Advice please

[cls77]

I posted here last week re our first rescue cat, hes been with us a week now and I really need some advice please!!

Barry settled in very well, using litter tray, eating well, having lots of playtime and liking a bit of fuss. However tonight he has become really skitty and nervous like? He has nipped my dd and myself on different occasions the last two days only when we stopped giving him fuss? He hasn't purred all evening and my dd has actually become worried about him going in her room tonight (he's done this for three nights now and lies on her bed) as she has a severely infected toe and therefore painful, so she's wary.
He's particularly nervous like around me, he will come near me but as soon as I reach out my hand he backs off sharpish? What am I doing wrong?

[Mogz]

Changes in temperament usually mean something is wrong, could he have hurt himself somehow jumping from a height or pulled a claw on some stray fabric? Give him a good check over, you'll have to be pretty firm and maybe wear some thick gloves, and if you can't see anything obvious take him along to the vet for a check up. You could also y getting a feliway plug in to see if that will calm him down and take away any catnip toys for a while, I've known a cat that went bloody feral if he got near one of those!
Hope he returns to his normal self very soon.

[MiserableJanuaryJerseySpud]

Has anything scared him? A noise he hasn't heard before whilst one of you has been fussing him and hes now associating being scared with being fussed?

[cls77]

I really dont know, he did manage to calm down before I went to bed, and my friend (mad cat lady!) said maybe hes just getting a little more confident now and trying out things more? He is off to the vet tonight for his second injection, so I will ask him to check him over for me

[Madmog]

To my mind there could be a few reasons for this:

My boy loves being stroked on his face and neck, sometimes will tolerate a full stroke along his back and tail, but side stroking is a big no no - always has been, so bear in mind if you finish giving in love by stroking in a different place.

If he's a rescue cat, it would be that something has happened in the last 24 hours that reminded him of a bad experience before - cats can be sensitive creatures. As said, a Feliway diffuser might help.

Alternatively, it could be that he's enjoying a loving home so much, he is actually nervous about that stopping, that's why he nips when you stop stroking him.

Has he been neutered by the way, that can calm them down.

Obviously you have to take him the vet, but sometimes that can throw them out for a few days. Took my girl last Monday and she's only just stopped running away from me when she sees me with a coat or carrying sometimes.

Hope he settles in soon.

[cls77]

Thankyou :) he's actually a bit better again tonight, ironically as we took him to the vets! She checked him over and said I was probably over analysing him and reminded me that they take a while to settle. I've waited for h to come to me since we've come back, and got on the floor and just waited, he came over and was happily purring away when stroked, he went to get playful with his paws (all at once lol!) and I withdrew my hand, he didn't do it after that.
He has just deposited a lovely smelling poo over the top of the litter tray onto my floor, and I watched him just miss the tray as he sat in it!! Bless him,revenge for the vets me thinks!