11 month old Stewie is getting very skittish .. stage or problem?

[wigglytuff]

hello,

i am sure you all remember little stewie... when to the shelter to look at another cat and but he grabbed on to me and wouldnt let go.

this is him, barely taller than the crown molding on the floor!

WELL he was always a little scaredy cat. i mean when we first got him he would puff up when the phone rang, something loud on tv, ANYthing.

but he seemed to settle down and get comfortable. he gets breakfast at 10:30am and he starts begging LOUDLY at about 9.45am like clockwork.

if i got in the bathroom he goes and waits by the door. but lately he has been so scared of EVERYTHING. if the printer starts to print something, he puffs up, if the toilet is flushed he runs and hides, if he is sitting next to you and you get up he runs and hides.

bella has always been brave and it takes a lot to her ruffled, but lately the more confident she gets the more scared he gets, i dont think she is bullying him as ive never seen it and shes a sweet maine coon. he is not so scared that he cant go about his day, it just takes little to send him hiding, so is this a phase or something we should be concerned about...

this is him all grown up!!

 

[aklein]

It could just be that it is spring time -- one of my cats seems to be hyper-alert lately.
Another possibility is there may be a stray cat hanging around your home. Sometimes that is something that will kinda tweak kitties out.
Keep an eye on him. Look for any changes in eating, drinking, peeing or pooping. It is probably just a stage.
Oh and Stewie is turning into such a handsome man!

 

[wigglytuff]

It could just be that it is spring time -- one of my cats seems to be hyper-alert lately.
Another possibility is there may be a stray cat hanging around your home. Sometimes that is something that will kinda tweak kitties out.
Keep an eye on him. Look for any changes in eating, drinking, peeing or pooping. It is probably just a stage.
Oh and Stewie is turning into such a handsome man!

oh i didnt even think about the season change!!! that also explains why he and bella are shedding like no ones business...

i dont think theres a stray cat though. i live in a condo building on the fourth floor!! lol, but i will ask if any of the neighbors got a new cat. if he is super sensitive to smell he might smell a new cat and be scared.

 

[aklein]

Not sure what part of the country you live in, but it has been unseasonably warm here in the Northeast. My 10 year old cat Dante (the black one in my avatar) is just running around like a wild man. I don't think he knows he is a senior citizen. He has been chasing chasing the other cats all over the house and stirring up trouble with my parent's black lab.
He is usually fairly chill, but I have noticed when springtime approaches he gets 'squirrely'.

 

[grace04]

My kitty, Riley, has also been acting very spazzed out the last several days, and it's been unseasonably warm and I've had windows open. The other day he came running through the room, did a triple-axle and slammed himself into the wall. He wasn't hurt, just a little humiliated.

It seems that Stewie might be having more than a weather change reaction. I would watch him very carefully, especially his interactions with your other cat. Sometimes weird things can go on between cats that you have to be really on the ball to observe. If he continues to be over-sensitive and you can't determine any cause for the change in his behavior, it might be a good idea to talk to your vet. By the way, he's a gorgeous boy.

 

[madamefifi]

Does Stewie recover quickly from his "scareds"? If so, I wouldn't worry about it too much. My cat Zool has always been skittish but never to the point where she will refuse to come out of hiding--she comes out right away when she is called and is very affectionate. In fact, she never really "hides", she just runs away a little. We've just decided she's a "flinchy" cat. Some of the other cats do tend to pick on her a little, but they are very obvious about it. I think if your other cat was picking on Stewie, you would know.

 

[wigglytuff]

Not sure what part of the country you live in, but it has been unseasonably warm here in the Northeast. My 10 year old cat Dante (the black one in my avatar) is just running around like a wild man. I don't think he knows he is a senior citizen. He has been chasing chasing the other cats all over the house and stirring up trouble with my parent's black lab.
He is usually fairly chill, but I have noticed when springtime approaches he gets 'squirrely'.

yeap i am in the north east!!! we had those snow storms, rain storms, and today its supposed to be a really warm day!! so i will watch him closely. he is on the windowsill watching the traffic from the highway a few blocks away zoom by!

My kitty, Riley, has also been acting very spazzed out the last several days, and it's been unseasonably warm and I've had windows open. The other day he came running through the room, did a triple-axle and slammed himself into the wall. He wasn't hurt, just a little humiliated.

It seems that Stewie might be having more than a weather change reaction. I would watch him very carefully, especially his interactions with your other cat. Sometimes weird things can go on between cats that you have to be really on the ball to observe. If he continues to be over-sensitive and you can't determine any cause for the change in his behavior, it might be a good idea to talk to your vet. By the way, he's a gorgeous boy.

thank you, he is sooooo spoiled. he gets "pick up service" on demand, i.e. i pick him up and walk him around the condo whenever he begs for it, he gets everything else on demand too, and he still meows all the time. it is definitely the oriental shorthair part of him.

yes you are right i have been watching Bella, and as she gets more and more at home she is definately more playful, but she also stands up to his bullying more to the point where i havent real bullying from him in at least a month or two. but also even though bella is older, she is a maine coon and is still growning and still very much a kitten in terms of how she plays. but stewie is more of a young man. so there could be something going on, even if its not bullying or pestering, it could just be he doesnt like not being the boss all the time every time anymore.

Does Stewie recover quickly from his "scareds"? If so, I wouldn't worry about it too much. My cat Zool has always been skittish but never to the point where she will refuse to come out of hiding--she comes out right away when she is called and is very affectionate. In fact, she never really "hides", she just runs away a little. We've just decided she's a "flinchy" cat. Some of the other cats do tend to pick on her a little, but they are very obvious about it. I think if your other cat was picking on Stewie, you would know.

it depends on the "scared" sometimes he is back out in seconds, other times he goes under the bed in his safe space and he is gone for 5 minutes. but sometimes, i would say 1 in 10 "scareds", you cant get him out from under the bed. thats it. he is gone for the rest of the night or until feeding time. he usually sleeps under the bed, so it could be he goes in there scared, feels safe relaxes and falls asleep or something.

one thing that is very different, is that in the past we had a couch with a space that they could hide in underneath. now, that space is gone because the new couch goes down to the floor. so there is no hiding space in the livingroom where he really is out of reach.

we are going to target today to get him one of those soft fabric cat caves to place in the living room. in hopes that that helps.