Has a new feline arrived in the family and he seems to be always scared of you? Has your cat undergone changes in his behavior and now shows you fear? Has he even attacked you? Although this behavior is very frustrating for the cat's human companion, we must understand that fear is a natural state in all species and, despite the fact that we do not want to do anything other than give him affection, perhaps we do not do it in the most correct way. for the cat
If you wonder why your cat is afraid of you continue reading this article on our site, where you will learn more about the etiology of this species and you will find guidelines to help your cat and his fear.
How to know if a cat is afraid?
First of all, we must learn to differentiate whether our cat is afraid of other behaviors or is afraid of us, but we must also try to find out the degree of fear he suffers. When the intensity of the fear is low, the cat will display behaviors such as lowering posture and mydriasis(or dilated pupils).
As the level of fear increases, the cat flashes its ears laterally, piloerection or hair-raising and vocalizations such asoccur. grunting or hissing If the intensity becomes high, the cat assumes a latero-ventral posture (on one side, belly showing) and exposes teeth and claws. At this stage it might attack if it has no other way out, 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 stressed cat. If the cat also lives in a constant state of fear, it can develop chronic stress, very damaging to its physical and mental he alth.
The introduction of a kitten into 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 amygdala, which not only influences the reaction to fear, but also acts against conditioned or learned fears.
When we first introduce a kitten into the home, everything is new to him and possibly creepy. It is totally normalfor the cat to be scared in a new house and for us to observe that he is afraid of everything, it is even normal for you to wonder why my cat He is afraid. We must leave time and space for him to adapt, get to know the home and its members. In a cat, this period can span from several days to months
All vertebrate offspring have a period during their childhood known as the "sensitive period", in which the animal is more receptive to all the stimuli that surround it, having a greater capacity to learn and develop capacities. The sensitive period in kittens occurs between the second and seventh week of age. They learn to communicate, affiliate, and bond with people. 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 toward humans that an adult cat possessed as a function of how much he was manipulated during childhood. They observed that further handling of the kittens made them more tolerant of people. However, 15% of the kittens in experiment were "resistant" to handling, that is, they were no more tolerant. This determines that there is also an influential genetic factor (excitable and hyperactive temperaments).
The early handling specifically affects the cat's perception of familiar and unknown people. Also, the ability to communicate socially with humans needs maintenance, as they can lose sociability.
Fear in cats due to 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 that we transmit to it is learned or if it is neophobia. We do not know if the cat has experienced traumatic situations, such as abuse or abandonment. It is important to point out that it is not easy to differentiate the fear of a cat due to abuse from that suffered by another due to abandonment and lack of socialization, since both individuals will be afraid of people.
In this situation, the adaptation period increases. We must try to keep the cat in a very relaxed environment, always have a positive behavior towards him and leave him his space.
On other occasions, this fear appears spontaneously and the cat appears frightened for no reason. He becomes wary of contact, avoids his human companion, and engages in certain behaviors mistaken for fear, such as mydriasis. In this case we can find ourselves facing a sick cat that, due to pain, shows a negative attitude towards handling.
Unlike dogs, it is not always easy to detect the signs of pain in cats, however, we can observe that the cat hides and does not want to come out, he seems scared, he is afraid of another cat or of the people in the household (when he was not before) and he even seems to suddenly be afraid of situations to which he is totally used 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 have any disease, behavior modification techniques can be used, such as desensitization and counter-conditioning.
As we are the ones who instil fear, our presence is what acts as an aversive stimulus, so we can positive our presenceApproaching the cat slowly and calmly, as well as displaying appetizing treats to attract its attention. The cat should not be touched until he rubs against us voluntarily.
Another option is to spend 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 he who decides to have us as a companion.
In addition, it is essential to recognize situations that can induce fear in cats and avoid them, such as staring into their eyes, leaning over them in a position of superiority, producing loud and unexpected sounds. Preventing exposure to fear-provoking circumstances is key to reducing stress and solving the problem. If the cat is experiencing a fearful situation, it is better to avoid the cat than try to calm the cat, as it can lead to redirected aggression
If we observe that, after a while, the cat's behavior does not improve and is even getting better, it is time to contact a professional, such as a veterinarian specialized in ethology.
