Very nervous cat, has always been that way. Why?

[Noah & me (GA)]

Noah is one male from a litter of four males. At that time all the Alpha male wanted was his basket, no bullying. Around the same time we got a Border Collie pup so they all grew up together, The dog was very protective of all the cats. The strange part; all Noah's brothers were happy cats and all nine cats were indoors, on the counters, slept on our bed etc. It was their house, we were just their roommates. My vet said that at her annual convention there was an off-topic presentation of what goes on at night when you're sleeping but Noah never had any unexplained battle scars etc. For the first 7 years he lived in our walk-in closet and slept on our bed, only scooting downstairs for food and the litter box. Even looking out the windows was too much. He has no problems with injections etc. We don't slam doors, play loud music or have wild parties. Even the doorbell has a sock in it! And no kids.
I've had cats for 40 years and have never seen a cat like this. He has cardiomyopathy and an enlarged heart as well as being diabetic. If any of you came into our house you'd think he was being abused, it's that bad! Is this just the way he is? It's not life threatening, just very strange.

 

[Ozzy Pawzbourne]

My Ozzy has always been a big scaredy cat all his life. When he was a kitten, he would spook so easily and sometimes when we were holding him, a loud noise or something would scare him and he'd spook and try to literally fly out our hands and would leave some scratches on us in his descent down. We got so used to him spooking like that, that if we were holding him, we'd drop him like a hot potato to avoid getting scratched.

Now that he is older, he doesn't spook in our arms like that anymore, but he is still pretty much a fradey cat and will get nervous when he hears loud noises, even something as simple as the ice maker dropping ice. He tends to hide a lot too. My other kitty, Figgie is the opposite; he could care less about noises. I think it's just part of Ozzy's personality to be a little more timid. The same may be true for your kitty, too. Now if this is new behavior, I would definitely consider taking him to the vet and get a check up to make sure he does not have any other health issues that could be causing him to act like that.

It might be a good idea to make sure he has his own personal safe place that he can always go to and feel comfortable. Ozzy has a few spots in the house that he is most comfortable and his own bed. Maybe with having a lot of other animals, this might be a good idea for your kitty so he has a safe place.

We also have no kids and don't make a lot of loud noises. In fact, feeding time is sacred and we have to be extra quite so as not to spook Ozzy or he will run out and not finish his meal (even more important now that we need to make sure he gets a good meal on board before we give him insulin). He has always been a very nervous eater, too.

I'm not sure what other folks on this board will have to say, but just wanted to let you know that I too have a very nervous kitty and he's always been like that, even before his diabetes DX.

Hope this helps.

 

[Ozzy Pawzbourne]

My vet said that at her annual convention there was an off-topic presentation of what goes on at night when you're sleeping but Noah never had any unexplained battle scars etc.

Curious what your vet said about what goes on at night when we're sleeping...please share!

 

[Noah & me (GA)]

If I couldn't sleep I'd go downstairs and it was like 9 cats were having a staff meeting. They also know when the litter has been done so they can go downstairs and kick litter everywhere. I'd like to get some motion activated night vision cameras to see how the alpha male treats his subjects.

 

[Ozzy Pawzbourne]

If I couldn't sleep I'd go downstairs and it was like 9 cats were having a staff meeting. They also know when the litter has been done so they can go downstairs and kick litter everywhere. I'd like to get some motion activated night vision cameras to see how the alpha male treats his subjects.

This is sooo funny!!!!!

 

[Noah & me (GA)]

We used to have a Border Collie. How can a dog be too smart? There's a guy in Germany (PBS documentary) whose Border Collie knows 900 words and the guy thinks he can teach the dog verbs! So you fall down the stairs and while the dog is trying to call 911 your cats are deciding who gets to eat what. "Dibs on the eyeballs!" It's all true; how is our love repaid? Destroyed furniture, newspapers you wanted to read ripped to shreds, paw prints on the counter, a turd on your pillow! When I get asked for a donation at the Stupid-Market I tell them we already run a charity at home. "Look Noah, new food, $3.00 a for a tiny little can!". "No thanks, I think I'll just let it dry out and then cough up a hairball where you'll step on it on your way to the coffee pot first thing in the morning". They seem to know when your next mortgage payment is due because that's when they puke up something on Sunday morning with a color not found in nature that pulsates and glows in the dark.

 

[JanetNJ]

Noah is one male from a litter of four males. At that time all the Alpha male wanted was his basket, no bullying. Around the same time we got a Border Collie pup so they all grew up together, The dog was very protective of all the cats. The strange part; all Noah's brothers were happy cats and all nine cats were indoors, on the counters, slept on our bed etc. It was their house, we were just their roommates. My vet said that at her annual convention there was an off-topic presentation of what goes on at night when you're sleeping but Noah never had any unexplained battle scars etc. For the first 7 years he lived in our walk-in closet and slept on our bed, only scooting downstairs for food and the litter box. Even looking out the windows was too much. He has no problems with injections etc. We don't slam doors, play loud music or have wild parties. Even the doorbell has a sock in it! And no kids.
I've had cats for 40 years and have never seen a cat like this. He has cardiomyopathy and an enlarged heart as well as being diabetic. If any of you came into our house you'd think he was being abused, it's that bad! Is this just the way he is? It's not life threatening, just very strange.

I have a nervous one as well. She lives on a kitchen chair most of the time and maps on our bed as well. She would be very happy to be an only cat, and over reacts to any interaction the other cats initiate with her. What has helped are adding two feliway diffusers in the house to help take the edge off. We can always tell when it's ready to be replaced because she's extra edgy.

 

[Ozzy Pawzbourne]

We used to have a Border Collie. How can a dog be too smart? There's a guy in Germany (PBS documentary) whose Border Collie knows 900 words and the guy thinks he can teach the dog verbs! So you fall down the stairs and while the dog is trying to call 911 your cats are deciding who gets to eat what. "Dibs on the eyeballs!" It's all true; how is our love repaid? Destroyed furniture, newspapers you wanted to read ripped to shreds, paw prints on the counter, a turd on your pillow! When I get asked for a donation at the Stupid-Market I tell them we already run a charity at home. "Look Noah, new food, $3.00 a for a tiny little can!". "No thanks, I think I'll just let it dry out and then cough up a hairball where you'll step on it on your way to the coffee pot first thing in the morning". They seem to know when your next mortgage payment is due because that's when they puke up something on Sunday morning with a color not found in nature that pulsates and glows in the dark.

OMGosh...You're hilarious!! I love your humor. It's all true, too!!

 

[Kris & Teasel]

We used to have a Border Collie. How can a dog be too smart? There's a guy in Germany (PBS documentary) whose Border Collie knows 900 words and the guy thinks he can teach the dog verbs! So you fall down the stairs and while the dog is trying to call 911 your cats are deciding who gets to eat what. "Dibs on the eyeballs!" It's all true; how is our love repaid? Destroyed furniture, newspapers you wanted to read ripped to shreds, paw prints on the counter, a turd on your pillow! When I get asked for a donation at the Stupid-Market I tell them we already run a charity at home. "Look Noah, new food, $3.00 a for a tiny little can!". "No thanks, I think I'll just let it dry out and then cough up a hairball where you'll step on it on your way to the coffee pot first thing in the morning". They seem to know when your next mortgage payment is due because that's when they puke up something on Sunday morning with a color not found in nature that pulsates and glows in the dark.

This is hilarious!!

 

[CatMan_pdx]

My Rearden is about normal kitty skittish to loud noises. I'm very skittish myself even by cat standards. It's to the point where when I drop a pan or otherwise make a large noise my immediate reaction is to cry out, "sorry, Rearden!"