Does My Cat Have PTSD?

It is a very serious and treatable condition in humans. I know many, many people that have PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and I have seen the effects of it in the lives of people I love. It is a mental condition that must be treated with love, compassion, patience and understanding. It can be overcome. We must not sweep it under the rug and pretend that it doesn’t exist. Theit reactions to everyday situations seem so irrational to those without PTSD but to the individual with the condition, it is very real. There are physical symptoms as well that often manifest such as shaking, vomiting, pain and restlessness.

“…must be treated with love, compassion, patience and understanding.”

I have this beautiful, fluffy Ragdoll Tuxedo cat named Mosi. She was homeless so we adopted her. She had lived outside of our apartment for at least two years before she allowed us to touch her. She would just run away when we tried to approach her.

It was as if a switch had been flipped, all of a sudden she became cuddly and unafraid. It was then that we invited her into our home and named her. We’ve had her for a year and a half and she has always been a tough, street-smart cat that still spent a great deal of her time outside. She would come inside to eat, get a little love and then go back out.

“She was healed!”

One day she had some sort of trauma because we noticed her limping badly. She wouldn’t apply any pressure on her front right paw for two days. I couldn’t find any blood and there were no marks on her body, not even a scratch. It wasn’t clear what had happened to her. I decided since it wasn’t getting any better that I would take her to the veterinarian the next morning.

Before we went to sleep that night, my friend and I prayed for her to be healed and whole. Lo and behold, when we awoke the next morning, she was running around, jumping down from furniture and applying pressure on it as if nothing had happened. She was healed. I was so happy for her and so grateful.  It saved me at least $400.00. Praise God. All was well…or so I thought.

My sweet little girl didn’t want to go outside anymore. She was extremely hesitant. She would sit by the door “meowing” for me to let her out to go “potty” but then she would chicken out and run away. So then I decided I would go out with her so many times I physically picked her up and took her out but she would run right to the door and wait for me to let her back in howling as if she were in grave danger. She was certainly not the same cat we had grown to love. She had become fearful and wimpy. We would need to work with her diligently to help her overcome that which was holding her hostage. I also wondered how she could go for such long periods of time without going to the bathroom. It was sometimes 10-15 hours. Friends and family recommended I get her a litter box. Oh no, not this cat lover.

~Litter Box Rant~

I refuse to have a litter box. I personally think they are nasty and disgusting. I’ve raised cats my entire life and I’ve only had a litter box on two occasions. Once when I owned a de-clawed Persian that was a rescue kitty and I kept him indoors. I will also use a litter box when training kittens but only until I can teach them to go outside.

It has only been a couple of weeks and I continue to take her outside regularly to brush her and give her treats hoping it helps her to relax and feel comfortable. She seems to be responding a little bit. It certainly doesn’t help though that there is bridge construction right outside my door. The heavy equipment and loud noises for the past couple weeks seems to really freak Mosi out the most. So she sits in the window sill staring outside all day long desiring to be outside but irrationally deciding it is unsafe. With a lot of love, patience and persistence I think she will overcome her fears.

Here are some resources in case your cat is having the same types of issues:

https://www.canidae.com/blog/2011/04/can-dogs-and-cats-have-post-traumatic-stress-disorder/

https://paws-and-effect.com/can-cats-get-ptsd/

http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/behavioral/c_ct_fear_phobia_anxiety