Cat Acting Strangely (eating, smells, food, meows)

[beatlecrazy]

Two weeks ago we noticed one of my cats was acting strange. He would always seem stressed, like he was jutting his neck out, his ears would always be on alert, and his pupils are always dilated. He normally is/was very friendly, would relax everywhere, would always want to be with you. Now, he always looks towards the front door like he's real anxious.

We took him to the vet on Friday and they did a complete check up - bloodwork, physical exam, behavioral, etc. Everything came back normal. We took him home and he still acts strange. Just last night were eating dinner, and usually he'd roll around on his back behind my chair (antics for wanting food lol) and this time he sat farther away and did these strange little Meows, almost like he was really concerned. He still purrs occasionally but not as often as say, a month ago.

Does anyone know why a cat would just randomly get stressed and extremely anxious? He would always follow you around but now he runs away from everyone. Our other cat is as normal as he's ever been, and we adopted the two of them at the same time. The ONLY thing I can think of is that my husband accidentally bought the wrong litter and that is what is in their litterbox now. Could it be the litter?

We haven't changed their food (still serve wet and dry), and water of course is the same. We haven't gotten any new furniture, no new animals, it's really been the same in our house.

Any suggestions on what to do next? It cost me $400 at the vet to have him checked out (we also brought his brothercat in) so I am kind of strapped for cash now.
Thanks all.

[catsmom21]

It could be the litter. Many cats are very particular about litter boxes issues. Since medical has been ruled out, it seems it must be environmental.

Is he peeing normally? Did the vet take a urine sample?

Go back to the litter he is used to.

Keep an eye outside and see if there are any strange animals (especially cats) hanging around. That could cause stress.

Installing some feliway plug in diffusers may help with stress.

Have you had any company lately? Just wondering if he might have gotten a spook from someone he doesn't know. Keep a journal on his behavior, see if you notice any patterns or triggers.

Is he normal in one room but strange in another? Is he avoiding any particular part of the house?

I'll keep thinking about this, if any other ideas come into my head I'll be sure to post them.

[beatlecrazy]

Thanks, catsmom for your reply.

He seems to be using the litterbox still, and is doing his business normally. Yep the vet took stool and urine samples upon our request. The only strange animals I know of is a skunk that lives in some overgrowth at the end of our street (we are on a dead end). But that skunk has been there for years, at least that is what our pest guy said.

He also has been hiding in strange places, my husband found him hiding under our couch, when normally he was too fat to fit under there. Not sure how he got there. Also, he has been recently hiding behind our couch inside of the fabric. Our couch reclines on either end so there is extra fabric there so it can bend - well he was in that spot of cloth. We have since blocked it off so he can't get back there. We thought he got out last Tuesday, we searched for hours for him - checked every spot in the house and even went outside calling his name with flashlights, and guess where he was? Behind the couch.

He was also hiding behind our KitchenAid last Thursday and this is rare because he never has gotten on our counters before. Haven't had any company since his weird behavior started.

He seems to be rather normal in their own "cat room" i made for them (has a cat tree/tower, beds, a little fort, their litterbox, toys etc) but anything else and he just acts very anxious and stressed. He still tends to follow me around but he's always looking behind him, kind of like a woman would feel walking down a dark alleyway by herself at night.

I'll change his litter this weekend when I get a chance to get to the store, and see if that helps. We have a Feliway plug in and it doesn't seem to help much. He doesn't even like to eat the moist treats we give him.

Thanks again for your help!

[kansas sky]

Sorry, I know the last visit wiped you out but I'd really recommend another vet visit. The behavior you're describing (especially the hiding) are worrisome. Maybe since they've seen him for this problem and have come up empty so far they'd be willing to work out payments with you?

[Crazee Cat Lady]

I have heard of cats acting really strangely if you change their food or liter,
so I would definitely go out and get the old litter.
Sounds like your cat is really stressed, from what you mention I can't see why though.

[beatlecrazy]

Thanks guys, I will change the litter on Friday. I will see if that helps, but last night it seemed that he ate his whole bowl of food, so maybe he is getting better little by little.

[jksn75]

If it isn't the cat litter, have you gotten any fresh flowers or plants lately? I had a very similar situation happen with my cat several years ago (before he passed away). This happened about 3 times over the course of a few months. Turns out, he was eating flowers that were given to me and had a very bad reaction. I googled the symptoms and saw some posts where flowers were mentioned. We called the vet who thinks it was stargazer lillies in the arrangements. We immediately took the flowers outside and never brought anymore in. The symptoms (very similar to your cat's) did clear up. Good luck!

[beatlecrazy]

We haven't had any flowers or plants lately, no. The only thing that I did purchase was an air freshener for our kitchen that smells like lavender. Do you think it could be the air freshener? It's just one of those Renuzit plastic ones, I stuck it on the window in front of our sink.

[no kudzu]

could you have mice or some other uninvited vermin in your basement, crawlspace, attic?

[subject2change]

That Renuzit could be the culprit. Those air fresheners have toxic chemicals. They just had a segment on the news about an EPA report on indoor air quality being harmed by them, and by scented candles.