MAJOR mood change in my cat after she came home.

**Karen** · 08-12-2011, 04:01 PM

Get her to the vet - it sounds like she may be in pain for some reason, major mood change is often the only indicator you will get.

**Medusa** · 08-12-2011, 05:33 PM

Yes, take her to the vet for peace of mind and especially b/c she's an outdoor cat. There's no telling what she could pick up. Also, b/c she had collars on means someone has taken her in and she may be missing them. You shouldn't be angry about that. If my cat were outdoors and went missing, I'd be grateful if someone took her in. At least I'd know that she had been taken care of and fed. Let us know what the vet says.

**Mutwa** · 08-13-2011, 03:57 AM

thanks, i was considering taking her to the vets anyway

My point being we thought she went missing but they had just taken her. I just think its strange how she has always ben fine outside then a family with 2 young girls have taken her in, (we know who took her in now, although we havent spoken to them.) and now she is either in pain or just really p*ss*d all the time. i just worry that they have done something to her while she was in their house.

**pomtzu** · 08-13-2011, 08:52 AM

Originally Posted by Mutwa

thanks, i was considering taking her to the vets anyway

My point being we thought she went missing but they had just taken her. I just think its strange how she has always ben fine outside then a family with 2 young girls have taken her in, (we know who took her in now, although we havent spoken to them.) and now she is either in pain or just really p*ss*d all the time. i just worry that they have done something to her while she was in their house.

In addition to taking her to the vet, you need to speak to the people who took her in and find out what happened. They probably thought she was a stray and were looking out for her, and if their thought was to mistreat her, I doubt they would have gone to the trouble of putting a collar on her. I'm not being cruel in this next statement, but perhaps she is acting strange toward you because she wants to go back to the other people. Just a thought..........

**moosmom** · 08-13-2011, 04:13 PM

Could be a little of both. Cats don't like change. I'd isolate her in a room, just for a couple of days and all the strange (at least to her their strange) scents that are around. It shouldn't take long since she was only gone a short time.

First order of business though, it a trip to the vet just to be on the safe side!!!

Glad she's back!!

**Mutwa** · 08-14-2011, 08:53 AM

The vet says she is fine, no obvious health problems but she was growling at him too and she didnt do that when we took her before. she has been home for a few days now and she has been inside all that time. earlier it seemed she was becoming her old self again when she rolled on her back to let me stroke her belly, then bit me! she has never bit me before only by accident when i have hand-fed her some chicken breast or something as a treat.
we spoke to the people who took her in but they deny taking her even though the daughter came up and said ' its our cat.' still quite worried and now i am really stuck as with what to do....

**DriftyAlison0** · 08-14-2011, 07:09 PM

Is she spayed? And also not to be rude, if you let your cat outside, you take a risk of her being missing and other people taking them in, Isolate her in a room for a few days and let this be a lesson on why we should have cats indoors and not outdoors.

**tokolosh** · 08-14-2011, 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by Mutwa

Earlier it seemed she was becoming her old self again when she rolled on her back to let me stroke her belly, then bit me!

Must be really upsetting for you

If the children at the other house are very young AND their parents have no ethics/insight about training them to treat cats gently, they might have given her a pretty rough time, and maybe she's partly still reacting to that? I know every single young kid I've ever seen with a cat will get so excited they simply maul the poor thing even when their intentions are 'good' - unless someone stops them and sets an absolute limit on how to behave. And not to get righteous about it, but I do remember being really shocked when my son was small at how few of his age-mates' parents seemed to care or even notice their kids were acting like bullies, if it was an animal getting bullied instead of a kid. It's like a blind spot in some parents' minds. Anyway, maybe your cat has a touch of PTSD, which does take time to work through. Don't get discouraged, I guess I'm suggesting.

It occurs to me too that not even counting whether she was mistreated while she was away, she's suddenly being kept indoors 24/7 again when you said she had gotten used to being outside. Not saying 'let her out', notice - I don't want to go there. Just thinking it would put ME in a real crappy mood, so maybe it's part of her 'problem' too.