Shaved cat, now afraid to go outside

[tiggy2]

One of my cats, Akira, part Maine coon was shaved on Friday, she gets very bad mats and does not like to be brushed, or held onto. Anyway she is an indoor/outdoor, in an enclosure, kitty and would stay out all the time. I don't leave them out over nite and she is the last to come in and the first out in the morning, rain or shine...not anymore.

She is terrified to go outside and hides upstairs, sleeping on the bed all day. If she does venture out its very brief and then scurries in again. We had her shaved last year around this time and no problems.

Any ideas on what she's afraid of? We thought maybe without the fur the outside sensations are overwhelming, but why did it not effect her last year? It's not as warm as last year...is she cold? Should I get her a sweater?

Just wondering if anyone has come across this? At least she's a little more affectionate I think she likes to be petted now.

Happy Canada Day

[Barkingdog]

Maybe she feel too undress now as her fur protected from being hurt.
I would be careful about putting anything on her that could get caught onto something and she will not be able to get free. Once her fur start to grow back you should try to brush it a little each day , this way it will not hurt and she may get use to it.

[marko]

cats are weird sometimes. It might be that the shaving got her all anxious. If so, in my experience cats usually return to their 'normal' behaviours after a few days to a couple of weeks. It could also be the cold.

Barkingdog makes a good point about a potential sweater getting caught, but nobody knows their enclosure better than you. Just survey the risks or maybe supervise the cat directly to see if she feels any more comfortable with the sweater.

[tiggy2]

Originally Posted by Barkingdog

Maybe she feel too undress now as her fur protected from being hurt.
I would be careful about putting anything on her that could get caught onto something and she will not be able to get free. Once her fur start to grow back you should try to brush it a little each day , this way it will not hurt and she may get use to it.

I think you might be correct on the being hurt. I have 2 kittens, which were not present last year, that like to "play" and I think now that she does not have the fur to protect her from claws, she's more skittish.

Any suggestions on some cat attire? She is pretty safe with the fence, but there are trees to climb and bushes to hide under that could hook onto a sweater.

I just hate to see her so unhappy.

[Barkingdog]

Originally Posted by tiggy2

I think you might be correct on the being hurt. I have 2 kittens, which were not present last year, that like to "play" and I think now that she does not have the fur to protect her from claws, she's more skittish.

Any suggestions on some cat attire? She is pretty safe with the fence, but there are trees to climb and bushes to hide under that could hook onto a sweater.

I just hate to see her so unhappy.

Maybe you could buy a small dog coat that has Velcro straps to keep it on. If the coat got caught on something your cat may be able to pull it off.
I am not sure big or strong your cat it. Or see if there are coats made for cats that can come off easily when you go outside . The kitten claws could caught in a sweater.

[tiggy2]

Good idea. I'll see if I can get a Velcro little doggie jacket, maybe something like a rain coat, slippery for claws and tree branches.

I'll let you know how it goes)

[Koteburo]

Might be not so bad for now to stay in until the coat grows a bit. It's summer after all and sometimes they can get really Sun burnt when shaved. Happened to our goddess once and it's not something you want your cat to experience. I mean, it doesn't necessarily mean that'll happen but since the kitty doesn't want to go out... Might as well stay in the shade. After the sunburn the goddess slept a lot, had hot skin and she was cold, not to the touch (she was hot to the touch) as if she was running a fever.