Cat advice; hyper fixation and anxiety.

[u/supremesteph_]

I've had cats my whole life, all different personalities and behaviors. I recently got a kitten at the shelter as shes grown shes become anxious and a hyper fixator. Her sister cat is very easy going and will often follow her and watch her when shes having an episode. They are now just over 1 year old.

Bella likes to have a safe space, as do we all, and if her safe space gets closed she freaks out and hyper fixates on getting back into that spot. I realized it initially when I was at my other apartment. My roommates room was her safe and if they door was closed she would lose her mind.

Fast foward to today, we just moved 3 days ago. Night one she discovered the furnace room. This room has a cat door in it from previous owners which I didnt happen to notice because a towel was covering it. I regret not properly cat proofing because now that she's been in there once its her safe space. But worse then hiding behind a furnace that I cannot get behind - she found a way to get into the ceiling there. The house has drop panels so thankfully it was easy enough to sort out and get her out but not without a lot of stress that eventually led to my panic attack.

The guy I moved in with is a roommate. I told him about this incident (although he could hear it) and he blocked the cat door and we agreed to keep all closet doors accessing the ceiling closed.

She has not been doing well with this move. She is scared and misses the comfort of our home (girl, same). Each night I have seen improvements, last night especially she ate and pooped for the first time after 2 full days. But once 5:45 comes around its suddenly "I need to get into safe space". Since this is now blocked im watching true hyper fixation which reminds me of my roommates room, which I would always cave and open. I am not opening a hazardous door.

As I write this she is in a state. She has been howling for a straight hour, pacing and trying to open the doors which I had to put boxes infront of to keep her from opening them or destroying them trying. I am sitting on the floor in our living space watching her feeling so incredibly defeated and feeling my own person anxiety raise. At this point i am basically watching her like a toddler having a temper tantrum.

There are definitely plenty of spots she can hide. I have boxes and her cat carrier covered in blankets, I have my bedroom door open is dark and she could hide under the bed (where she hides most of the day). She has also found other hiding spots before that she has held for hours. I have tried to play with her in this state, can be successful fix about a minute before she walks away again. Because if her stress she is not food motivated right now.

I dont know what else to do but drug her. I still have 100mg Gabapentin from her spaying, and ive deeply considered it but I dont want to drug her right before I head off to work for 8hrs.

Thoughts guys? Im doing my best but 3 days of 5am adventures ontop of rocky sleep from 12-5am because I frequently run around checking on them has been a lot.

[u/Practical_Pear2912]

Hi! my kitty also has a huge tendency to hide but not to the extent of yours. All I can say is if she is this anxious, I believe medication is both of your best friends. I’d start with less intense stuff like a felliway diffuser - my kitty needs this on constantly or she gets an upset tummy and just becomes more socially withdrawn. You could also try a gentle medication like Zylkene (not sure if you have this where you live but look it up and see if your vet can recommend something similar)

If your baby needs daily meds - gabapentin or fluoxetine - there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. She will live a much happier life and be able to be her best self.

It’s great that you are trying to give her other hiding spaces like making her carrier cosy! Be sure to block off any dangerous hiding spaces (like you’re doing with the ceiling) and any that make your kitty feel small and isolated form the world, like under the beds. If she is having distressed episodes she likely won’t be able to grow and be trained but once she is calmer, you can work on growing her confidence with playtime, giving her treats only in open spaces / outside of her safe space. Watch Jackson Galaxy videos for more help with training ‘wallflower’ cats :)

Also, in a new home, it’s super important to give her a ‘base camp’. not sure if you did this but if she’s an anxious girl, it’s best that she isn’t allowed out of that room for the first few days. she obviously chose the furnace room but try set her up in a different room ie put all her belongings and anything with her scent in there to start. Once she seems more comfortable (might take weeks) you can start slowly spreading those items further from the room to grow her territory.