Hi, i got a cat form a Rescue Centre about 3 months ago. They said she was 6 months old, but i think she may be older. The day we got her i was overwelmed on how quickly she settled in. She would come up and sit on your knee, well anyones knee who came in and sat down for ages, she was really sociable. She has been neutered and only goes in the garden when we are there. Over the last three to four weeks she has stopped doing this and won't even come up for a cuddle when called. Nothing in our routine has changed. Im quite upset over this and don't knw what to do. Any advice would be great. Has anyone else experienced this. Oh yeah she has also started to bite when you stroke her!!!
Please help with my cat!!!!?
I think you ought to take her to a vet 1st of all to rule out any illness as she may have hurt herself or feel off and thats why she is grouchy.
Offer her encouragement and give her lots of time and TLC. Offer her tasty treats and let her approach you not the other way around.
If your vet rules out illness then maybe you could try some feliway. A spray or diffuser provides Apeasing pheromones which sooth and calm cats in times off stress or upset. Any little thing can upset a cat. Have you changed the furniture round or redecorated as little things like this can change a cats behaviour.
Because you don't know her history it is possible she was maltreated previous to you and maybe something new you wore or a perfume you started using could have scared her.
I would certainly rule out medical problems prior anything else.
Reply:It could be because another cat is getting into the house, if you've not gotten one, I'd invest in an electronic cat flap that just lets your cat in/out of your house. It might also be an idea if you get her checked out by the vet as feeling unwell could be the root cause.
Reply:how long ago was she neutered? was she neutered when you first got her? after i got my cat fixed, she seemed more tempermental after a couple months. my cat also gets like that when she gets fleas.
Reply:take her to the vets..
she needs to be checked as soon as....
Reply:Has someone hurt her or been nasty too her - check the neighbours
Reply:I rescued my kitty off the streets and he was SO docile at first! But then he began to push his boundaries to check out who is boss.
He won and is totally in charge - it may be that your cat is doing the same thing. She feels safe and is now being a normal cat and asserting her superioty!!!
(think I spelled that wrong - sorry!)
Reply:Yeh, I'd have to agree with HJ, take her to the vet. Did the rescue centre give you any of her previous medical history? vaccination record? Speak to them again and see if they can shed any light on it.
This much of a change in what was obviously a very happy kitty needs to be checked out by a vet pronto.
Also, take a look at how much she is eating and drinking, and if you can get a urine sample from her just before you go to the vet (clean gravel/stones or paper in the litter tray, wait, then pour into a clean container). Also lay off any treats you give her in the meantime.
Best wishes and good luck.
Reply:We got a cat from the cat protection and he was much the same. He would sit on our knee all the time, now he never does.
I think they just look for comfort those first few weeks, then they settle in and like to do there own thing.
It is quite normal behaviour do not worry about it, with regards to her biting you ours does the same, not intentional just when he being fussed.
Reply:She might not be feeling well. Maybe fleas are making her skin very sensitive. It would be best to take her for a check-up.
Reply:Yes my favourite cat ever was taken from a home with young kids that threw him about. He was very scared and I did my best with him. He kept trying to gode me into hitting him by scratching me to bits and biting. All in all it took 2 years of this and forever after he was stuck to me like glue. Its like people that have been hurt either by knowing or not will push the other person to prove what has happened will happen again. I am not saying it will take 2 years my cats was half Siamese and if you know your cats then i need not say more, just give it time and you will be ok. Good luck to you.
Reply:Neutering and Spaying are the same thing! I'd take her to the vets and get her checked out - although my two female cats will only sit on you when they want to, whereas my male cat is the biggest softie ever. She will come round, and the biting may just be playful, or she might not want to be stroked, cats are very independent animals
Reply:Oh GOD don't you just hate it when people get all 'know-all' and say "actually, she was not neutered, she was spayed!" Sorry, that really bugs me! You're worried about your cat and you don't need some patronising idiot being picky about irrelevant things.
I do agree that you might want to take her to the vet, as a sudden change in behaviour could be a sign of illness.
However, there are two other possibilites.
1. Your cat had a bad time previously and even though she seemed to cling to you at first, she could be backtracking to test your trustworthiness. It's best to just keep doing as you are doing - try to give her lots of love and affection.
2. This is probably the most likely one..... she is growing up. She will be at least 9 months old now, and from my own experience with my kitten, I think that they really start getting rather independent at this age. My kitten is also 9 months old, and over the past month he has become less dependent.
He still sits on our laps most of the time (usually at 10pm every night, it seems to be his routine). But whereas he would previously follow me around constantly or always demand attention, he often just goes in another room and entertains himself or goes to sleep. We usually let him sleep in our bedroom at the weekend, but we have noticed that lately he has gone and slept by himself in another room for most of the night.
He is still affectionate and is not hostile towards us. He also rarely comes when we call him - he just gives us this look which my boyfriend and I have called the "give a sh it?" look! Lol!
If you are worried, or she is becoming more tired, lethargic or is off her food, then you should take her to the vet just to be sure.
I have a hunch that it is because of her age though. In cat terms, 9 months is like puberty - they are changing from kitten into 1 year old adult cat. If it helps, my cat has got more affectionate again over the past week or two. I think it may be a case of understanding that she's more independent now because she's older, but remember that it doesn't mean she loves you less. If anything it's a huge compliment to the way you've treated her - she is showing that she is now comfortable enough in your home to be by herself. She now sees your home as her home, and doesn't need you to reassure her so much anymore.
You might want to read the websites below for a bit more information:
http://cats.about.com/library/guest/ucfe...
http://www.animalforum.com/cindepend.htm
http://cat.lifetips.com/tip/8363/cat-beh...
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/ve...
It might help you to look at the other ways she shows her affection towards you. Just because she does not need you so much, doesn't mean she doesn't love you. Love and trust grow every day, so every day that goes by, the love and trust between you gets stronger - that's got to be a good thing!
Look out for her rubbing against you, head butting you, licking you, 'kissing' you and the biggest compliment of all..... rolling onto her back when she sees you. That's a true sign of love and trust from the cat. If she isn't doing this yet, she will!
I hope this helps
xx Emmie
Reply:Hi. Just for your info, some cats bite as a sign of affection when they are being stroked. They do this with other cats in the litter when they are young. They will also do this with their mother. I'm not sure about the other behavior. Can I ask a few questions? Are there any other pets in the house? What about other people? Were the folks at the rescue center able to give you much background about your cat? All of these factors play a part in feline behavior. Other issues such as general heallth of your cat can effect the way they interact with you. Many new cat owners are surprised by their behavior. Unlike dogs, cats are very independent minded. Cats that are taken from the litter too early tend to have problems with their social skills. So do cats that are not exposed to humans when they are young.
Reply:If your cat's behavior changes suddenly, your first step should always be to contact your veterinarian for a thorough health examination. Cats often hide symptoms of illness until they're seriously ill. Any change in behavior may be an early indication of a medical problem.
Reply:maybe ill poss skin ailment so it hurts, maybe an absess from a fight.
Take to vet
Reply:If her behaviour has changed that dramatically, she may be ill. Take her to the vet for an exam.
Reply:If she is quite young, she may just be moody, cat's go through a teenage phase just like us! Try not to look her in the eyes for too long, as that is how cat's challenge eachother. Make sure no other cats are in her territory. And don't stroke her all the way to her lower back.
Hope this helps!
Reply:any sudden behavior/personality change should be checked out by a vet; she could be ill or in pain... a vet can also confirm her most probable age (one of the things they look at is the condition of the teeth - staining, wear, etc)
Reply:it sounds like the first few weeks she just did that because she needed reassurance that she was loved and going to stay with you and now she is showing her true colours
Reply:First of all SHE was not neutered, she was spayed. girls are spayed. So she may have gotten into a poisonous plant since you let her outside with you. some plants can make them sick. You should take her into the vet for a check up since you don't know if she did eat a plant outside, but first make a list of some of the plants in your garden to take with you. The vet will probably want to do blood work to see how her vital functions are doing and that will tell him what is going on with her. Since her temperment has changed so much I would take her in for that. I have owned cats all my life and I have 5 now, and I know when one of them is sick. Immediately I know and I don't mess about with them I take them in and it would mean life or death. Good luck. K
Reply:Those are all signs that your cat is in PAIN. I hope you've taken her to the vet by now, and if not, please do so ASAP. Any abrupt change in behavior is a sign that something is wrong.
Marie S, if you own or ever own a pet in the future, please do not count on your perceptions or common sense with regards to their behavior, as yours are seriously lacking and it could put a helpless pet in harm's way.
Reply:i gor a cat from rescue centre 8 months ago, and at times she can be very unsociable.i find when she is like this, i let her have her space and find that she comes round in the end.i think when you get a rescue cat you dont really know their history so you have to learn from them what they want.some days she can be so loving, others she is like something from the omen!!!i think the best thing to do is continue with what your doing and she will eventually settle. it takes a while for trust to develope and cats are very independant animals.i bought a pet blanket for mine and i slept with it before i gave it to her , i found this helped as she had my scent on it and now wont sleep without it.good luck
Reply:I have had my cat for 5 years. The first 3years she was fine and used to sit beside us and loved the attention.Last year she decided to distance herself from us and stopped coming in the house.She even spent the entire winter outside and i eventually had to put her food outside because she wasnt coming in although she was just staying in the garden.Nothing had changed in the house and i didnt understand why she was doing this. It was really hurtful and i was sad that this was happening. For the past 5months she has returned to her old self and has come back inside.I dont know why. (i must add that she wasnt ill when she decided to leave us.) Cats are very independant and each one of them has their own personality. If you suspect that she is not well maybe take her to the vet for a check up just for reassurrance.Other than that just leave her be and dont try and coax her to come to you.She will come to you when she wants to.Just make sure she knows that she can come and go when she pleases. good luck.
Reply:it could be that you cat has grown out of her kittenish ways but get a check up at the vets to make sure .
cats are contrary creatures anyway
Why do hotels always use white towels
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