Hiding

[HorseGirl13]

My 11 month old female spayed declawed cat is hiding EVERYWHERE!!!! she won't come out unless you drag her out, and she hisses at you even then! we've tried everything, and we will have to get rid of her if she doesn't stop. this would break our 17 year old male cat's heart. what do I do
thanks
HorseGirl13

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

I would take her to the vet...SOON.. she may be in pain and that is why she is hiding and does not want to come out... please keep us posted..

[krazyaboutkatz]

Has she just started doing this or has this been an ongoing behavior for her? If she's just started doing this then maybe there has been a change in her environment that she is afraid of. There could also be something physically wrong with her so you might want to have her checked out by your vet. Please keep us posted. I sure hope that you don't have to get rid of her.

[Former User]

Oh dear, that's not a reason to "get rid of her"as you put it. Try to find out what is making her to hide, is the something that scares her, is she in pain etc? Does she have a place that it hers (like a scratching post, blanket, box etc?).

do not give up to soon !!! first try to find out what could be the cause of this trouble !! There MUST be something ...!

[AmberLee]

Dear HorseGirl13,

This cat is Amber, right? (LOVE her name! ) How long has she been in your home? How long has she acted like this? When was her declawing surgery? If the surgery and/ or moving into your home was recent, she probably needs some time alone or to re-adjust. Frequently cats behave like this after surgery, shock, or rehoming. The best way is to let her come out when she's had some adjustment time. Could you get her interest by sitting quietly near where she is hiding until she feels safe to come out to you? [My best luck is meditating, reading, crocheting, writing letters, or listening to music via headsets near cats who are trying to adjust. Not sure which of your hobbies works best, but a quiet one you can do near to the hide-out should work. Note: I've been VERY successful doing yoga near hiding cats: I suspect they find it conductive to a big "cat laugh" watching a human flail around on the floor...]

Who is saying that she must be re-homed if she doesn't become more responsive? We need more details to help. Please answer and we'll know more what to suggest...

Note: generally speaking, dragging cats out of hiding places just makes them want to hide more, so it's counter-productive.

Good luck.



AmberLee

[I_love_cats]

I would take her to the vet, if she is hiding all the time and won't come out then she could be sick and in pain. Have her check out as soon as possible.

[Puppypower64]

I have a cat named Amber who hides a lot too. Maybe it's in the name?

no news yet on Amber , HorseGirl ????
please let us know !!

[HorseGirl13]

Yes, thank's for all of your advice! Amber is much better about not hiding! She hasn't stopped, yet, but she's getting better all the time!

[HorseGirl13]

Well, since I last posted, we got a puppy. I believe Amber is currently hiding under the bed. Unng. We're back to "square one"

[catland]

Hang in there Horsegirl -

When I was 16 and my family moved to a new house, my cat hid under the kitchen sink for three weeks before deciding to join the family again.

You also might want to try to spend a little quality time with Amber. Close the bedroom door and get a feather toy or a string or something that the two of you can play with.

Best of luck and keep everyone posted.

[IPO]

Is your older cat declawed?

When you declaw your cat, they sometime adopt new behaviors. Their claws make them feel secure, and when you declaw your cat, they have no way to protect themselves, thus they feel insecure and they sometimes resort to odd behaviors.

I knew someone who had a cat recently declawed, and the cat started peeing/spraying everywhere.

Like many others have said on the forum, your cat may be in pain due to the declawing. It's like breaking your finger by the knuckle, when you declaw, so I'd take her to the vet as others have suggested. Please don't give up yet. Your kitty has already gone through a very painful ordeal, and surrending her (or him?? sorry!) may make her feel abandoned as well. Good luck. Please let us know how things go.

[lynnestankard]

HORSEGIRL13 - DON'T WORRY. WE'VE HAD KETCHUM SINCE HE WAS A KITTEN AND HE'S ALMOST 6 NOW. HE STILL HIDES (UNDER OUR BED!!) - AND AS LONG AS HE'S NOT CHASED OUT HE'S QUITE HAPPY. HE COMES OUT WHEN HE FEELS SECURE. AND HE;S THE MOST LOVING OF OUR THREE CATS!

LYNNE