weird things that kitties are afraid of (PIC) (kitten, meowing, house)

[bondaroo]

My two cats are 2 year old littermates. We have a bay window facing our backyard. They sleep there during the day and watch critters in our yard. I bought a bird feeder this summer that had suction cups to mount it to a window. I thought they’d like watching birds too. But they were both so scared of the feeder hanging in the window that they wouldn’t go near it, or jump onto their beds. I mounted across the yard on our garage, and they were fine with that.

[Enduringwone]

One of the kittens we foster named Liam, is frightened by the hiss noise soda bottles make when you open them! He is the most loving beautiful pure black cat ever and he just flips out.

[Jackiemohro]

Our new friend was rescued from the street. I got her a stick with some feathers and thought it was an easy way to play with her while she can keep her distance. But no, as soo as I lift the stick she runs and hides ... something must have happened in her previous life :-(

The cat before her hated the vacuum. He never got used to it in all those years.

[bondaroo]

Originally Posted by Jackiemohro

Our new friend was rescued from the street. I got her a stick with some feathers and thought it was an easy way to play with her while she can keep her distance. But no, as soo as I lift the stick she runs and hides ... something must have happened in her previous life :-(

The cat before her hated the vacuum. He never got used to it in all those years.

It’s more likely that your new kitty has no experience with toys, as opposed to a bad experience. How old is your new addition? I work at a shelter with cats, and handle many feral kittens and undersocialized cats. They are all fearful of toys until they feel comfortable and have gentle experiences, especially wand-type toys. Cats are hard wired to be wary of new things, because they are prey animals as well as predators. Cats that aren’t socialized to people and toys at 2-7 weeks have catching up to do.

To help your new girl learn to enjoy the feather toy, very gently drag it past and away from her (so it acts like prey). Don’t pick it the stick up if that scares her. If she friendly with you, try just holding the feathers in your hand and wiggling them around.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

I put a cucumber behind minners and she turned around and licked it. Video fail.

[Bungalove]

My big boy Scooter is deathly afraid of plastic bags, waxed paper, sneezes, and coughs. All five of mine are also afraid of the dry Swiffer cloths which I bought because they were afraid of the vacuum as well.

[karen_in_nh_2012]

THANK YOU, fellow C-D'ers, for the laughs you just gave me (and the "Awww's" that many of you GOT from me -- alas, the system won't let me respond to some of you).

Jack is still a silly kitty, but I adore him ... especially in bathroom #2 (not bathroom #1, nor bathroom #3) in the middle of the night.

Movintime, if Silly Jack (SJ for short) is still afraid of me OUTSIDE of bathroom #2 in about 7 years (when we will have been together for 10 years), then <sigh> I may have to turn him over to you! I know he's your "main man," LOL!

[movintime]

Originally Posted by karen_in_nh_2012

THANK YOU, fellow C-D'ers, for the laughs you just gave me (and the "Awww's" that many of you GOT from me -- alas, the system won't let me respond to some of you).

Jack is still a silly kitty, but I adore him ... especially in bathroom #2 (not bathroom #1, nor bathroom #3) in the middle of the night.

Movintime, if Silly Jack (SJ for short) is still afraid of me OUTSIDE of bathroom #2 in about 7 years (when we will have been together for 10 years), then <sigh> I may have to turn him over to you! I know he's your "main man," LOL!

SOLD!



MY 'MAIN MAN' is up for AUCTION< eh??


...me luv jack...

[Sonic_Spork]

Nimbus is afraid of:

- The sound of tinfoil.
- The sound made by plastic trash bags.
- The sound of the egg timer ticking.
- The sound if we put pennies in a container and shake it.
- The motorized pump we use to inflate air mattresses.
- The sight of an air mattress inflating.
- The smell of anything pickled in a jar.
- Obviously the vacuum cleaner.
- Me waving a pillow in the air in his general direction. (I have never hit him with a pillow, nor has anyone else that I know of. But I do this in the morning when he's trying to pester me, and he runs off, because he's a cat and he's weird.)

Some of these things, we use to actually keep him off the table when we are trying to eat cheese.

Oh, and I bought these plastic skeleton piranha fish from a Halloween store last year, and like some people use ocean or seashell themes in the bathroom, since I'm a spooky gothy person, I wanted skeleton fish on the wall in my bathroom, among other things. And before hanging them on the wall, they were sitting on the floor. Nimbus came up and rapidly smacked at one, until it rocked towards him on the surface where it was sitting, and then he spooked and ran away from it. So he is also afraid of plastic skeleton piranhas.

Also the outdoors, he is very afraid of the outdoors. Wants nothing to do with outside. I'm fine with that.

[Jackiemohro]

Originally Posted by bondaroo

It’s more likely that your new kitty has no experience with toys, as opposed to a bad experience. How old is your new addition? I work at a shelter with cats, and handle many feral kittens and undersocialized cats. They are all fearful of toys until they feel comfortable and have gentle experiences, especially wand-type toys. Cats are hard wired to be wary of new things, because they are prey animals as well as predators. Cats that aren’t socialized to people and toys at 2-7 weeks have catching up to do.

To help your new girl learn to enjoy the feather toy, very gently drag it past and away from her (so it acts like prey). Don’t pick it the stick up if that scares her. If she friendly with you, try just holding the feathers in your hand and wiggling them around.

Good idea! Will give it a try.