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Anonymous
Anonymous asked in PetsCats · 9 years ago

My Kitten is scared of everything.. Why?

ok so here's the details,

i have 2 kittens, litter sisters, nearly 8 months old, i have had them since a very young age, and am the first human contact they have had so they have ever been treated badly.

ok so Evie is the perfect kitten, she very playful, always sits on my lap, sleeps on the bed, loves being stroked and belly tickled and you can pick her up and hold her for ages without as much as a wiggle!!

Tilly on the other hand doesn't like being picked up, well you can pick her up to move her, but sooner or later she wants down, she sits to one side and watches when Evie is playing, Tilly has her moments when Evie is asleep etc but nothing much, she sleeps on the floor next to my bed when i turn the lights off but doesn't mind a stroke while they are still on before i go sleep, but will not stay on and when she sleeps downstairs when im sat down she will sleep in the corner hiding away, although she walks over to me when i come home after work, shes not scared in that sense and not scared of people, but going outside (just the back garden) shes scared of plastic bags, any real noise, and i only have to get the hoover out and she is upstairs hiding. i can understand why she may not like it.. not many cats would, but Evie is fine with the hoover, but my main issue is that after ive finished and put the hoover away she still cowers and is really scared for a good hour or 2 afterwards and wont eat.

they are just completely different cats, every time i so much as touch a plastic carrier or bin bag she runs off and is really on edge!! much more than normal. why does she act like this? she used to sit on my knee for hours, follow me around all the time and was really playful, maybe taking a slight back seat to Evie because she jumps around like a mad cat, but they were always playing and sleeping together when they were younger, sharing their food bowls with each other etc

neither have ever been treated badly, and have always been treated equally i just find it very strange why she is so frightened all the time

i have been living at my new home now for 2 months and this has only been happening for the last few weeks, can someone please tell me why?? she loves the new house they both played for hours a day when we got here and it was great, so i don't think shes stressed at the move or it would of shown earlier..

am i over reacting and she will grow out of it or is she just a scaredy cat??

thanks in advance!!

6 Answers

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    Just like human siblings, all cats are individuals with their own personalities. Sounds like Evie is the confident one, whilst Tilly is naturally more timid. When confronted by something unfamiliar or potentially threatening, the fight or flight instinct kicks in. Tilly it seems would prefer to hide rather than confront or face things like the hoover. There isn't really anything you can do to change her personality, though she may become more confident as she grows up and encounters more new things.

    I also wonder if perhaps she's even a little intimidated by Evie at times, because you mention that she has her moments when Evie is sleeping. Do they still eat and play together? They're both young adults and you've recently moved home, which means a completely new territory to be divided up between them. It might be worth taking a closer look at how well they get on, because cats bully each other in very subtle ways such as staring or blocking access to food dishes, litter trays or even certain areas of the home. Years ago I adopted brother & sister kittens but they never really got on and went their separate ways around the home. When he died unexpectedly the female cat who was previously very shy and afraid of everything, became much more confident and outgoing. When I asked my vet about it, he told me it's not uncommon for a timid cat's personality to blossom when a more confident cat is no longer around to dominate it.

    As you say her behaviour has only changed in the last couple of weeks, perhaps she's unwell or has been scared by something. Might there be a neighbourhood cat who's bullied her outside, or sneaked in your house?

  • Anonymous
    9 years ago

    For one, its in a cat's nature to always be on high alert and considering they have enhanced ears and other senses, its not surprising your cat is jumpy around sudden sharp noises. I wouldn't worry about it, especially since its a kitten, i have two "cats" (they are 13 months) and after about 8 months they finally got comfortable and lazy and they sleep all the time.

    Source(s): I have cats and have had them since they were 2 weeks old.
  • Anonymous
    9 years ago

    Well out of experience the cat is scared to something in the house try picking her up and holding her to objects in the house untill you figure out whats shes sacared of. It might be a number of things that you might have previously have gotten. Hope I helped!!

  • She's probably a scaredy cat! Just her personality. They sound cute.

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  • Anonymous
    9 years ago

    I hear cat's can see ghosts ;)

  • 9 years ago

    maybe u keep on scarin it when it was young

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