Why Is My Cat Very Scared?

One of the peculiarities that can surprise you about a kitten is that it is afraid of many things. Some are wary and distrustful of certain aspects, displaying behavior that indicates that he is afraid. If you wonder”Why is my cat so scared?“and you want to know the possible reasons and how to act to give it peace of mind at this time, at OneHOWTO we encourage you to continue reading this article.

Why Is My Cat Very Scared?

There are situations in which it is easy to see a cat scared or afraid. For example, seeing a frightened cat in a new house or in a new space where there are many noises is very common, since by nature felines are quite shy, reserved or cautious at first. This makes them need a period of adaptation in the new home, thus adapting to new people and another environment.

The cat socialization is also a factor to take into account to know the degree of fear that may have when arriving at a new home or in different situations. If he has never lived with people or other animals, it will be difficult for him to adapt and learn the basic rules of coexistence that you set. Therefore, patience will be essential until your feline feels comfortable and safe at home.

These are some of the reasons that explain your doubt about “Why is my cat so scared?“, but to detect if he really has it, you have to observe his behavior very carefully.

Body language

Observing how your cat behaves is essential to know if he is afraid. Seeing his gestures, you will be able to clarify many doubts about it:

• If he hides very often, it will be a sure sign that he is scared.
• The position of the mustache also indicates this. By leaning back and stiff, it will indicate your fear of something you have seen or heard.
• The position of the ears is another clear sign of its status. If you have them placed backwards and glued to your head, you are afraid.
• If he arches his back it can also be because he is scared or fearful, it is a posture that allows him to attack or flee quickly when under tension and, at the same time, alerts whoever is afraid of this situation.

Null socialization

Your cat may avoid any type of approach with objects or other cats. Even when the rest of the kitties look for him to play and interact with, he hides or moves to another place. These behaviors are clear signs of socialization problems.

If you think that your cat is afraid of another cat, these factors are a good explanation. In addition, this fear extends to people, other animals or unknown elements, showing a deep mistrust of any novelty that is presented to him.

Aggressive gestures

It is likely that you confuse an anger or anger from your cat with fear. Sometimes he will snort or growl in fear of something. It can also react more aggressively, that is, your cat may bite you when you pet him or if you approach his position or he may throw an unexpected claw at you.

If you detect these gestures on the part of the feline, do not let too much time pass and get to work to correct behaviors of this type as soon as possible for your safety and that of the rest of the family. We recommend that you speak with a specialist in feline behavior so that you can correct this problem correctly and not cause other secondary ones.

Defensive posture

Some cats frequently have bristles and lie flat on the ground, on the alert for any kind of threat. This defensive posture, maintained daily, will be a sign of fear on the part of the pussycat.

In addition, his pupils will be dilated by the tension of the moment and he will be startled by all kinds of unexpected sounds. If you usually think your cat is startled by any noiseyou see him in a defensive posture for many hours of the day, being very exhausting for the animal and causing tension or anxiety that is detrimental to his health, you will have to help him as soon as possible and take him to the veterinarian to see how to focus the therapy and/or treatment.

Tail position

A sign of the status of cats is the position of the tail. For example, they have her up and relaxed if they feel safe and comfortable. On the other hand, when they are afraid, they tuck their tails between their legs or very close and adopt a defensive posture against any object, person or animal that approaches them. However, if they lift it up a lot and bristle it, something they usually do while arching their back, it will be precisely because of the tension and it can also indicate fear.

If you choose to take in a stray cat or one from a shelter, the process of adaptation to the home will be much more complicated, especially if it is already an adult. The pussycat’s mistrust of various new elements at first will be absolute and it will be difficult for him to acclimatise, so on several occasions you can be very scared.

Being forced to live between walls, people and even other animals, the environment in which they previously lived is drastically broken, especially in the case of stray cats. In addition, they will have forged a wild characterfor his survival, so it will be difficult for him to learn the basic rules of coexistence in a home and apart from teaching him as much as possible, you will have to be patient and be somewhat more lax in the rules.