by Corb

Recently my 9 year old neutered male cat has been lowering his front legs and pushing his butt in the air, something I've never seen him do. In addition to this odd cat behavior, he's been hissing over the past couple days and hiding, unprovoked, in a corner, which again something he's never done. Though he is generally a shy cat, this is all kind of worrying me. Any idea as to what could be going on?

PS - I should mention I've been doing some house cleaning, moving furniture around etc., so I thought it could be that he is worried we're moving soon, but then again, when I've painted etc. in the past he's never done this.

Help!
Corb


Dear Corb,

Honestly, all that comes to mind with a cat lowering his upper body and raising his rear end is that this is a sign of a happy cat, generally. This is usually what a cat does when he wishes to have his rear scratched, which is a sign of a happy kitty. So, to me, I’m not sure whether this cat behavior is related to the hissing and hiding.

Hissing and hiding are signs of a scared cat. It’s certainly possible that your cat has been upset by the changes in your home, but again, I can’t say for certain whether these cat behaviors are related. Without much more information or seeing your cat in person, I really couldn’t say for certain.

Is your cat eating, drinking, using the cat litter box, and acting normally otherwise? If not, any of these symptoms combined with the cat behaviors you mentioned could be a sign that your kitty isn’t feeling well and should be examined by a veterinarian.

I’m happy to post your question with the hopes that one of our other readers may have ideas to contribute as well. But remember, when in doubt, it is never a bad idea to call and ask your veterinarian for advice as well!

All the best,
Dr. Neely