My cat keeps hurting herself

\ wrote:

Allen


thank you so much for addressing this.


Allen

Allen, you've come to the right place, we care deeply about people as
much as we do cats. Why not talk to us; this is a great place to be
honest. The great thing about this place, is that you can be honest
without fear of condemnation.

Tell us about the jumping cat, we wants to help, yo!

in article , mlbriggs at
wrote on 7/5/05 9:43 PM:

On Wed, 06 Jul 2005 02:04:59 +0000, wrote:

Hello! This is my first post and its a really serious one. I have a
really shy cat who will jump miles into the air if you scare her. And the
only place she feels safe is inside the couch which is where she sleeps
everyday. Recently she's been cutting herself on some sharp objects in
there. I've tried to keep her out of it by stuffing pillows and blankets
down into it but she always finds a way into it.

And thats my problem...how do I keep her out of there? I heard there
might be some spray or scent that cats don't like, and if you spray that
on certain things than they won't go there...but does that work? And for
how long? And can we smell it?

Thank you for taking time to read this.

Allen


What I get from reading your letter is that you scare the cat just to see
her jump in the air Is this correct? No wonder she hides. That is
called "cat abuse" And this has been going on for 13 years? Correct
your behavior and I am sure that poor scared cat will feel much better.
Grow up


I just thought they meant if she gets scared. Not that the person was
purposely scaring her. You know like if you come up and they don't realize
or make a loud noise in the kitchen etc. Idon't think they meant on purpose.

mlbriggs wrote:

What I get from reading your letter is that you scare the cat just to see
her jump in the air Is this correct? No wonder she hides. That is
called "cat abuse" And this has been going on for 13 years? Correct
your behavior and I am sure that poor scared cat will feel much better.
Grow up

I didn't really take it that way; I assumed he meant loud noises, other
things startling her, etc.

I think there is more going on but I don't know what. Why would there
be things in the couch cutting her face? I would think a cat who gets
hurt somewhere would not keep going back. They're smart enough to
avoid pain. Could someone be doing something mean to the kitty and she
is trying to hide from that person in the couch?

And why can't the couch be fixed, reupholstered, junked, something?

Candace

"Mary" wrote in message ...

"mlbriggs" wrote in message
news
On Wed, 06 Jul 2005 02:04:59 +0000, wrote:

Hello! This is my first post and its a really serious one. I have a
really shy cat who will jump miles into the air if you scare her. And
the
only place she feels safe is inside the couch which is where she
sleeps
everyday. Recently she's been cutting herself on some sharp objects
in
there. I've tried to keep her out of it by stuffing pillows and
blankets
down into it but she always finds a way into it.

And thats my problem...how do I keep her out of there? I heard there
might be some spray or scent that cats don't like, and if you spray
that
on certain things than they won't go there...but does that work? And
for
how long? And can we smell it?

Thank you for taking time to read this.

Allen


What I get from reading your letter is that you scare the cat just to
see
her jump in the air Is this correct? No wonder she hides. That is
called "cat abuse" And this has been going on for 13 years? Correct
your behavior and I am sure that poor scared cat will feel much better.
Grow up


This is really true. I thought the cat had to be new to the household.
You are absolutely right.

Sounds to me like he just has a really rather neurotic cat. Unfamiliar
humans over for a visit see my semi-feral cat more often than my epileptic
cat. She just spends a lot of time hiding. Allen's cat sounds to be easily
startled and maybe overreactive.

Allen - if she's afraid of boxes, you need to find another place where she
can go to hide and be safe. She doesn't WANT to hurt herself. Is there a
room she can get to where nothing else can get at her? If you have company
over, where do they NOT go? You can find cheap little carpeted kitty condos
at Petsmart or Petco or just about any pet store.

If you're expecting company, place her in an off-limits-to-company space in
your home. Make sure she has access to food, water, and a litterbox. Let her
back out when they've gone and the house is settled and quiet again.

Pay attention to when she chooses to climb into the couch. Don't experiment
with it - just keep an eye on her. Try to figure out what seems to trigger
her need to hide and work at eliminating that.

Most importantly, she should be seen by her vet. You need to make sure she's
healing well and feeling okay.

"Candace" wrote in message
oups.com...
mlbriggs wrote:

What I get from reading your letter is that you scare the cat just to
see
her jump in the air Is this correct? No wonder she hides. That is
called "cat abuse" And this has been going on for 13 years? Correct
your behavior and I am sure that poor scared cat will feel much better.
Grow up

I didn't really take it that way; I assumed he meant loud noises, other
things startling her, etc.

I think there is more going on but I don't know what. Why would there
be things in the couch cutting her face? I would think a cat who gets
hurt somewhere would not keep going back. They're smart enough to
avoid pain. Could someone be doing something mean to the kitty and she
is trying to hide from that person in the couch?

And why can't the couch be fixed, reupholstered, junked, something?

Candace


Just a guess... but there is no cat and no couch just a little boy who is
home from college and daddy and mommy left him alone, sadly they forgot to
lock their computer before going out.

Trish wrote:

Just a guess... but there is no cat and no couch just a little boy who is
home from college and daddy and mommy left him alone, sadly they forgot to
lock their computer before going out.

That thought occurred to me and I hope it's so...I hate to think of a
poor little kitty with her face all cut up.

Candace

Trish wrote:

Just a guess... but there is no cat and no couch just a little boy who is
home from college and daddy and mommy left him alone, sadly they forgot to
lock their computer before going out.

You're probably right. How come the guy that started this thread and
the guy that started the "cat not drinking/peeing" thread are both from
CatKB and they both have "/ before their name?

Candace

"Candace" wrote
I think there is more going on but I don't know what. Why would there
be things in the couch cutting her face? I would think a cat who gets
hurt somewhere would not keep going back. They're smart enough to
avoid pain. Could someone be doing something mean to the kitty and she
is trying to hide from that person in the couch?

And why can't the couch be fixed, reupholstered, junked, something?

I know, that couch sounds very unsafe. If a piece of furniture was hurting
my cat that bad, I would get a new one. You can find free couches that are
in better shape on Freecycle.

In the meantime, provide her with some better hiding options like a kitty
condo, a crinkly bag, anything else besides the couch. Take her to the vet
too take make sure those cuts are not infected.

--
-Kelly

"mlbriggs" wrote in message
news
On Wed, 06 Jul 2005 02:04:59 +0000, wrote:

Hello! This is my first post and its a really serious one. I have a
really shy cat who will jump miles into the air if you scare her. And
the
only place she feels safe is inside the couch which is where she sleeps
everyday. Recently she's been cutting herself on some sharp objects in
there. I've tried to keep her out of it by stuffing pillows and blankets
down into it but she always finds a way into it.

And thats my problem...how do I keep her out of there? I heard there
might be some spray or scent that cats don't like, and if you spray that
on certain things than they won't go there...but does that work? And for
how long? And can we smell it?

Thank you for taking time to read this.

Allen


What I get from reading your letter is that you scare the cat just to see
her jump in the air Is this correct? No wonder she hides. That is
called "cat abuse" And this has been going on for 13 years? Correct
your behavior and I am sure that poor scared cat will feel much better.
Grow up

One of the cats at work, Stinky, is also easily scared. We've had her at
work for over six years now, since she was 3 months old. She will also leap
into the air when startled sometimes. Sometimes she'll be in my office
hanging out and some will come in (someone she knows) and startle her.
She'll puff up and want to get out of my small office, but if the person is
in the doorway she freaks. Finally she'll bolt out and then all of a sudden
realize that there's nobody new, and calm down. Sometimes she will race to
the back and go to one of her preferred hiding spots. Fortunately, not in a
couch!

But it is possible for a cat who's been someplace for a long time to still
be nervous and freaky. Stinky has never been mistreated, and wouldn't let
anyone she doesn't know near enough to even attempt to mistreat her. It's
just the way she is.

--
Liz

Elizabeth Blake wrote:

But it is possible for a cat who's been someplace for a long time to still
be nervous and freaky. Stinky has never been mistreated, and wouldn't let
anyone she doesn't know near enough to even attempt to mistreat her. It's
just the way she is.

--
Liz

Maybe the cat is deaf? Seriously, how do you know it is not.