My cat suddenly withdrawn and hiding. Is he sick or stressed?

Stress can cause cats to hide or act abnormally. For example if you had house guests or got a new pet this could stress your cat out. However medical issues can also cause cats to hide. Cats may hide if they are feeling bad. I would keep a very close eye on your cats appetite, water intake, BMs, and urine if your cat is hiding. If you notice anything that is not normal I would take your cat in for a thorough exam and some basic bloodwork. Older cats can be prone to things like diabetes, renal disease, and hyperthyriodism. These can be fairly well managed with meds once daignosed. If your cat is a male, keep a very close eye on the litter box and be sure he is urinating ok. Male cats can get thier urethra blocked and become unable to urinate. This is an emergency and can be fatal very quickly if left untreated. If it turns out to be just stress I reccomend trying a product called Feliway. Feliway mimcks the phermone produced by mother cats and has a calming effect on cats. Feliway should be available over the counter at your local vet. hope this helps

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Hiding as you well pointed out can be a sign of sickness in cats. I think that her more outgoing behavior could mean that she is feeling better now and perhaps something was going on before. Another likely possibility is that there was something causing her stress and making her hide that is no longer present which is why she is being more outgoing. Regardless, this is good news. If she ever goes back to hiding, have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment. Hopefully, she will continue to be just fine! Good luck!

Hello. It would be very difficult to say if this is just a normal change in behavior, or if something is amiss. If all he is doing is napping elsewhere, has normal food & water intake, normal litter box habits, then I would just continue to observe him for a few day more. See if something else may develop or concern you, then maybe have him examined by your vet. He may be trying to develop something, or he has just decided himself to nap elsewhere. You know his habits better than anyone, so if it continues to concern you, have him seen. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Eddie. Yes, you are correct this can be a sign of illness. As long as he is eating and drinking, and using the litter box, I would monitor him for now. If he stops eating, stays very lethargic over the next 24 hours, stops drinking water, stops using the litter box, or develops other symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea, I would take him into a vet right away. Best of luck.

If Major had not been urinating or had been in and out of the litter box a lot then it’s possible he could have a urinating blockage which is an emergency. If he is urinating normally but not eating I would still recommend a vet visit tomorrow. Hiding is something cats do when sick. There are any number of things that could have an older cat not feeling well including dental disease, renal disease or other organ dysfunction. I hope Major is better soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach

It sounds like he should be examined by a vet to rule out a medical problem. He could have an infection, parasite, metabolic, and/or endocrine disease and your vet can run blood work to help diagnose and the determine if treatment is needed. Hope he feels better soon!

Cats are very temperamental creatures and can be thrown out of balance by small changes in their environment. Sometimes these changes are imperceptible to us humans, while others the cause may be something more obvious (the addition of another person or animal, moving to a new location, change of diet, etc). Based on what you are telling me he sounds very stable and overall overtly healthy. I understand it is difficult to get a hold of him, but another reason for him to be acting abnormally would be if he is in some measure of discomfort or pain. I would suggest ruling this out with your vet, and once this is done, begin trying to produce an environment that is as enriching and stress-free as possible for Jhumru. I would not push him too much in an attempt to regain his affection. Allow him to come back into his own and come to you when he is ready. Obviously, if the doctor is able to find something physically to explain this behavior, ideally resolving this issue will also resolve the behavior change. Hope this helps.