Kitty Got outside and is now acting strange!

by Caitlin
(Michigan)

Our Cat Mable is an indoor cat, she's always been a curious kitty and always tried to dart outside, but today she made it outside so quickly that we didn't realize she had even gotten out.

We went on a road trip and about 8 hours later finally arrived home to see her standing at the door meowing and scratching to get back in. When I realized it was her I got out of the car and she immediately ran towards me, i picked her up and took her back inside.

We have a male cat also, When they got inside, our male cat who is always friendly with Mable literally attacked her, and not in the usual playful way we're used too. It sounded like they were screaming!

Mable is acting extremely defensive, stand offish and is having trouble opening her eyes... Why!? Is it because she smells different after being outside for a while that buster attacked her? I want my sweet loving pretty kitty back! Will it ever happen?

Answer by Kate
Hi this is a common issue and is known as trauma aggression. basically something happens like a strange smell, a loud noise or simply a different experience happening. in this case your cat probably smells different and is also probably acting slightly different and these two things would make your other cat fearful.

cats act in an aggressive way when they are afraid or uncertain. the trick is to build their trust and confidence back in each other so that the fear goes away.

the process for this is the same as introducing new cats to each other for the first time. i have a web page about the process here
https://www.our-happy-cat.com/introducing-cats.html

It may seem like a slow process and it may take a couple of days or a week depending on the cats involved. But it is really worth it to have a happy home again.

best wishes Kate

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