How long do cats take to get over traumas?

[springbokscantjump]

OK so the night before last, my lovely indoor cat got out late at night. Now there are certain windows that we can and do leave open but she never goes out of them. She just sits on the ledge (inside). But for some reason there are other windows which she'll jump out of. Now very bad pet owners both me and dh left open a window each which she's not used to.

So at about 10pm I heard a fox barking and her making an incredibly scared noise. Ran out - luckily she had managed to get behind our bikes and was wedged behind the wheels. I couldn't see a fox but I did run out screaming for my dh like a banshee and holding a shoe.

She doesn't have a mark on her, she let me pick her up at the time and she did purr later on in the evening. She is now swinging between needing tons of attention or disappearing for hours to hide under the bed (she normally is around me the entire day if I'm home, as I am part-time following mat leave). She will come if called and does seem to be eating but as only has dried food it's a bit hard to tell.

So after what is incredibly long post, how long do cats normally take to recover from things such as this? Should I take her to the vet for a check over but honestly she doesn't seem hurt? Is there anything that you would recommend to make her feel better?

[ClaireDeLoon]

I would say she'll probably be ok after a day or two. If she's eating, drinking and using her tray I wouldn't take her to the vets just yet. Give her a day or two of peace, quiet and attention when she asks for it.

[tribpot]

Agree with Claire. We lost our beloved Harry Potter for 3 nights earlier in the year, and when she did return she had a mild injury and was moving quite slowly for a number of days. She was eating and drinking okay but very much regressed to hiding, as she had in her first days with us last year. After a few days, however, she seemed to want to be more affectionate than before we lost her, or at least wanted to feel more protected, so would come and sit quite close next to me on my bed when before she'd only been happy to sleep right at the end.

We didn't take her to the vet as she hates her travel box, so figured it would only upset her more. She's absolutely fine now.

I would just make a big fuss of her when she wants to be petted, she'll be fine. Glad she's safe and well.