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Expert: - 12/14/2009


Question
A few days ago I was the victim of a very violent home invasion. I was torn out of bed in the middle of the night by armed men, my small female cat was sleeping with me, as she always does. She is already a skittish animal, having once been feral and a Hurricane Katrina survivor. Her devotion to me is quite obvious though, and the day after the robbery I had to leave on business for 4 days.
Since the robbery she has been mostly off food (although she is drinking), uninterested in going outside, lethargic, etc. This is an animal that will beg for food like a dog and steal it off your plate if you aren't watching her.

I am getting close to taking her to the vet, but reluctant to do so as long as she is willing to drink and at least eat a little something and there are no other outward signs of disease. The problem is that I cannot tell if this is just a coincidental thing, meaning she got sick and we got robbed and there is no correlation, or if she is traumatized from the event. She hid for hours after it occurred and came out of hiding most reluctantly. She is very much a creature of habit too, she is precise time-wise to the minute.

Could she be so messed up from the robbery and perhaps my subsequently leaving her for a few days? She hasn't been right since that moment. Or is it unlikely that a cat would take something that hard and I need to get her to the vet now because something is physically wrong?  

Answer
Barbara,

This is going to take much time.  If she does not start eating again in a few days, you may want to take her to your vet to see if there is anything else going on.  You will have to let her find her own way "back".  Just leave her be and let her come back to you on her terms. These things are extremely traumatic to cats and it does take them much time to get over them.  It may be she never is quite the same.

I would expect you are looking at weeks, amybe even months, for her to regain her confidence.

Best regards... Norm.  

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Norman Auspitz

Expertise

I can answer most non-veterinary questions about cats. My particular expertise is pedigree cats, breeding and showing. However, I am versed in feline behavior, cat breeds and their characteristics, general feline husbandry, and the like.

Experience

I judged for the Canadian Cat Association from 1975 until 1982. I am currently an approved allbreed judge for the Cat Fanciers'' Association (the world''s largets cat registry), and have been judging for them since 1991. I have been breeding pedigreed cats since 1971 and have been exhibiting pedigreed cats in shows since 1970. I obtained my first pedigreed cat in 1970 and have never looked back. In 1971, I obtained my first Abyssinian which has become my primary breed. In addition, I have bred Manx and Persians. Currently, besides the Abyssinians, I am also breeding Maine Coons.


Organizations
Cat Fanciers'' Association, inc. (CFA) and the Manx, Maine Coon, and Abyssinian breed councils. I am currently Abyssinian breed council secretary.

Publications
Cat Fancy Magazine, The Abyssinian Chapter in The Cat Fanciers'' Association Complete Cat Book, and Articles for various editions of The Cat Fanciers'' Association Yearbook

Education/Credentials
I received a B.S. from Drexel University in 1968, a M.Math from University of Waterloo, in 1970, a Ph.D. from University of Waterloo in 1975, and a MBA from McMaster University in 1980. I received my approved allbreed judging status in the Cat Fanciers'' Association in 1999.

Awards and Honors
We have produced a number of Cat Fanciers'' Association (CFA) National winning Abyssinian and Maine Coons. We have produced a number of Abyssinian and Maine Coon Distinguished Merit females (an award for a top producing cat), including the first Distinguished Merit Abyssinian in the red (sorrel) color. I am the CFA Abyssinian breed council secretary and belong and/or hold office in a number of cat clubs. I am also a member of the CFA Judges Association.

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