I left my cat with some friends for a week when I went on vacation. I recently returned to my cat not acting the same at all. He is way jumpy now and doesn't come to his name. He seems scared of everyone and everything. What happen to him? My friends say he was fine and they didn't hurt him or anything. They did put him a closet for punishment for 15 mins one night.. would this cause his behavior? Will he ever be the same? What can I do for him?? I want my kitty back... Thank you all for your help..
Answers:
He probably needs to get used to his suroundings again. Give him some time to adjust. He doesn't have the thinking skills that we do, so to him all of this moving around and being around different people can be a little scary. Give him time and he should come around. Good Luck.
weird.try to show him some extra love.maybe some cat nip would help too
Closet punishment? What kind of person did you leave your cat with? Some cats can get very traumatized from that no matter how long it is. That may be the underlying issue. It could also be that you left him with someone else so now he's mad at you. Just take things slow and I'm sure it will work out.
Urch! Putting a cat in a closet is a horrible thing to - and they said they didn't hurt him!! I mean, would you shut a child in a closet??!
One thing you can do for your cat is NEVER make him have to stay with these people again, maybe one day he'll get over the trauma!
Just give him time, quiet and reassurance and hopefully he will ease back into his familiar surroundings and be OK again.
If anyone did this to a pet of mine, I would be FURIOUS.
Chalice
Yeah, I wouldn't trust my cat with those people ever again. Closet punishment? Where is the logic in that? A cat doesn't understand. My guess is they DID hurt him in some way. Take him tot a vet to get checked out, just in case.
It could be that he isn't use to being seperated from you and will come around in time.
Is he use to your friends? If not, that could be it.
And putting him in the closet probably made it worse.
He probably didn't understand why you were gone and why strange people were putting him in a closet. He may have thought that you had abandoned him. And it could be that, even though you're back, he is now afraid that you will leave him.
Are you absolutely sure that your friends have the patience to deal with a cat without resorting to mistreatment? Only ever leave kitty with people who you know, without a doubt, that you can trust.
Kitty will be okay. He just needs some time and reassurance that you still love him.
****I agree with the people above who are saying that "closet punishment" is mistreatment, so I should have worded my post a little better. I also agree with the person who suggested that you take your cat to the vet just to make sure nothing is wrong with him.
They put him in a CLOSET?? THAT IS ABUSE!!
Sounds like that might not be all they did!
Don't ever leave your cats with those "friends" again!!
I can only HOPE that THEY do not have pets!
Please take your cat to a vet for XRays to make sure they didn;t hurt your cat in any other way!
Find a good pet sitter next time you go on vacation -- go to Pet Sitters International and locate a Responsible Trustworthy pet sitter in your area:
http://www.petsit.com/locate.asp...
first of all , they should have not put your kitty in the closet for punishment, that's was not very nice of them, i am a cat person, what they did too you kitty was prop, not giving him or her love and not paying any attention too your kitty and not feeding him. All cat, kitty and dogs needs lots of attention from friends and familys. I hope your kitty wills come around, But next time you should leave you kitty with your family member or in kennel. I hope your kitty will come around soon.
NEVER LEAVE YOUR CAT WITH THOSE PSYCHOS EVER AGAIN!! POOR THING!THATS HORRIBLE! TAKE IT TO THE VET JUST IN CASE!THATS CONSIDERED ANIMAL CRUELTY!
Some friends... I think they probably were mean to your cat... lose them.
I don't see what's wrong with isolating the kitty so he can cool down.I put my kitty in the bathroom for ten minutes if she freaks out so she can calm down and recharge by herself. She comes out of the bathroom happy and relaxed. However, the bathroom contains her litter box, toys, food, and water, so it's not like she's deprived of anything while she's in there. It's not abuse, it's giving her a chance to relax and let off some steam in a controlled environment. I don't have anything in the bathroom that she can destroy.
If your kitty has never left your house, this may be causing him to freak out. A cat that wasn't taken to a variety of places as a kitten won't be very happy going to new places as an adult. He may calm down after a few days, just show him some extra love and attention.
Well, first of all.I would NEVER ask those friends to watch my cat again! I am not saying that you are to blame. You did the right thing by trying to find someone you trust to watch over him while you were on vacation.:) However, them putting him in a closet for 15 minutes just sounds cruel. I would be furious is anyone treated my cats in that manner! I am sure that they are sugar coating the way that they behaved toward him. No animal lover would do that!
I think that your little kitty is probably just a little freaked out about having been left with people that did not show him the love that you normally give him. I am sure that with a little time and a lot of attention.he will resume his regular behavior. The poor little guy can't speak, so he has no way of telling you why he is upset.:( Give him lots of love and keep your "friends" away from him in the future.
I hope he gets back to normal soon! Best wishes to you both!
Only your cat knows what happened-
Best thing to do is take him to the vet and get some blood work done. When a cat is stressed, they can become deathly ill. Once that is checked out and if his lab work comes back okay, then you won't have to worry so much.
It might be wise to start over and reacquaint him to your home by keeping him in one quite room for a few days until he gets used to his surroundings again. Of course you'll want to feed him in there and give him a couple of litter boxes (remember the rule, one litter box more than the number of cats) and keep the litter box well away from the feeding area. Go in and visit with him and play with him and bond with him a lot, spend lots of time petting him, talking to him, giving him little treats and playing his favorite game. Then slowly bring him out into the rest of the house until he becomes accustomed to it again.
The next time you have to leave, it would be worth your money to hire a qualified pet sitter that will come into your home.
By the way, you can't teach a cat anything by closing it up in a closet, I think there's more to this story than your friends are telling you and if I were you, I'd look for better friends, their story sounds fishy.
Never, ever leave your cat with these people again. They're pretty dumb to think that leaving a cat alone in a closet works as punishment.
I have had to lock my cat in the bathroom before, but it was because there were people working on the door to my apartment and she would have escaped otherwise. She was a little jumpy and needy for about a week afterwards. Being trapped REALLY scares cats, since they are naturally in need of wide open spaces.
Also, if your friends are loud or have other animals, that could traumatize the cat as well if he is not used to such things. And, your friend COULD be lying about not having hurt the cat--he may have accidentally (or intentionally) injured the cat and doesn't want to tell you.
Sorry about your kitty! Give him lots of extra love and he should calm down after a little while.
I've left my cat with Friends before, and she's a shy cat to begin with. She never came back with any problems. She was alittle shy at there house, cause I wasn't with her. As soon as she was back home, with me, things were fine. I think something might have happened to her. I don't know if the closet did it, or something more. They might have hit her, before they put her in the closet.
Try not to raise your voice much. You'll have to be gentle with her, so she doens't think she's getting harmed. Cat nip might help bring her closer to you, so you can have some bonding time. Try treats, if she likes them. Make her come to you, and give her the treat. Maybe a new toy, play with her, let her know she's loved. In time, I'm sure she'll come back around. Don't ever let those friends watch her again. I think they harmed her, in some way.. Good luck to you and Kitty...
sounds like they arent being 100% honest with you...sounds as if they "abused" him to some degree...its going to take time until he is back to normal and for god's sake dont ever leave him with those people again
I think it's best to consult a vet, personally I'd never shut my cat in a closet so I don't have any idea on how this would effect him, but being done once for 15 minutes should not cause such a dramatic change in a cat's behavior. Get the poor thing to a vet asap.
It could be that he's reacting to you leaving him. But I'm willing to bet that either A) your friend did more than he said he did, or B) Something happened that your friend doesn't know about. Closing him in a closet can't have helped either.
Give your kitty a lot of love, and as much attention as he'll accept from you. And next time, board him with a kennel. Some vets offer boarding services as well.
Good luck.
Chances are that 99% of this comes from beng moved to a strange place and then moved again (back to your home). Cats LOVE routine and familiarity and get very scared of changes. While the "closet punishment" probably failed to teach your cat anything, I personally doubt that it was actually responsible for your cat's behavior, or as traumatic as people here are claiming. I still would not recommend using such treatment, but the responses here are an overreaction.
Every December I take my cat with me to my parent's house, and every time he is reclusive and cross for the first several days, on both sides of the trip. However, after he adjusts to the new surroundings, he is perfectly happy and returns to being the cat we know and love. I am sure that, given a few days or maybe a week, you cat should be fine. If his behavior becomes more erratic or if he does not show significant improvement by a week's time, *then* think about a trip to the vet. I would NOT do it right now, however, because this will set him back if he is just re-adjusting to his new surroundings (as I suspect he is). Keep the house as quiet and as calm as you can (eg, this would not be the time for a big noisy party), and keep your routine as regular as possible. That will help his adjustment go as smoothly and as quickly as possible. Good luck!
ok
15 mins of closet time
is not good
he needs lots of TLC
bless him
he's very stressed
1/ he thinks you abandoned him
2/he didnt know his new caretakers
3/the put him in total darkness iwth no exit for a long time
bless him
lots of TLC
tell your friends that they cant watch your cat anymore if they lock it in the closet.
treat him nicly
Some animals get very scared when they are left with strangers. If that place had a lot of loud - strange noises, that might do it. Give him some time, and a lot of love and he may return.Also, do you know whether they had the light off/on ? That can make a difference also.
It sounds like he is traumatized from being put in the closet while he was there, and he wasn't too thrilled about staying with strangers either. give him some extra love and attention, it'll take a while but he'll be ok. good luck.
If you have friends over a lot and your cat is very social with visitors then your friends lied. They abused your cat. Cats don't change like that in a weeks time under normal treatment. why would you give a cat a "time-out"? that doesn't make any sense to me. If your cat is one of those that hides when strangers come over then the cat was scared by its surroundings for that week and needs time to readjust. Just act like you normally do around your cat and it will eventually come around.
give him time and lots and lots of love your kitty should return to normal in a few days.
I am sorry that your friends put him in the closet for 15 mins.,
as this caused him to become afraid of being punished again.
Well you ever know does your friend have any other animals cuz they could have hurt your kitty but when I left my kitty with my grandma for a couple days she waz real jumpy but she got over it once I spoiled her some more!LOL
Well hope this helps
Wow your friends did what??? no wonder your cat is not himself, not only was he separted from you and his familiar surroundings he was put in a closet.
you will have to earn his trust again and be very patient with him, poor guy is probably confused as to what the heck happened. You must be quite upset about this. Just be patient with him and talk to him gently and sit on the floor and try and get him to come to you. Hopefully he will come around. As for your friends, would you ever trust them again to look after your cat?
Anyway good luck with your cat I hope that he comes around for you.
im sure there is perfectly good answer to why your cat is acting this way.. i would be suppisious too.. there is a way to find out what really happened.. find your self an animal psychic.. bit i would be getting your cat looked at by a vet.. other wise only your beloved cat will know what really happened.. all the best
your cat is mad at you right now. cats are emotional and touchy. and putting the cat in the closet yeah not a good idea. but your cat is mad that you left my cat did the same thing when i moved and i had to leave her with my mom. but give it a while i'm sure your cat will come around
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