cat phobia?

[novee]

hey all
ive had cats as pets all my life but never xperienced anything like this
my male cat almost 2 yrs old wasnt usually so interactive with humans but now he has developed some unusual phobia of open spaces, as far as i can tell, he doesnt like going out of the house any more (which is absolutely opposite to the way he was before):sad:
Infact he looks for corners, bed n tables he can hide under, he only comes out for food n looks ok otherwise except for feeling hot to the touch..... this has been goin on for 3 weeks now....my vet gave him antibiotic injections to take care of any possible infections but he isnt any help either....(we dont have proper qualified vets where im at)
im really worried now n hoping someone can help me out.....

[Love4himies]

Would the vet be able to do some bloodwork to check for organ functions? Is his appetite as good as it was before he took to hiding? How is his poops and pees? Any sign of straining when he is trying to urinate?

Can you think of any incident that may have happened to make him afraid? Do you have any other pets in the house?

[catlover2]

Sounds as if he's had some sort of close encounter while outside with something that really scared him....chased by a kid, dog, cat, an owl or bird of prey, coyote or fox, or moutain lion? Do you live in an area where any of these things could occur? Don't force him to go outside, especially to do his toilet. Better for all cats anyway to be indoor cats. Do set up a litter box for him to use, and give him lots of love and reassurance. Hopefully he will come around when he knows he doesn't have to go outside.

[BenMax]

I agree with Catlover2 - something must have happened while outside, and now he may be tramatized. I do know that in this country (as many) animals are allowed to roam freely and it is unusual that animals always in doors. (correct me if I am wrong).

[growler~GateKeeper]

Cats that suddenly take to hiding & only come out for food are usually showing signs of some illness, the hot to the touch is worrisome as well.

Any difficulty using the litterbox?

Is full blood, urine and fecal testing available in Pakistan?

[novee]

thank you all
for replying so promptly....

growler, no unfortunately we do not have any kind of pathological testing available here :sad: almost all kinds of diseases in animals are treated with antibiotic shots to begin with

BenMax and catlover2, it seems like sometimes just sometimes he forgets whatever happened outside n asks to be taken out, but once hes outside he either runs back in or starts running all around as if somethings chasing him!!!!!!

Love4himies his appetite is almost as good as before....
but now tht u mentioned he has stopped pooping as regularly as he ussed to (i guess every alternate day) n yes his litterbox is inside but he liked to go outside for that

im going to try real hard to find some kind of facility and get testing done for him since everybody is kinda telling me that might be the only way to tell what is wrong....i just hope we would get better vets soon
thank you everybody once again

[Love4himies]

Awww poor kitty. I know with Jasper, he just has to smell something outside that scares him and he runs back inside.

Cats can frequently urinate and deficate less when stressed.

[catlover2]

I just noticed that you live in Karachi---Pakistan, right? I still think because he ran scared back in the house that he remembered that something or someone frightened him terribly. Anything you can think of around where you live that would do that? Are there dogs that roam free? A lot of other cats? I would keep him in and not let him out, and hopefully he will lose his fear and stop hiding under things. As long as he is eating well, peeing and pooping regulary (every other day is not unusual), and lively and not lethargic, he is probably OK. Cats can be sensitive and one bad scare can make them skittish.

Keep us posted.