Cat - changed behaviour

Question
QUESTION: Hi Carol,

I have a male cat that is 3 to 4 years old.  I got it from the humane Society and he suffered a broken leg as a kitten to which he has recovered fully. He has always been an extremely affectionate cat and very needy, almost worst than my children.  Recently he has started to hide in our closet and will not come out all day.  Even when we shake his bag of treats, to which he would pounce on us for, he does not come out.  We had a second child about 6 months ago and he showed no change in behaviour with her addition.  We also recently started letting our cats out of the house, which he does not care for, although our other cat rarely comes in now.  Again, his behaviour did not change with this.  All of a sudden he will not come out of hiding and when we force him to he sits very still with his tail between his legs.

Does this sound like an illness or a psychological problem.  Could he have gotten into a fight with another cat that made him scared??

Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Rick

ANSWER: Rick,

Have you checked the cat for any soreness around his ribcage or middle? Have you checked his stools for any trace of blood? What it sounds like to me (and I may be way off base here) is that he has been kicked by someone, and may be hiding because he hurts and also because he thinks he was 'a bad kitty'.

With any sudden behavior change like that, the cat should be checked by the vet because that is not normal.

Carol

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Sorry to bother you.  If we do find that he has bruised ribs or has been hurt in some way, will he return to being social once he heals?  Is there anything I can do to help him get over it?

Answer
Give him a lot of reassurance, attention, and treats IF he thinks he's been a 'bad kitty'.

If the cat is hurting and in pain, he just wants to be left alone. And from what you describe, that he just sits there, it sounds like it is physical. Have you seen him walk? Any problem there?

It's really hard to say without having some idea if he's been hurt or just scared. Whichever it is it is serious, especially to him. That is why you need the vet to rule out physical before you start on the emotional part. Yes, he should go back to being a social kitty once he is over this. He may have hesitations about feet, cars, outside, other cats, etc. depending on what the cause was, but his basic personality SHOULD stay the same with a lot of love and attention.

There are other possibilities too. One is that he may have a urinary blockage due to uninary crystals. They are VERY painful and a medical emergency, and if not caught in time, they are fatal to male cats. A sign of that is that they just lay around and do not want to move. Have you SEEN him use the litter box? Do you feed him a lot of fish products/tuna? They are high in ash and magnesium and cause the crystals.

This is a hard question to answer over the internet without your cat being seen by a vet, but I hope I helped some. Please feel free to ask questions anytime.
And give me an update after the cat goes to the vet.

Carol