Hillcrest Animal

Kitty Cat Rock

A Cat In A Room Full Of Rocking Chairs

Not so long ago, I saw it mentioned that someone’s cat was nervous, and the person wondered why.

It seems the kitty had recently taken up residence at a house with “step-kits” and kids that carried on numerous activities that normally did not include a four-legged visitor like new kitty. Although he was getting plenty of attention from the children and other animals in the house, kitty was somewhat nervous.

A cat or kitten can experience nervousness for a variety of reasons. And because of this, it might be necessary to experiment and try ruling out some of the present activity around kitty; you may have to “throw something to the wall to see if it sticks!”

Because in this scenario children are present, it would be important to explore how the children and the kitty are interacting. For instance:

Do the children tease kitty? While most of the time “kids will be kids” and perhaps play rough not just with each other but even “new” and especially little kitties, children don’t realize that that roughness may be frightening to the kitten or the cat.

How long has kitty been nervous? Have you just noticed it? If your cat has just begun to show nervousness, do you recall if maybe something happened that caused the kitten to all of a sudden be wary of anyone who comes around it. Or nervous of some activity!

Is the nervousness present all the time or just at specific times? Perhaps when your cat was eating someone tried to take his food away. Or even yelled at the cat!

Has kitty’s daily routine changed? If kitty did something he should not have and then someone scolded him, perhaps that’s what has upset him enough to show nervousness in certain situations.

Could something bad have happened to him that you don’t know about? Maybe somewhere along the way in his young life, he was mistreated by children before you got him. And not to make “children” the culprit here, he could have been mistreated just as much by grown-ups. Mistreatment does not necessarily mean kitty was physically hurt; he could have been subject to being tormented.  Or maybe his food was withheld from him when he started to eat.

What are his litter box habits? Whatever’s going on with him to cause the nervousness may be reflected in where and when he uses the box.

Do you have a specific routine for your cat? Does he eat at the same time, go to bed at the same time (well, try to get them to go to the bed at the same time– ours do sometimes get up and wander around during the night after we’ve all gone to bed!).

Was he scolded if he did something naughty? And then afterward you didn’t assure him that he was loved.

If there are other pets in the house, like big dogs or little barky dogs, have you taken the time for the dog(s) and the kitty to be socialized together?

What about loud noises in the house? All the time? Or just at certain times?

When a repairman comes to our house, at least one of our cats can be somewhat nosy and want to see what’s in his tool bag. Yet, when the man is coming in and out of the house and banging on the pipes or removing the furnace door, it’s not long before that cat will high-tail it under the couch, upstairs under the bed or into some hiding place where we can’t find him until he’s ready to come out.

So, the unscientific conclusion is that a cat may be nervous for a variety of reasons. And even that old “saw” as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs may not be too far from the actual problem.

To help your kitty overcome his nervous, it’s important to spend the time observing him when he shows his nervousness. You may also find it necessary to do some “trial and error” tests to rule out the various circumstances that might be disrupting his routine.

With that said, stop by Kittens ‘n Things to get your copy of our ezine, the Cat’s Meow, with lots of helpful tips for taking care of your kitty. And catch up on some of our posts like, “Kitty on the Window Sill Perch.”

About the Author

Virtual Assistant and Expert Author Karen McGreevey, CEO of Konceptuality.com, specializes in proofreading/editing and general admin support services to Coaches and Speakers. In her other passion, a life with cats, Karen shares helpful “kitty” tips, and some of her experiences with cats, in her weekly ezine, “The Cat’s Meow!” Just leave your name and email address at Kittens ‘n Things to get your weekly fix.