# My cat is cranky all of a sudden!!?



## Ravenna (May 18, 2015)

Hi all. 
I have a male cat. He is neutered and healthy. I've had him since he was a young kitten and he was such a friendly kitten. Absolutely loved a pick up and a cuddle. He would actually try and roll over on his back while he was in my arms. Just loved a fuss and company. Would always curl up on my lap and on my bed when I went to sleep And follow me around everywhere. 

But now, a year on, he's the most distant cat. It's almost like a different one! 

He runs away from me. And everyone else.

He hates being picked up and will whine and try kick his way down from me every time. If I keep trying to hold him by me, he will bite my arm. Not aggressively hard, but enough that I get the picture. 

He doesn't play anymore. We have laser pens, a cat play tower, string, catnip toys. He's simply not bothered. He just wants to get out the room. He will claw and claw and whine at the door until he's let out. 

He doesn't want to sleep in a room if anyone else in there. He will run out if anyone does. 

He doesn't let anyone even go near him. 

What has happened to him?? And more importantly, what can I do to stop this behaviour? 

Nothing here in his environment has changed. No one different. No dog! Everything is the same as when he was a kitten. 

Any help and advice would be great


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi Ravenna, welcome to Pet Forums

For such a dramatic change to occur in your cat's behaviour I would say something specific has happened to cause it. One possible cause might be health-related. If your cat is in pain or discomfort he won't like being picked up or held, and the more you try to do so the more he will be upset and run away from you. He will not want to be around you because he will fear you might pick him up. The same reason why he won't sleep in the room if anyone else is there - he doesn't trust them to leave him alone.

Perhaps at some stage he had a fall and injured himself. Can you recall anything like that happening? Kittens do sometimes hurt themselves quite badly when racing around playing.

Another possibility is that he has abdominal discomfort from a sensitive gut. Does he pass normal looking stools (firm and formed without being rock hard)? Does he pee normally? Or keep going to the tray and not passing much urine?

For a young cat who is barely past a kitten to have become no longer interested in playing certainly indicates he is unhappy, afraid or uncomfortable about something.

I suggest for a start that you have him checked over thoroughly by the vet, to see if any physical problem can be identified.

However it is worth bearing in mind that the original cause of the pain or discomfort could have passed some time ago. His dislike of being handled may nowadays be due to an association of ideas. i.e. at the time when he was injured or unwell he came to dislike being handled because it caused him pain or discomfort and he then learned to associate humans with those negative feelings.

If the vet gives your cat a clean bill of health, then you need to try and re-build trust with your cat. This means _not handling him at all _ (except in an emergency, such as a vet trip), and allowing him to come to you in his own time, _when, or if he wants to._ If he does come to you, give him a gentle stroke and leave it at that, do not attempt to pick him up or make a fuss of him. You can build on this as time goes on and he starts to trust you again.

Buy some Flying Frenzy rod toys and play with him at arms length only. Persevere and give him time to learn how to play again. When he does play, praise him and reward him with his favourite treats.

Review his diet. Is he getting enough to eat? A hungry cat will be an irritable cat. At 1 year old he has a lot of growing to do, so he needs plenty to eat. 
My boys each used to eat 400 grams of high protein food a day when they were a year old.

Do you feed him mostly wet food? It is better for him as it ensures he is getting enough fluids in his diet. If he is on a dry food diet he could be suffering from chronic low level dehydration, which would affect his bladder and kidney function.


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