Cats can be our cuddly best friends who love us unconditionally. They can bring humor and love into our lives, and we can admire their independence and regal demeanor. But when a house cat is afraid, he can strike out at us. If a cat's normal routine is interrupted or an abrupt change, noise or movement is introduced, she can react in one of three ways: fight, flee or freeze. How you deal with the cat's reaction can calm him or drive him deeper into the natural reaction.
Instructions
Calming a Frightened Cat
1. Determine what is causing your cat's fear. If it is obvious, like a menacing dog, try to remove the cat from the situation. Use a blanket or towel to wrap around the cat to safely remove her from the area. If this isn't safely possible, attempt to remove the source of the fear.
2. Make an appointment with your vet to rule out any disease or injury if there is no apparent reason for the fear.
3. Leave the cat alone for a while until he calms down, if he is reacting by hiding. Make sure he has food, water and a littler box nearby.
4. Speak in a calm, slightly high pitched voice, and don't make sudden movements. When your cat appears calmer, slowly begin to pet her.
5. Return to a normal routine as soon as possible. Cats, like most domesticated animals, are upset by changes. Some changes, like a move to a new home, may be unavoidable. You may have to desensitize your cat from his fear.
Desensitizing a Cat
6. Introduce the source of the fear, whether it's a new baby, vacuum cleaner or something else, while you are doing something re-assuring with your cat, like praising her. When introducing the fear, keep the source of fear on the other side of the room at first and decrease the distance in each session.
7. Keep the initial session short. Start out with just a few minutes and increase the amount of time according to your cat's reactions. Try to add a few minutes each session.
8. Use some sort of gentle restraint like a harness and leash or towel if your cat's fight reaction sets in. Scratches and bites get infected easily.
9. Enlist the aid of a professional cat behaviorist if the cat's fear increases instead of decreases or you don't see any improvements in a week of daily sessions.
Tags: source fear, each session, normal routine, remove from, with your