In our homes, cats with more than the usual helping of these traits will need the proper environment so they can relax and be themselves.
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The worst thing we can do for our paranoid cat is give them an environment with a lot of ambiguity. Cats like these have to know where they stand. Here’s what they can’t handle:
Worrying about possible past abuse is a sign this cat has touched the sweet side of our heart. But we can’t let this influence the way we treat our cat.
Many people think their cat’s nervous and insecure reactions came from a hostile environment trigger. They think their cat’s state of mind came from abuse. But that’s not necessarily so.
Reverend Jim was the most severe case of neglect I’ve personally handled, requiring months of mental rehabilitation and still showing a few deficits here and there; but he arrived sweet and trusting and nestled in my lap the first chance he got.
It’s not so much what happened. It’s how the cat reacted to it.
So if we project too much worry and sadness over what we think might have happened to our cat, we are not sending the soothing signals that all is well, now.
An unpredictable schedule will prevent them from latching onto the security of their care arriving at predictable intervals. It doesn’t have to arrive on the dot, but instances of empty bowls or dirty litter make a paranoid cat fret and feel stress far more than the average cat.
This often comes up when a previous cat “didn’t mind it.” Well, this one does.
Often, I get asked about cats who are “fussy” about their food and litter. It can turn out they aren’t fussy as much as their people, aren’t. Changing to be fussy ourselves can often defuse the cat’s reaction.
Then they actually become more accommodating and trusting.
Dealing with constant new input will wear out a cat’s energies. In fact, recent research shows that willpower, or self-control, is like a muscle. It gets stronger with use; and gets more tired, too.
Psychologists have discovered that self-control is an exhaustible resource. And I don’t mean self-control only in the sense of turning down cookies or alcohol, I mean a broader sense of self-supervision—any time you’re paying close attention to your actions, like when you’re having a tough conversation or trying to stay focused on a paper you’re writing. Why Change is So Hard
So when we keep our cats on their toes with a bunch of new things for them to think about, some cats thrive on figuring it out. But paranoid cats don’t like dealing with suspicious items; and for them, all new items are suspicious items.
So, at least at first, we can best care for our paranoid cat by not going to any extremes. Their world needs to be calm and quiet and comforting.
Then we can find refuge there, too.
If our cat needs help with confidence, see my post, Calming the Scaredy Cat.
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There’s more ways to care for our cat with The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See all of my posts on CAT CARE.
