Strange behavior!

Question
I have had my cat Bentley for a little over 5 years. He was a rescued feral when I adopted him, and we assume that he is currently about 9 years old. As long as I have had him he has been a very affectionate, lazy indoor cat with no interest in going outside.  I also have 2 other cats-both indoor/outdoor cats. Recently Bentley started begging to go outside with the other 2 cats, and although I was highly surprised by this, I let him out. That was about 2 months ago, and he has since become an indoor/outdoor cat. This weekend, however, he did not come home at night like they all usually do. After a few days I was getting worried, so I went looking for him and found him two streets over crouched under a bush.  He meowed when he saw me, but when I went to pick him up he ran from me. When I caught him, he fought me all the way home, scratched me, and has been very aggressive to the other animals in the house since he has been back. He only seems interested in going back outside. What could be the cause of this? Do you think that being outside has revived some of his old feral habits?  What can I do to get my old loving kitty back?!

Answer
Hi Jen,

It sounds like Bentley had an experience that frightened him badly - a near miss with a car, a chase from a dog or even an irate neighbor. I had this happen with one of my cats once when I had him out on a leash/harness and some dogs next door started fighting loudly. He practically climbed my leg and I rushed him indoors, he immediately started attacking my parents' dog who was visiting, who he normally got along with fine. His eyes were dilated and he didn't seem to recognize anyone. That's the effect a flood of adrenaline can have on a scared cat - they are acting on pure self-preservation instinct. I had to lock my cat in a bedroom for the rest of the night and went and sat near him reading- it took a week or so for him to stop jumping at shadows.

There are so many dangers to outdoor cats, I urge you consider building a cat-proof yard or enclosure for them. Here are ideas for places to buy pre-built or build your own on any scale:

http://catnet.stanford.edu/articles/enclosures.html

It is only a matter of time before one of your cats is injured or killed outside, I worked in a vet clinic for a few years and saw the terrible injuries and deaths and the statistics. By cat-proofing existing fencing or better still building a complete enclosure you can give your cats the benefits of fresh air and exercise without all the dangers.

As for regaining Bentley's confidence, you should keep him indoors for now even if you plan to let him out again and let him settle down and relax. I have also found that cats respond really well to Bach's Rescue Remedy - a herbal calming solution sold at health food stores and some drug stores. Put 4 drops in his food several times a day and it will help ease his panic and fear.

Good luck!