Why is my cat afraid of me?

Has a new cat arrived in the family and seems to be always scared about you? Has your cat suffered changes in its behavior and now shows you fear ? Has it even attacked you? Although this behavior is very frustrating for the human companion of the cat, we must understand that fear is a natural state in all species and, although we do not want to do anything other than carino, we may not do it in the most correct way for the cat.

If you ask yourself why your cat is afraid of you continue reading this article by Animals and Pets Online , where you will learn more about the ethology of this species and you will find guidelines to help your cat and his fear.

How to know if a cat is afraid?

First, we must learn to differentiate if our cat is afraid of other behaviors, but we must also try to find out what degree of fear he suffers.When the intensity of fear is low, the cat will show behaviors such as lower the posture and mydriasis (or dilation of the pupils).

As the level of fear increases, the cat flattens the ears laterally, there is piloereccion or bristling of the hair and vocalizations such as grunting or hissing .If the intensity becomes high, the cat acquires a lateral-ventral posture (on one side, showing the belly) and exposes teeth and claws.Arrived in this state could attack if he has no other escape, although in general, a cat prefers to avoid a confrontation.

During the fear process the levels of adrenaline and cortisol increase.The latter is the stress hormone, so a scared cat is a cat stressed, and if the cat also lives in a constant state of fear, he can develop a chronic stress , very harmful for his physical and mental health.

The introduction of a kitten in the home and neophobia

All animals with a developed central nervous system instinctively show fear of new things or situations , this is known as "neophobia." The neurological center of fear is the tonsil, which Not only does it influence the reaction to fear, but it acts against conditioned or learned fears.

When we introduce a kitten into the home for the first time, everything is new to him and possibly creepy.strong> totally normal that the cat is scared in a new house and we observe that he is afraid of everything.We must leave him time and space to adapt, know the home and its members.In a cat, this period It can cover from several days to months .

All vertebrate offspring have a period during their childhood known as "sensitive period", in which the animal is more receptive to all the stimuli around him, having greater capacity to learn and develop capacity The sensitive period in kittens occurs between the second and seventh week of age.They learn to communicate, affiliate and create bonds with people.A good socialization in the puppy cat reduces the risk of aggressiveness due to fear.

Karsh and Turner (1988), two scientists, investigated the degree of sociability towards humans that an adult cat possessed depending on how much it was handled during childhood.They observed that greater manipulation of kittens made them more tolerant of people.However, 15% of the kittens in the experiment were "resistant" to manipulation, that is, they were not more tolerant.This determines that there is also a influential genetic factor (excitable and hyperactive temperaments).

early manipulation specifically affects the cat's perception of known and unknown persons, and also the ability to communicate socially with human needs maintenance, because they can lose sociability.

Fear in cats for trauma or disease

If instead of introducing a kitten we introduce an adult cat into our home, we will probably not know its past and we will not know if the fear we transmit is learned or if it is neophobia.We do not know if the cat has experienced traumatic situations , such as abuse or neglect.It is important to note that it is not easy to differentiate a cat's fear of abuse from that of another for abandonment and lack of socialization, because both individuals will be afraid of people.

In this situation, the period of adaptation increases .We must try to make the cat in a very environment relaxed, always have a positive behavior towards him and leave his space.

At other times, this fear appears spontaneously and the cat is scared for no reason.He begins to be suspicious of the contact, avoid his human companion and carries out certain behaviors confusing with fear, such as mydriasis.In this case we can find ourselves before a sick cat who, due to pain, shows a negative attitude towards manipulation.

Unlike dogs, it is not always easy det ectar the signs of pain in cats, however, we can see that the cat hides and does not want to leave , seems scared, is afraid of another cat or people in the home (when before he did not have it ) and it seems that he is suddenly afraid of situations he is totally accustomed to.

The treatment of fear in cats

First of all, it is important to carry out a previous veterinary study that certifies that the animal does not present any physical problem.Once it is determined that the cat does not suffer any disease, techniques can be used of behavior modification , such as desensitization and counter-conditioning.

As we are the ones who instill fear, our presence is what acts as an aversive stimulus, so that we can positive our presence by approaching the cat in a leisurely and calm way, as well as showing appetizing treats to attract their attention.You should not touch the cat until he does not rub himself against us voluntarily.

Another option is to stay short periods of time in the room where the cat is, doing some quiet activity, such as reading, transmitting calm and confidence to the animal. We must never force the animal , it must be who said It is important to have us as a companion.

In addition, it is essential to recognize situations that can induce fear of the cat and avoid them, such as staring them in the eye, leaning over them in a position of superiority, Produce high-volume and unexpected sounds.Preventing exposure to circumstances that cause fear is key to reducing stress and solving the problem.If the cat experiences a fear situation, it is better to avoid the cat than to try to calm him down, as it can refer to redirected aggression .

If we observe that, after a while, the cat's behavior does not improve and even goes further, it will be time to contact a professional, such as veterinarian specialized in ethology.

If you want to read more articles similar to Why is my cat afraid of me? , we recommend that you enter our section of Behavioral Problems.