Dear Critter Corner: I recently had my house remodeled, during which my cat disappeared into the closet for several days. He just now is returning to the living room, where he used to spend most of his time, but appears stressed. What can I do to help him?
Cats often have a difficult time adjusting to change in their environment. In this instance, where your cat has been scared by loud noises, foot traffic in the house, and a physical change to his surroundings, it may appear as a new house completely – from the cat’s perspective.
The first step to restabilizing the universe for your cat is to give them a small space of their own to feel safe. A small bathroom can work well for this. Reacclimate them to the house in short sessions, but don’t give them free reign until they consistently show relaxed behavior afterwards. Patience is the most important quality to retain when working with cats. As the world begins to settle, your cat will gradually return to normalcy.
Another tip to getting your cat to reacclimate to your living room, or any room, is to create many positive experiences together in it. Try hand feeding your cat in the specific room. For playful cats, keep all their favorite toys in that room. You may also try putting out several blankets the cat has used around the area. The more familiar it smells to the cat the more likely they are to relax.
For the extra shy cats, some relaxing cat pheromones sprayed via a bottle or plug-in diffuser may help alleviate their stress. If you are going to use pheromones, remember that they are meant to be a temporary solution not a permanent one. Catnip is another way to entice certain cats out of their shell.