has my cat gone mad???

[franchie007]

Right, i have a lovely cat called Alice (it's a boy though, hehe!) who is my little treasure, he's nearly 3 and up until a few weeks ago was just your average cheeky but very loveable and very cuddly cat. When he was a kitten he was a bit naughty and ran me wild around the house a few times but i got him castrated (harsh i know, but it worked) and he calmed right down. Anyway, we've lived in our current house just over a year, so its nothing new to him, but around 2 weeks ago he started to get fixated by shadows and reflections on the living room wall, like for example if a car goes by and the lights reflect or the shadow the plant makes, i know you're probably thinking thats quite normal behviour for a cat, but he'll sit in the same corner of the room, looking and waiting for lights or shadows, all day and all night, completely ignoring me and my boyfriend, he's hardly eating and seems really distracted all the time... what can i do?? has he gone barmy?? sorry for the long story...

[ruthann58]

is he losing weight ,do you think he has something wrong wit hi eyes i think if he was 1 of mine i would take him to the vets and get him checked over or can he see a ghost !

[Kleiber]

i agree with ruthann. (BTW, I've got a female cat, called Gavin!) Pop along to the vet. Cats are psychic, though.....

[Eve]

Visit to the vets in order I think to check his eyes and reactions and such out and ask about him not eating and ignoring you.

Could he have a problem with his ears which is accentuating his reactions to lights and such (he can't hear things so things are freaking him out a bit) and could be why he is ignoring you.

Let us know how you get on.

[franchie007]

Thanks guys, i will take him to the vets i think, he isnt losing weight really and he is eating, just not as much... i'll feed him.. he'll hear the food going into his bowl so he runs into the kitchen eats quickly then runs back into his corner like he's scared of missing something!!

[wolf63]

Remember - cats are weird animals. My two seem to go through phases of being obsessed with something and then move on to something else.

Good luck at the Vets.

[andy-hughes]

Does he go outside?

It's possible a car or even another cat has frighened him, and it may take him time to get over it. Give him a lot of love and attention - as well as that vet's visit.

[Bbbananas]

All cats are mad if you ask me.
Although do you think naming him Alice may have had an unfortunate effect?
Sorry - been a long day & I'm not known for being a cat lover. I will shut up and go away now...

[bensmum]

My old cat does a lot of this. She is deaf so often goes to sit in a particular corner, it's like a comfort thing, she feels safe there. It is possible that little Alice(!) has been frightened by something but I agree with the others that a visit to the vet would be in order as there could be an underlying reason.
Good luck and let us know how he gets on won't you?

[franchie007]

yeah he does go outside.. im not sure if anything could have frightened him, maybe it did but he's such a friendly, loving cat.. he loves other animals.. and he even makes friends with the strays that come into the yard, instead of chasing them off..!
aww, i hope he's ok, i love him to bits, he's so cute.. just being a bit weird at the moment!

[Kleiber]

Let us know what the vet says, won't you? K

[andy-hughes]

He may like other animals - doesn't mean they like him!

A neighbourhood cat could be looking to annexe some territory, and may have given your boy a good tousing to let him know who the new top cat is.

Hope you get him sorted soon.

[franchie007]

im taking him to the vets tonight, i'll let you know what she says, thanks everyone :0)

[ruthann58]

how did you get on at the vets

[LoftyLottie]

My cat is called Alice too, but she is a girl. She is also fixated by lights and shadows. Perhaps it's all to do with the name.

Perhaps he has feline OCD!! Can you keep him out of the room for a while until his obsession is forgotten?

[franchie007]

i took him to the vets last night, i felt a bit silly to be honest..."hi im here with my cat, he chases lights" haha....they gave him a quick check over, shone a light into his eyes and looked in his ears (he was such a good boy too.. just let the vet get on with it..little love) the vet said he seemed ok, and to just keep an eye on him over the next weeks and if it gets worse or he stops eating to take him back for some tests.. so for now i'll have to put up with his barmy behaviour! thanks every one

[LoftyLottie]

I had a cat once who became obsessed with staring at a hole in the corner of our ceiling. If you held him up so he could look closely, he would spit and growl at the hole!! I think he must have seen a spider disappear in there at some time!

[20SilkCut]

Franchie....i was messing about with a red laser pen and my cat went mad - racing all over the house after the 'red dot'. for about 2 days afterwards he was still looking for the red dot. Sounds a bit like your cat, watching and waiting for the same strange light/shadow/reflection thing.

Try and get your cat interested in something else, ie. rolling marbles round on the floor, or little balls of silver paper - something to take his mind off the strange shadows on the wall. Hopefully in time he will forget they were there and be more interested in his new toys, that he can 'see' and 'play with'.

Good luck with him anyway - as long as he is still eating and drinking, he will be ok. Dont worry. :-O

[franchie007]

i've just thought what it might be... it's the same corner the Christmas tree was in... he loved playing under there and playing with the decorations and trying to climb up to the top! he was ALWAYS under there... maybe it's that??? i've been trying to distract him all weekend as well with his toys, i've even bought him a new bed..!! he's not interested AT ALL..! i've decided to just leave him to it.. trying to distract him and get his attention is driving me mad, lol..