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Cat got tangled in plastic bag and now hates me...

2.1K views 7 replies 3 participants last post by  marie73  
#1 ·
About an hour ago I was watching tv on the couch in the living room when I heard a strange scratching sound from the kitchen. Not sure if I heard it right I muted the tv and heard a now louder thrashing sound and then a crash, so I got up to go see what the cat was knocking over. Just as I stood up my cat (a ~3 year old spayed female my girlfriend and I have had since she was a kitten from the shelter) came racing in with a plastic bag tangled around her hind legs. I'd left it on the counter and she loves plastic bags, so she must have crawled into it, gotten tangled, and fallen off the counter.

She raced behind the couch and I tried to reach in and get it off her but she kept thrashing. After a few seconds we managed to get it off, but now she's traumatized. She was frightened enough to urinate a little as she was running in and then again behind the couch.

A bit of background: usually Beanie (the cat) lives at my girlfriend's apartment but she's away this week so I have Beanie at my place. She had gotten used to it, but it's still a relatively strange place and she's not used to my girlfriend not being around, too.

Immediately after the bag came off I tried to see if she was ok but she hissed and screamed at me, something she's never once done. I backed away but whenever I go near her, or even look at her she starts to kind of growl and if I step closer she hisses and starts to shriek. Whenever I'm in her sight she stares at me with a fearful/hateful kind of look. She seems physically fine - she eventually came out from behind the couch and (from a distance) I watched her walk a little around on the couch. I tried putting some catnip on her scratching box and playing with a toy she loves but she just hissed at me.

She always seems to love me as one of the two constants in her life, so to see her like this is really upsetting and awful. It's only been an hour and a half or so and I'm currently staying away from her, but if this continues I don't know what I'll do.

If anyone has any suggestions on how to handle this situation I'd be extremely grateful. I know about the flight/fight instinct she has, so I'm not that surprised by the reaction, but I thought since it was me it would go away quickly and I'm shocked by the intensity of it.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

JWP
 
#2 ·
She's just scared. I would ignore her and let her come to you. When Cinderella fell out of the screen window and got lost, she was so scared and so angry with me when I finally found her. I thought she would never forgive me. It only lasted a few hours, but it seemed like forever to me. Beanie probably connects the bag, the fall, and the fright with you right now.

Give her some space and I think she'll come around.
 
#3 ·
Kitties' emotions are much more intense than we could ever comprehend.
The poor baby has been attacked by a vicious bag-monster, in the house of the human who has surely taken away her trusted owner-human. :p
Don't worry, she'll forgive you. It will just take a little time. Talk softly to her, and tell her you're sorry. Let her see you putting out a dish of her favorite food, that will help. Tell her her owner will be back soon.
And avoid eye contact, at least for now.
That is a threat, in pure cat language. When you're looking in her direction, look down.

Did she fall off of the counter with the bag around her legs? If so, she might not have landed on her feet, and could have a mild concussion, which would explain the poor baby being so very scared. She is probably also in pain. Just be quiet around her, and let her re-discover that you are, after all, a nice human.
When she calms down enough. check her over, and make sure she doesn't need a trip to the vet.
 
#4 ·
thanks for the quick responses

I think she did fall off the counter but I hope it's limited to a bump or bruise. I'll leave her alone tonight and try the feeding approach tomorrow, but I really hope she forgives me sooner rather than later :(
 
#5 ·
I was devastated when Cinderella was so angry with me, but it passed. Cats don't hold grudges, so maybe after a good night's sleep, she'll be better in the morning. Hang in there.
 
#7 ·
she's still freaked out unfortunately

I've been trying to leave her alone as much as possible because as soon as she sees me she gets frightened and if I try and approach her she hisses and screeches.

I think she forgets she's angry sometimes though, because yesterday morning when I got up to go to work and she must have just woken up too. She approached me as I was brushing my teeth so I slowly turned to her and she seemed fine. So I pet her head and she didn't react so I was REALLY happy, but as I kept petting her head all of a sudden she hissed, screeched, and ran off. And then this morning I was asleep but around 5am she woke me with a screech and a hiss - she usually comes into the bedroom in the morning to get on the bed so maybe she briefly forgot again.

It's been pretty rough (for both of us clearly) so today I went to the vet and they gave me a pheromone spray to try. So far it hasn't seemed to make a difference. I got her a bunch of food treats that she loves and put it on the floor near where she's hiding so we'll see if that helps at all.

My girlfriend comes back on Sunday so hopefully she will have more luck if Beanie isn't better by then.

Thanks for all the replies.

jwp
 
#8 ·
I'm sorry Beanie is still upset. :(