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-   -   Why is he afraid? (http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=86990)

smg680 March 2nd, 2016 08:37 AM

Why is he afraid?
 
My family is getting the basement of our house fixed, and so we have plastic sheets all over the downstairs level of the house to keep everything clean as the workers move things around. The thing is, Ambre, my cat, is afraid of the plastic. He goes up to my dad's studio, where he has his cat bed, food, and kitty litter (we moved him up there so he wouldn't get underfoot). He wants to come in, but he's scared of the plastic. Now we had to reschedule the people coming to the house since the weather's been so bad. My dad took down the plastic so Ambre could come in the house, since Mom said he shouldn't be out there all weekend. The only thing we left are the protective sheets for the floor.

Why would Ambre be afraid of all this? I know it's a new experience for him, but why should he act like this?

marko March 2nd, 2016 10:21 AM

I think this is an impossible question to answer with precision.....
Just like it's hard to explain why some people turn out to be claustrophobic or have fear of heights... some dogs and cats may have phobias as well.

In addition to this, there is texture. Some cats and dogs hate certain textures under their feet. Maybe it makes them feel less solid, or it just feels weird - like human fingernails on a chalkboard.

In addition to this - smells. maybe the plastic or the drop sheets have a weird smell that the cat dislikes.

Normally though....once it's all over, kitty should go back to normal.
Good luck!

Barkingdog March 2nd, 2016 10:58 AM

The plastic sheets could be slippery to your cat and his claws could be getting stuck in the plastic sheets . I just saw the dog whisperer on TV and some people had put in new wooden floor in the whole house ,it was rugs before . Their dog refused to walk on the new wooden floor , animals see things difference than people and the dog whisperer had to help the dog get over it fear of the new floor. You could try putting some small pieces of plastic sheets down and see if your cat will walk on it.

Temple Grandin is a well known animal behaviorist , I read a little about her work with farm animals . She put herself in an animal place to understand why they're acting a certain way. We have to do the same and try to think like our pets . I had dog be afraid of trash bag blowing in the wind , they would think it was some strange animal , once they were able to smell it they were OK.

RUSTYcat March 2nd, 2016 06:07 PM

It's common for some cats to have a fear of some plastic things - usually plastic film items....bags are another example.

I hope you'll keep him in the house while all this is going on....the last thing you need would be an unfortunate incident occurring because he got "stuck" outside the house during this time.

smg680 December 18th, 2016 07:08 PM

he's won't touch ramps either
 
Not only is Ambre leery of plastic wrap on the floor, but he also hates it when we have wooden planks set up as a wheelchair ramp for my grandpa. Every time we set it up, he avoids stepping on it. When he wants to go out to the breezeway, he squeezes by the ramps and jumps onto the floor. Why is that?


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