My cat is scared and hides. How to help her anxiety without a vet?

Just like people, some cats are quite introverted and it can take a fair amount of effort to get them out of their shells. For many of these cats, their “shyness” is actually a sign of stress and anxiety, which is often fear-related. Try to find something your cat enjoys – a special treat, ear scratches, playing with the laser pointer – and encourage your cat to approach you. Do not force any interaction, as this often makes stress and anxiety worse. It may take a bit of patience and time. Calming pheromones, such as the Comfort Zone® Calming Diffuser, can help to minimize some cats’ stress, as can anti-anxiety medication prescribed by your veterinarian. If these strategies are not successful, it may be best to consult a [veterinary behaviorist](www.dacvb.org) for further advice.

Poor Piper, it must be really hard for her to live in this constant state of anxiety. I would personally suggest to help her settling in her own environment more, by providing lots of resources like places where she can hide if scared, feeding stations and introduce food puzzles, litter trays in quiet areas of the territory that she can access 24/7, and also recommend a pheromone diffuser https://amzn.to/3f74Ozw. There are also some nutritional supplements that helps reducing anxiety. Once she is more settled, try to leave an object out one at time and see if she will investigate it, go closer, sniff and praise her for doing so. This should be done in a gradual positive manner in order not to cause any stress. Hope this helps !

You can give her more playtime with you, use a feliway pheromone diffuser to help her relax and make sure she has a quiet spot to get away from any noisy activity. If she's still not coming around then getting a young kitten may be good. She should enjoy a baby kitten but I wouldn't get a teenage or older cat as it may make her more anxious and then you have two to worry about. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Luna.

It sounds like something is making your cat nervous or scared. When we have a change in behavior, we have to ask is it only behavior, or is there a medical reason. A trip to your veterinarian for an exam and possible lab work would help to make sure there are no other concerns. If it is determined to be a behavior problem, I would start with a pheromone such as Feliway that can help with anxiety. It is available as a plug-in room diffuser for large areas, and as a spray for small areas like a mat or bed. https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=8906 https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=37241 Another product I like is Composure, which is available as a little treat. https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/vetri-science-composure-feline-bite-sized-chews If these do not help, you might consider discussing prescription medication for anxiety with your veterinarian. Thanks for using PetCoach.

When cats get spooked or frightened by something, it often takes them a few days to completely calm down again - so this is not unusual. The best thing to do is leave her alone and give her space. You can try using a Feliway pheromone diffuser and/or a daily calming supplement like Anxitane to help reduce her anxiety, if you want to.

I would recommend trying Feliway products to help de-stress the environment. You can also try a melatonin supplement to help calm Tor. I recommend using Naturvet Quiet Moments with Melatonin Calming Chews, which you can pick up at your local Petco. I hope this helps! You may also consider taking her out and socializing her with your friends and exposing her to more people. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi there. Thank you for using PetCoach. You are doing fine. Just give them some time to feel comfortable. Avoid stress and loud noises. Don't put their food/litter box in any place where there is a lot of traffic/noise. Don't force them to do anything as this will make it worse. I suggest you try some Feliway diffusers in your house. These diffusers release pheromones that help to calm cats. It works great! https://www.feliway.com/us#redirected https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/comfort-zone-diffuser-with-feliway-for-cats Be sure to get enough diffusers to cover the square footage of your house. The other thing you can do is try to entice them to come out by using toys, especially ones with catnip. Hope this helps. Best wishes!