I don't know if it's new behavior. I've never seen him do it, so it must be when I leave. I spend time w/him every day and at night after I put the rest of the Fur Posse to bed, I bring him in the house for about an hour. He seems to like it in the garage just fine but I'll see how he reacts when I show him how to use the kitty door. It's locked right now but he sits in front of it and if he sees movement, he cringes. I can see now why he was so beat up when I rescued him. He's definitely a lover and not a fighter. He finally has hopped up onto the shelves in the garage and sits in front of a window and he doesn't seem to be afraid there. I'm not sure what could be causing him stress.