My cat arches her back, hops, and looks scared. Is she playing?

This is normal behavior for cats and kittens. They will just get wild and run and jump. Sometimes they jump, arch their back and puff their tail.. Cats can be really crazy sometimes. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Poor girl! There could be something that has spooked her. Or she could be not feeling well. Or there could even be an internal conflict with another cat in the household. The first thing I would do is make sure she is healthy. I would see if your vet can look at her and make sure she isn’t painful, no infection, no fever, no urinary tract infection, etc. if she isn’t feeling well, this definitely can cause a change in behavior. If everything is normal then I would make sure she is getting along with everyone in the house. Make sure there are plenty of litter boxes as this is something they commonly will become territorial over. You can even put out some feliway diffusers which are pheromones they help calm down cats. Unfortunately these don’t work on everyone. You make also look into vetriscience composure treats as a natural calming supplement. I hope this helps!

Poor Poppy! I would make sure she doesn't have any fleas. Fleas can sometimes cause cats to have bizarre behavior. I would also be concerned about miniature seizures or back/neck pain. Since this is happening frequently I would have your vet take a look at her. Your vet will be able to do a thorough exam to help determine the cause. They may want to start her on a little anti-anxiety medicine to see if this helps decrease the episodes. You could try Benadryl twice a day to see if this makes a difference. I hope this helps. See link below. https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/cat/benadryl/#!

I would be concerned that this kind of game could cause her to run away from you when you really need her to come. I think an even better game to play would to have her learn to come to you when called. You could teach her to play hide and seek!

Playful kitten behavior would be more common in a cat this age than true aggression, but it can sometimes be hard to tell the difference! :) In general, there are a few guidelines that can help. Play behavior in cats is virtually always silent, whereas growling and hissing are common with aggressive behavior. Cats who are playing will often crouch down and flatten themselves against the floor before leaping at you (or your other cat). They may also put their ears back and arch their backs, and walk sideways towards you. If it's play, the cats may wrestle, grab each other and chase each other, but there should be no injuries. If you're still unsure, you can request a one-on-one consultation and upload a video of the behavior for me to look at - I would be happy to try and help.

Looking for a pattern such as a noise that startles him, certain time of day it happens, or if you were doing an activity with him prior may help you figure out the cause behind his behavior. It is possible that he may have had a strange dream, or something is waking him quickly and startling him. Sudden behavioral changes can also indicate issues such as pain or underlying illness, so if the behavior continues or the cause isn't found, scheduling a vet checkup to look for any health issues is a good idea.

Hi there. I personally, would not be overly concerned with this behavior unless he is being aggressive towards you, other people or other animals. Without actually seeing the behavior myself it it really difficult to say too much though. My recommendation would be to video an episode on your phone and run it by your vet's office to see what they think. I think that will give you the most peace of mind. Hope this helps. Best wishes.