Expert: Jessica - 1/17/2010

Question
Hi and thank you. This morning Angel acting terrified tore into my bdrm and went into hiding. She wont come out unless I carry her myself and then she curls up trying to  make herself as small as possible. She wont eat her fav food and will not touch cat nip wich I introduced to her last night for the first time. She is now acting quite lethargic. She was born wild, I caught her when she was about six wks. She has classic signs of inbreeding, extra toes on every foot and has had infections as well in the past. She is now about five yrs and hasnt had health probs for about two yrs. Is it possible the cat nip has made her ill?

Answer
Hi Lori.  If it was dried catnip, it's very unlikely that it made her ill.  Fresh catnip, depending on where you got it, may have been treated with pesticides that could make her ill.  There is also the potential that bacteria may have been present on the leaves or in the soil that could make her feel under the weather.  Dried cat nip usually is not a threat in these ways because it's washed before it's dried.

I'm guessing that something may have frightened her - a noise, a movement, or something she saw out a window.  Cats can be extremely sensitive to loud noises or stray animals that they may see in the yard.  I would try to give her a couple of days to calm down.  If she doesn't seem to be making any progress, consider limiting her to one room, keeping it dimly lit and playing some quiet classical music for her.  These are all shown to relax cats.  They find small spaces comforting when afraid, and this is probably the reason she's hiding.

However, if she is not eating after a 24-hour period, she should see a vet.  It could be that she's sick, whether related to the cat nip or not.  And even if she seems to be otherwise healthy, she may cause herself some dehydration if she refuses to drink.  In that case, the vet could give her fluids under the skin.  There are also special foods the vet can give you that may encourage her to eat and may be fed with a syringe if necessary.  For now, you can try giving her some stage one chicken baby food (for humans).  This is okay to feed for a day or two, but you should try to get her back onto a complete cat food as soon as possible.

Good luck!

Jessica