my cat seems fearful all the time.

by maureen
(Germany)

My cat was a stray and has been with us 6yrs she is around 11yrs old she has always been very jumpy and nervous, sometimes she will come to us and is very loving then for no reason she runs away from us as though we are a threat she been treated with lots of tlc since we got her but can’t seem to get her trust completely .She also sits for hrs in the rain and runs away if i try to get her in. We were told to try Feliway but it has little or no affect i’m at a loss what to do i don’t want her to continue to live in fear.

Reply
Hi
Well what can I say. At 11 years old she will be pretty much set in her ways now.

I think that she has learned over her life to be very cautious around people. You don’t know what she went through when she was a stray and this experience has probably shaped the way she is and will always be.

My sister had a stray cat and all his life he was the same. Never let anyone near him and always seemed to be grumpy with strangers. But he loved my sister.

It sounds to me like your cat will always be a little nervous around people even you but that does not mean she is living in fear. If she was unhappy and scared she would simply not stay with you. The very fact that she does says loads. She trusts you enough to feel safe enough to stick around but to try and change her behaviour now would be folly.
I know the feliway does not always work for all cats. There are also other herbal natural calmatives that can be given to cats and they may work better. It may be worth a go but do not expect a great change in her behaviour.

See my page here for more on these calmatives

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/scared-cat.html

best wishes kate

---