Unsociability and outright fear of people on the part of homeless animals are natural and do not cause surprise. This behavior is explained by their difficult fate and the need for constant survival in harsh conditions.
With domestic cats, who have only recently begun to be afraid of everything, the situation is somewhat more complicated. In such situations, it is very important to find out the cause of the anxiety and try to eliminate it - otherwise you risk becoming the owner of a nervous and aggressive pet.
Why did the animal suddenly become afraid of everything?
The main reasons for sudden changes in behavior include nervous shocks and various pathologies affecting the central nervous system. In the first case, the problem is solved by creating a safe and comfortable environment, and in the second, by drug treatment under the supervision of a veterinarian.
Negative memories
If you got your pet from other owners or were picked up on the street, then you can only guess about its past. If there are negative memories of a certain event, fear will be activated by a specific trigger: children, dogs, a wave of the hand, or seemingly harmless things.
Initially, a domestic cat may be frightened by shouting too loudly, unfair punishment, or accidentally stepping on its tail or paw. Despite the absence of malicious intent on your part, such events must be smoothed out. Otherwise, the animal will begin to avoid you and hide in secluded places.
IMPORTANT!
Don't let your pet go out alone if you can't guarantee its safety.
Experienced stress
Most mustachioed pets are terrible conservatives. Any change in their usual lifestyle puts them in a state of stress. It is especially difficult for cats to move, meet new family members, change owners, and receive treatment.
Stress can be short-term or chronic. In the first case, the animal copes with the experiences on its own after a couple of hours or a day, and in the second, it is in dire need of outside help. Chronic stress is provoked by frequent encounters with irritating factors, as well as prolonged exposure to unfavorable conditions.
Great fright
Another possible reason is severe fear. Cats are sensitive to sharp and loud sounds, so many of them cannot stand a vacuum cleaner, hair dryer and other household appliances.
The effect of surprise plays a significant role. Some owners calm their pets during heat by dipping them in cold water. This method really works, but it also creates a new phobia due to its inadequacy and increases the chances of getting a genital tract infection.
NOTE!
The only humane and really working way to eliminate sexual desire is castration.
Neurological diseases
Mental disorders occur not only in people, but also in their pets. Based on their occurrence, they are divided into congenital and acquired. Sudden attacks of fear and increased anxiety are associated precisely with the latter.
If your pet is over 12 years old or has recently suffered a skull or spinal injury, contact your veterinarian. The resulting deviation may be associated with a stroke or epilepsy. If the pathology is confirmed, the animal will require special care and home treatment.
Nervous diseases and disorders in cats
Most often, the owner encounters such disorders in the cat as a nervous breakdown, neurosis, and convulsions.
Teak
Such a phenomenon as a nervous tic (rhythmic twitching of the muscles of the muzzle, fore and hind limbs) is not an independent disease. There are many reasons for its occurrence: from dental problems (twitching of the temporal muscles) to complications after infectious diseases and organic brain lesions.
In neurological practice, nervous tics in domestic cats are rare. The clinical sign requires detailed examination by an experienced neurologist.
Convulsions
Seizures are rare in domestic cats. First of all, the owner should exclude such a severe neurological disease as epilepsy.
The disease is accompanied by clonic-tonic convulsions, the duration and intensity of which depends on the severity of the disease. There is evidence that the tendency to epilepsy is due to genetic predisposition. The use of anticonvulsants helps prevent seizures.
Convulsions and seizures are characteristic of neuroses, neuropathies of various origins and neurological disorders. Only a veterinarian can determine the exact cause and exclude organic pathologies (poisoning, infectious diseases, brain injuries, etc.).
Neurosis
Depletion of the body's nervous system under the influence of a strong or prolonged external stress factor leads to the development of neurosis in pets. At the same time, the symptoms of a nervous system malfunction can be very diverse - from aggression towards the owner to the development of spontaneous hyperesthesia syndrome.
Most often, the owner encounters the following manifestations of neurosis in a furry couch potato:
- Fear of previously familiar objects, premises, rooms. Often a cat is afraid even of its litter box.
- Pointless movement around the room. A call or a sharp sound does not have any effect on the pet.
- Pathological licking of fur, which lasts for hours.
- Pet hyperactivity or, conversely, a state of complete apathy.
- Fear of touch, inadequate reaction from stroking - hyperesthesia syndrome. The slightest touch to an animal causes a storm of negative emotions and hyperactivity: the cat begins to hiss, run around as if scalded, and scream.
Experienced breeders and veterinarians believe that Oriental cats are more susceptible to the disease than other breeds. Their nervous system is less adapted to the changing external environment and often malfunctions.
Oriental cats
Disruption
There are many reasons for a domestic cat to have a nervous breakdown: from changing furniture to moving to a new place. A mental disorder manifests itself in the form of repetitive actions of an animal. The cat constantly licks itself non-stop, rushes from side to side, meows loudly and constantly.
Stress affects the animal's body, leading to a violation of control over its behavior. Rhythmically repeated actions (licking and pulling out fur, meaningless movement around the room) are aimed at turning off the animal’s consciousness in order to protect the nervous system from overwork.
How to tell if your pet is afraid
All frightened animals behave the same way. Their fear manifests itself through a set of the following external signs:
- pressing the ears to the head;
- fluffing or pinching of the tail between the hind legs;
- arching your back and freezing in place;
- a plaintive meow or a threatening hiss;
- attempts to run away or hide in a dark place;
- compulsive licking;
- change in appetite (refusal to eat or uncontrollable eating);
- relieving yourself past the tray;
- being pulled out of hands when trying to hug;
- sudden jumping up upon direct contact with an irritant.
Much of the above coincides with signs of aggression. This similarity is explained by the fact that the best defense is an attack.
What should the owner do?
It is important to understand one thing - a defensive cat can seriously injure you and even cripple you. At the moment of immediate fright, it is better to leave her alone, giving her the opportunity to come to her senses. After this, you should start looking for the irritating factor and eliminating it.
Correct behavior of all family members
If you do not live alone, gather a family council. Their effectiveness will depend on the coherence of your actions. How to solve the problem depends on the situation:
- Negative memories.
Surround your pet with attention and care. Over time, he will understand that nothing threatens him in your home.
- Stress.
Choose a more comfortable carrier for visiting the veterinarian or help your kitten adapt to unfamiliar conditions.
- Fright.
Give your pet a private corner where he can hide and be alone. In addition to the house, it can be a high play complex with an observation deck at the very top (an example of a homemade house).
If you suspect an illness, contact your veterinarian immediately. Be sure to list all symptoms detected at your appointment. They will help identify the location and extent of the damage.
Should I give my cat a sedative?
Anti-anxiety medications are effective during moving and other stressful situations that cannot be eliminated. They should only be given as directed by a veterinarian. The only exception is a special diffuser with cat pheromones. It acts directly on the neurons of the brain and is not addictive.
IMPORTANT!
Do not use valerian to calm your cat. Its prolonged use is fraught with behavioral disorders and the development of drug addiction.
What not to do
Animals' fears are most often associated with negative experiences and mistakes made by their owners when raising them. The most common of them include the following:
- Punishment or reward for being scared. Both actions only exacerbate existing fear.
- Refusal to regularly visit the veterinary clinic. Periodic inspections should be routine, not a surprise.
- Too intrusive communication. Fear of people is not always associated with rough treatment. An animal may avoid its owner due to constant compulsion to play against its will.
It is also important to note that pets should never be intentionally frightened. Such actions may lead to loss of trust.
Don't poke your cat's nose into the dirt - it's stressful for her.
Many of you have probably been told to rub your cat's nose in its dirt or spank it. Physically punishing your cat will only make things worse! Of course, in doing so you will teach your cat something, but one thing: to be afraid of you. And you absolutely do not teach her how to use the toilet. Since many toilet problems are the result of stress in an animal, physical attacks will only increase this stress, and increased stress will lead to an increase in the number of mistakes he makes.
Most people resort to physical punishment when they are completely frustrated, when they do not know how to express their needs and desires. But you cannot confuse disappointment with training or education: they are incompatible. This is a loss of control, and your cat will easily recognize it. For cats, nothing is more important than self-defense. They will seek safety, and if safety is somewhere far away from you, your cat will either run away or chase you away in order to find that safety.
Taming an initially timid animal
A timid kitten picked up on the street needs time to develop trust in its new owner. Most often, fear of people in “foundlings” is due to two factors: lack of socialization and cruel treatment. In the first case, the baby simply needs time to understand that he will never again have to fight for his life and look for food on his own.
During the adaptation stage, try to create the most comfortable conditions for the new pet and avoid intrusiveness. The easiest way to gain trust is through food, so at first try feeding your kitten directly from your hands or a long-handled spoon.
If the baby has become a victim of evil people, then he will need much more time. The algorithm for building relationships in such a situation is similar. The only difference is that the kitten’s fear is actually justified. For this reason, it is better to avoid punishment, because a too loud voice or incorrectly chosen intonation can nullify all your achievements.
Rewarding undesirable behavior
You stretched out exhausted on the sofa in front of the TV. Then meowing is heard from the kitchen. Then again. You try to ignore him, but your cat won't allow it. Another louder and more demanding call is heard. This is where you give up. “Do you want a snack, my boy?” - you ask, getting off the couch and heading to the kitchen. - “Okay, come here!” After that, you fall back onto the couch, hoping to lie in peace and quiet for a while. What happened?
In short, you have been well trained. But since your training isn't the main point of discussion in this case, let's focus elsewhere and say that your cat just received a reward for meowing. What will be the most likely outcome of this? He will meow even more in the future. And to make matters worse, you've just taught him to meow repeatedly. But persistence is not at all a quality that you would like to develop in your cat, since it is firmly rooted in animals of this species.
So there are two rules for dealing with cats, although we are told that the same rules can be applied to parenting and marital relationships as well: 1) Successful extortion is always repeated. 2) If you are going to give in, do it right away.
Why is a cat only afraid of strangers?
If the animal does not panic and calmly retreats behind the sofa or to another safe shelter, then the reason for its behavior lies in banal caution. It is completely natural for cats and does not require outside intervention.
If your pet remains scared even after the stranger leaves, then the problem is much deeper. The reasons here are the same as described above. Due to negative memories, a cat may be afraid of people wearing white clothes or smelling strongly of cigarettes.
Fear of strangers is eliminated by reinforcing positive associations. Encourage your guests to give your cat healthy treats and not cuddle her against her will. Over time, she will understand that such meetings are beneficial to her and are not at all dangerous.
ACS diagnostics
To accurately determine the cause of a change in behavior in a cat, a complete examination is necessary. Unfortunately, both diagnosis and treatment of behavioral problems are often complicated by the presence of various diseases in the animal. And sometimes a combination of pathologies makes behavioral disorders especially severe.
On the other hand, sometimes behavioral symptoms that are actually caused by a serious illness are attributed to cognitive dysfunction syndrome.
The owner’s task is to identify “abnormalities” in the pet’s behavior and promptly report them to the doctor. In addition to changing behavior, it is important to monitor the amount of food and water consumed, weight loss, frequency of bowel movements and urination, etc.
And, of course, older animals need to regularly (1-2 times a year, more often with significant deviations) visit the veterinary clinic for a comprehensive examination (measurement of body weight, blood pressure, determination of the condition of the retina, concentration of thyroid hormones, physical activity, orthopedic and neurological examination, ultrasound diagnostics, tests and blood tests (general and biochemical), urine, etc.).
Dear owners! Timely detection of the disease and its correct treatment mean extended years of life for your pet.
