# Cat suddenly afraid of us (sometimes).



## Tom&Lou (Apr 23, 2017)

My 1.5 year old neutered male cat, Lou, has been intermittently terrified of me or my boyfriend for about a week now, as in, running helter-skelter from us as we walk through a room, jumping on the counter in terror or scrambling under the bed to get away from us.
This cat is one of the least scaredy-cat types I have ever known. I got him at 12 weeks old and soon he began accompanying me in cars, to work and back for months, even out on hikes with the dog where he was very curious and comfortable. We made a major move last year, he acclimated well. He's been going outside now for several months.
He's vaccinated, flea/tick preventatived, appears to be un-injured; I've checked his claws, limbs, belly, skin, teeth, eyes, all appear normal.
An hour after being terrified of us, he'll walk in the house like everything is normal, purring and head-butting. Then later, he'll go bananas again.
No one has ever struck him or orherwise been physically abusive. No known diet change (he does bring in small animals, though I haven't seen him eating any.)
My other cat Tom, a 4 year old neutered male, who spooks a lot more readily than Lou, isn't behaving abnormally at all. Nor is the dog.
I'm uploading a photo of him as a tourist overlooking the Columbia River Gorge to show that this cat isn't easily unsettled. 
Why is Lou so scared of us!!?


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## SpringDance (Mar 18, 2016)

Eyes/ hearing?

Get him to the vet. Maybe he can't hear your coming, so you scare the life out of him when you suddenly appear? Other times he knows what to expect.

Just my initial thoughts, so could be totally wrong.


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## Tom&Lou (Apr 23, 2017)

@SpringDance: Not a bad guess, but he has the most intense stare while trying to run away, whether looking back at me or backing away. He knows we're coming.
I'm a veterinary nurse, 2nd best thing to a vet 

To be sure, I just did a hearing test - shaking the treat jar in a different room from Lou brought him running. He can hear, >sigh<.



SpringDance said:


> Eyes/ hearing?
> 
> Get him to the vet. Maybe he can't hear your coming, so you scare the life out of him when you suddenly appear? Other times he knows what to expect.
> 
> Just my initial thoughts, so could be totally wrong.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi @Tom&Lou - Lou is a very handsome cat!  Is he a Maine Coon?

My first thought is that Lou's in pain, intermittent pain perhaps, which may be why you can't find anything wrong when you examine him. But the terror, the running away from you and the hiding are as I am sure you know (being a vet nurse) very typical reactions from a cat who is in pain and who feels vulnerable.

Is his appetite normal?

Is he using his litter tray as usual? I am wondering about a UTI or Feline Cystitis.

Or does he have diarrhoea or loose stools?

If none of the above apply have you considered Feline Hyperesthesia as the possible cause. Usually a cat having an episode of FHS has a swishing tail, rippling skin effect on their back and tends to bite their flank aggressively. Does any of that happen with Lou? The terror, the rushing about and the hiding are common symptoms too.

One of my neutered male cats suffers from FHS. It can be triggered by a major life event such as a house move, a rehoming, the loss of a companion or the arrival of a new cat (or dog) in the home.

In the case of my cat I believe it may have been triggered by the loss of his home at 15 mths. I adopted him from Rescue at 16 mths old. He is now aged 7 and his FHS episodes happen less frequently and are less severe. His worst trigger times seem to be when the weather is warm, and he is sitting in the garden calmly. All of a sudden he rushes into the house very upset, with his skin twitching and rolling and then he attacks his tail and his flank. His pupils are dilated and he looks very scared. I find these days I can calm him by talking to him quietly and soothingly and distracting him with a pinch of cat nip which he loves to eat.

I am not saying Lou does have FHS, but that it is a possibility. On this link there is a video clip showing a cat in the throes of a fairly mild attack of FHS.

http://www.goodpetparent.com/2016/04/08/feline-hyperesthesia-syndrome/


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## Greydrift (Oct 13, 2015)

Chillminx's suggestion of FHS, was the first thought that crossed my mind.


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## Tom&Lou (Apr 23, 2017)

Hi @chillminx,

He is a Maine Coon. Thank you, I'll tell him you said so 

Pain is a good one to explore. Also the UTI bit, I've seen lots of boy cats get blocked (urethral) and go through hell.

Palpation of his (um FAT, jeez I need to reign his kibble in!) abdomen shows that it is soft and pliable, non-painful. I couldn't feel a bladder, but like I said, he's fat. He's 7.5kg, should probably stay under 7. Anyway if his bladder was inflamed or infected or blocked, he would have objected to me squeezing around down there whether I felt it or not.

I can't find anything on him that's hurt or injured.

His appetite is good. I don't see anything abnormal in the litterbox.

He did his fear reaction today when we were gettin ready to leave the house. I had boots on, rubber boots, they're a bit louder than my other winter boots I've been mostly wearing for...the winter. He's been around the rubbers before though....? He did freak out last year when I wore heels for the first time on hardwood floors with him around. It seems unlikely, but maybe something to pay attention to. It's just so strange to see him afraid. This cat went on motorcycle rides for the first several months I had him, and liked it! He just doesn't spook.

Anyway.



chillminx said:


> Hi @Tom&Lou - Lou is a very handsome cat!  Is he a Maine Coon?
> 
> My first thought is that Lou's in pain, intermittent pain perhaps, which may be why you can't find anything wrong when you examine him. But the terror, the running away from you and the hiding are as I am sure you know (being a vet nurse) very typical reactions from a cat who is in pain and who feels vulnerable.
> 
> ...


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

It's not a UTI or a bowel problem then by the sounds of it. 

Could FHS be a possibility?


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## Tom&Lou (Apr 23, 2017)

He isn't doing any of the other things associated with hyperesthesia. No tail-twitching or skin-rippling. ?


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

That's true. I wonder about it being something else neurological though...

If he goes outdoors is it possible he could have been very frightened by e.g. a human, a dog or a wild animal?


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## Greydrift (Oct 13, 2015)

Tom&Lou said:


> He isn't doing any of the other things associated with hyperesthesia. No tail-twitching or skin-rippling. ?


Are his pupils dilating just before the abnormal behaviour? That would point to autonomic.

FHS seems to be on a scale, not all cats exhibit severe symptoms.


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