Gizmo has started to show some odd behavior in the last few days. Very specifically, since the day I had new furniture delivered. He's my scaredy cat, he doesn't like strangers coming in. The cats were confined to the bathroom while the delivery was happening, and when I let them out, he made a brief inspection of the new furniture, then hid under the couch. I had to feed him under there. He'd come out by the time I got home from work, but had started his new thing. He stands in front of the kitchen counters and cries, very pitifully, to be let up. At first I though perhaps a bug was up there that I just couldn't see, but that's not it. I allowed him up there once to see what his deal was, and all he did was sniff around, and eventually climb up to the space on top of the cabinets by the ceiling, where he seemed perfectly content to stay. I let him up a second time, and he cried to be let up on top of the fridge. Again, when I cleared the fridge off, he got up and just wanted to lay. he's not as persistent in crying to get up as he was the first night, but he does it a few times a day. Sometimes I can distract him, sometimes I have to just let him move on by himself.
My theory is this: he was badly scared by the guys coming in and bringing new (and no doubt stinky to kitty noses) furniture and stealing our old bed. He wants to get up as high as he can to feel more secure. does that seem like whats going on here? I have very, very little room for a cat tree, not to mention money, and until now, he's been very happy in the windowsills and hasn't seemed to want or need to get up higher. But I just can't see another reason for this behavior, and it's very upsetting to see him so upset and not be able to really fix it. There aren't a whole lot of places the cats aren't allowed to go, and on the counters is the biggy. It'll take me a little bit to save up for a cat tree, not to mention rearranging the apartment to get it next to a window (because otherwise, what's the point, right?
) but if y'all think that would help him feel better, then I'll see what I can do. What do you think?