Q: Yesterday I bought a new broom (Swiffer type), and my cat freaked out while I was used it. She was hitting it, attacked it, and was hissing.
Later that night, she was acting the same way toward toys she?s had for five months. Today when I came home, I had to bring her upstairs. She was very hesitant. Not wanting to be on the floor, and she was looking at it like something was there, and she was going to pounce but never did. She was on my bed and acted the same way (very sketchy, not wanted to be petted, held, etc.).
I have hidden all her toys, and am hoping she calms down. I am very concerned about her behavior, because it is very unlike her. Any ideas on what could be up?
A: What you are experiencing is fairly common. Cats are exceptional at generalizing a frightening experience to other situations. What I mean is that when a cat becomes completely panicked, sometimes it takes a couple of days for them to recover. For some, they generalize the fear and the physiologic panic through a process called classical conditioning, so they react to any stimulus that was present during the traumatic incident in the same way that they react to the stimulus itself. In other words, that traumatic incident may have really changed your cat. Hopefully, she will recover quickly, but some cats do not. Try the things below, and if they do not work within a couple of weeks, or she becomes aggressive toward you, seek professional help by going to www.dacvb.org.
1. Give your cat some space. Just as you need personal space when you are upset or angry, your cat needs the same right now. Giving her some cooling off time without approaching her, petting her or otherwise trying to interact with her will help her to recover more quickly. If she wants to lie on the bed without being touched by you, leave her alone. She should start to show improvement in about a week.
2. Give her back some toys that have not elicited the fear response. If she likes to play, she will recover more quickly if she has the opportunity to engage in that behavior.
3. Put the Swiffer away when your cat is in the room. In other words, put your cat in another room before you even open the closet where the Swiffer is. At this point, it is better not to let her see it at all.
Dr. Radosta
Lisa Radosta DVM, Diplomate ACVB
Florida Veterinary Behavior Service
PO Box 210636
Royal Palm Beach, FL 33421-0636
561-795-9398
www.flvetbehavior.com
Read more articles by Dr. Radosta | Ask her a question
Source: http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/pawshere/2013/09/26/cat-panicked-by-use-of-new-broom/
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