Cat suddenly afraid of my coat. Whut?
November 3, 2013 4:53 PM Subscribe
My cat seems to have developed a sudden fear of... moving dark things? Taking my black jacket off or putting it on sends her running for the bed for hours. And I just reached for my purse on the couch, and the motion of the big black purse sent her scurrying too. No idea what could have triggered this. How do I get her relax again?
Yeah, this may be one of those things where you have to wait for her to figure out that your coat persists in failing to eat her. Cats are weird and not very bright.
I would not try to make a big deal out of it when it happens, or follow her to her hiding place, or anything like that. Let her cope how she needs to, unless she's actually not coming out to eat or whatever.
posted by restless_nomad at 5:19 PM on November 3, 2013 [3 favorites]
I would not try to make a big deal out of it when it happens, or follow her to her hiding place, or anything like that. Let her cope how she needs to, unless she's actually not coming out to eat or whatever.
posted by restless_nomad at 5:19 PM on November 3, 2013 [3 favorites]
It may be the same thing as when cats are afraid of ceiling fans -- they resemble owls comin' to get them! We had a cat that never did get over it, but another who eventually got used to them.
It's probably a cat feature, not a bug. A natural fear of predators overhead. I would ignore it and let her be, then as usual, chirp and/or click a fork on a can and see if that brings her out. Otherwise, sitting in a chair with a blanket on my lap usually draws mine out.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 5:22 PM on November 3, 2013
It's probably a cat feature, not a bug. A natural fear of predators overhead. I would ignore it and let her be, then as usual, chirp and/or click a fork on a can and see if that brings her out. Otherwise, sitting in a chair with a blanket on my lap usually draws mine out.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 5:22 PM on November 3, 2013
Is she having trouble seeing? That will do it.
posted by bongo_x at 5:23 PM on November 3, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by bongo_x at 5:23 PM on November 3, 2013 [4 favorites]
Darling muffin face cat! I'd try spaying the offending coat with some catnip spray, hang it somewhere accessible and let the healing begin.
posted by Trivia Newton John at 6:45 PM on November 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Trivia Newton John at 6:45 PM on November 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
Could be stressed out lately. Might want to try FeliWay as well.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 6:53 PM on November 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 6:53 PM on November 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
Our cat became scared of my husband's socks when he threw them across the room into the laundry basket. For years after that he would run and hide when my husband put his socks on and then suddenly must have decided they weren't a danger after all and just stopped.
posted by katinka-katinka at 7:01 PM on November 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by katinka-katinka at 7:01 PM on November 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
Could those objects have negative associations; e.g., purse or jacket = off to the vet or kennel?
posted by Kevin S at 8:58 PM on November 3, 2013
posted by Kevin S at 8:58 PM on November 3, 2013
Our cats are afraid of crinkling plastic bags. We may be slightly bad people who had some fun with this when putting up groceries. It did get them out from underfoot and prevent tripping but after a while, the guilt kicks in.
What has helped so far is telling whichever cat is freaking out that there's nothing to be afraid of in a calm, reassuring voice and kneeling down with the offending bag and waiting for them to get brave enough to sniff it. Then some praise for being brave and that it's nothing to be afraid of.
Your cat seems freaked out enough that you might have to step it up a bit more. I've never tried the catnip spray but associating the scary thing with something positive seems like a good plan. I'd try getting her close to the coat or purse when they're at rest by using a really good treat like roast beef or whatever your cat loves. It seems like it's the movement that sets her off so if you can show her it's safe to be around, maybe she'll calm down.
posted by stray thoughts at 9:06 PM on November 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
What has helped so far is telling whichever cat is freaking out that there's nothing to be afraid of in a calm, reassuring voice and kneeling down with the offending bag and waiting for them to get brave enough to sniff it. Then some praise for being brave and that it's nothing to be afraid of.
Your cat seems freaked out enough that you might have to step it up a bit more. I've never tried the catnip spray but associating the scary thing with something positive seems like a good plan. I'd try getting her close to the coat or purse when they're at rest by using a really good treat like roast beef or whatever your cat loves. It seems like it's the movement that sets her off so if you can show her it's safe to be around, maybe she'll calm down.
posted by stray thoughts at 9:06 PM on November 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks everyone. Her vision seems fine as always. And she's not an outdoor cat at all (I live on a busy road and she's a sweetheart but she's about as bright as a houseplant)
This morning a few tests revealed that a pale fluffy towel is not scary. A makeup bag held in my hand is treated with suspicion, and the blanket on my lap that she is normally more than happy to curl up on is super scary.
I left an old jacket on the floor this morning spritzed with Feliway, so maybe that will help. Will try having some treats on me when I curl up with the lap blanket tonight.
posted by Caravantea at 8:47 AM on November 4, 2013
This morning a few tests revealed that a pale fluffy towel is not scary. A makeup bag held in my hand is treated with suspicion, and the blanket on my lap that she is normally more than happy to curl up on is super scary.
I left an old jacket on the floor this morning spritzed with Feliway, so maybe that will help. Will try having some treats on me when I curl up with the lap blanket tonight.
posted by Caravantea at 8:47 AM on November 4, 2013
She looks about how I expect my kitten to turn out when she finishes growing.
I don't think I'm saying any thing total new, but basically:
- take a long walk around your house. Do you see anything that might have moved in a way that would have startled your cat recently? Perhaps you accidentally threw the coat or the blanket over her when she wasn't expecting it?
- when you interact with things that have startled her, do it very slowly, like you are trying to explain what you are doing to a not very bright toddler.
- leave problematic objects around for the cat to inspect.
- when you see the cat interact with a problematic object, reward her.
- patience, cats are quick learners of the things we wish they wouldn't, but slow at learning this sort of thing.
- maybe put your coat and bag by the door, taking care to get anything you need out of them right away, and avoid interacting with them in the house much if calm talk and calm gestures don't settle things down. And maybe a different blanket for a while.
My new dishwasher was really scary for my cats (even the super brave ones) when it drained at first. Some times they still don't like it, but repeated calm exposures took nearly all of the sting away over the course of a couple weeks.
posted by wotsac at 12:40 PM on November 4, 2013
I don't think I'm saying any thing total new, but basically:
- take a long walk around your house. Do you see anything that might have moved in a way that would have startled your cat recently? Perhaps you accidentally threw the coat or the blanket over her when she wasn't expecting it?
- when you interact with things that have startled her, do it very slowly, like you are trying to explain what you are doing to a not very bright toddler.
- leave problematic objects around for the cat to inspect.
- when you see the cat interact with a problematic object, reward her.
- patience, cats are quick learners of the things we wish they wouldn't, but slow at learning this sort of thing.
- maybe put your coat and bag by the door, taking care to get anything you need out of them right away, and avoid interacting with them in the house much if calm talk and calm gestures don't settle things down. And maybe a different blanket for a while.
My new dishwasher was really scary for my cats (even the super brave ones) when it drained at first. Some times they still don't like it, but repeated calm exposures took nearly all of the sting away over the course of a couple weeks.
posted by wotsac at 12:40 PM on November 4, 2013
Cats are weird.
I had a small stuffed tiger on my bed for almost a year without my cat even noticing and then one day out of the blue he started hissing at it and trying to fight it like it was another cat. Nothing I tried would convince him that the stuffed animal was just a harmless inanimate object so after a couple of weeks of my cat acting terrorized I gave up and put it away.
You may need to start hanging your coat and bag up in a closet where your cat can't see them.
posted by Jacqueline at 8:47 PM on November 4, 2013
I had a small stuffed tiger on my bed for almost a year without my cat even noticing and then one day out of the blue he started hissing at it and trying to fight it like it was another cat. Nothing I tried would convince him that the stuffed animal was just a harmless inanimate object so after a couple of weeks of my cat acting terrorized I gave up and put it away.
You may need to start hanging your coat and bag up in a closet where your cat can't see them.
posted by Jacqueline at 8:47 PM on November 4, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
Adorable kitty, but I fear the real answer may just be "Because she's a cat."
posted by vickyverky at 5:15 PM on November 3, 2013