT of doors - lol. She has a variety of hiding spots in the house that she uses when company comes.
I have tried bringing her out of the closet and she stiffens and growls at the disturbance. Then she "hides" behind the verticals and sits between them and the sliding glass doors.
I may try getting her and her "old" friend into a closed-off room together to help her realize all is well. He's gone over and sniffed her a few times and she handled that well.
I'll probably let her be for another day. She's positioned herself in the closet where she can now look out into the hallway (this is a wide closet with sliding doors, not a traditional door w/knob) while still being "hidden". That's a change in her behavior over the past few days. So perhaps she's on the verge of venturing out.
I also have reason to believe she ventures out at night -- there is food missing from the cat dish that's more than the two other cats would eat by themselves.
Poor little thing. It pains me to see her hiding -- she used to strut around the house like she owned it. I'm hoping to get her back to that place eventually.
I have tried bringing her out of the closet and she stiffens and growls at the disturbance. Then she "hides" behind the verticals and sits between them and the sliding glass doors.
I may try getting her and her "old" friend into a closed-off room together to help her realize all is well. He's gone over and sniffed her a few times and she handled that well.
I'll probably let her be for another day. She's positioned herself in the closet where she can now look out into the hallway (this is a wide closet with sliding doors, not a traditional door w/knob) while still being "hidden". That's a change in her behavior over the past few days. So perhaps she's on the verge of venturing out.
I also have reason to believe she ventures out at night -- there is food missing from the cat dish that's more than the two other cats would eat by themselves.
Poor little thing. It pains me to see her hiding -- she used to strut around the house like she owned it. I'm hoping to get her back to that place eventually.
Re: My cat is hiding & won't come out
It isn't unusual for newly introduced cats, for one of them to display behavior like this well after the introduction time. We humans are pretty stupid in determining their behaviors with each other. While we can spot the obvious, sometimes they have their own little quirks and hidden messages that we may never discover. In those cases, I always try to just prove to them that nothing is wrong, and just help them through it, much like you did when you introduced them. The sooner you can help her understand her kingdom is truly safe, and stay consistent with proving that to her, the sooner she will probably dismiss it. Do watch the male though, to get a feel for his behavior quirks in the event you might catch something you might be able to determine it scared your female.
I know how hard it is to see them like this, but it's probably worse for us than them, unless there is some obvious and prolonged stress going on, in which you have to nip in the bud.
Hang in there, give it another day or two and post back if things don't seem to be improving.
I know how hard it is to see them like this, but it's probably worse for us than them, unless there is some obvious and prolonged stress going on, in which you have to nip in the bud.
Hang in there, give it another day or two and post back if things don't seem to be improving.
..........Traci
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youngatheart
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Thu Sep 17, 2009 12:27 pm
Re: My cat is hiding & won't come out
Thanks for the encouragement. I'm noticing little bitty improvements -- she's positioned herself so she can look out from the closet, I fed her with the bowl half out into the hallway and she ate. I left the door open enough so her head is fully exposed and she didn't freak.
I expect it will take longer than I want, but we seem to be making progress.
I expect it will take longer than I want, but we seem to be making progress.
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youngatheart
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Thu Sep 17, 2009 12:27 pm
Re: My cat is hiding & won't come out
Well, my kitty finally came out of the closet today, Sunday. To be sure, she is still spooked and has found a corner of the living room, behind a chair, as her new favorite spot to not be seen. She came out by herself, used the litter box and walked around the living room before settling on the corner. It's a start.
Re: My cat is hiding & won't come out
Yes, it's a start!
How are the two other cats reacting to her?
How are the two other cats reacting to her?
..........Traci
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youngatheart
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Thu Sep 17, 2009 12:27 pm
Re: My cat is hiding & won't come out
It's very strange. They walk by and look. Her old housemate sniffs at times. The new one is starting to. She looks up at them and doesn't react. They walk by and she just looks. As long as she's in the closet or in another spot where she feels "hidden", she appears and reacts very normal.
It seems her anxiety has gone beyond the new cat. She seems to be anxious only when she is walking around our of the closet. Her legs are buckled, ears back and her fur sometimes briefly "ripples" (that's the best way I can put it) like something's crawling around. It looks like what my mother used to call the "heebie jeebies". Then she settles down.
She's back in the closet today, looking out on the world very peacefully.
It seems her anxiety has gone beyond the new cat. She seems to be anxious only when she is walking around our of the closet. Her legs are buckled, ears back and her fur sometimes briefly "ripples" (that's the best way I can put it) like something's crawling around. It looks like what my mother used to call the "heebie jeebies". Then she settles down.
She's back in the closet today, looking out on the world very peacefully.