Timid cat advice

[allthegoodnameshadgone]

Hi everyone

I have two cats, roughly a year old, brothers from the same litter.

One of the cats is as you'd expect. Looks down his nose at us. Happy to use the cat flap and go out. Not at all timid.

His brother is really timid. Not all the time but for a couple of days a week he will literally hide all day and night and only come out for food once we are in bed or out. Avoids us. Runs away from us if we try and coax him out of wherever he is hiding.

He will go outside if the back door is open but not the front. He will not use the cat flap at all. He will go in the back garden but no t the front. His brother goes off over the fence and he just stays in the garden.

We have just got new sofas and he is scared of the electric noise they make when we move the foot position.

Any ideas why he is like this or how I can help him be less timid?

He and his brother do not ever fight. They share a litter tray, a bed, strokes with me so there is no jealousy or fighting there to knock his confidence.

Well it's good that he won't go too far away. He's less likely to get lost or hurt that way.

I don't think there is much you can do (although Feliway diffusers would be worth a go). Just leave him to it. He will probably get better with time but he's obviously just timid by nature. Some cats are.

Hello allthegoodnameshavegone! I feel for you, I've got a old timid girl and she's always been so and it can be hard worrying whether they are happy or not. If you are sure there aren't any underlying health/ pain issues that are contributing to his behaviour then maybe that's just the way he is and it's just about minimising stress and keeping to routines to reassure him. Have you got Feliway plug ins around the house? Have you tried Pet Remedy plug ins and spray? The Pet Remedy does have a very odd smell but my old girl seems to like it and will happily sniff around and sit in a room for a while looking relaxed after I've sprayed a bit, I also have a feliway upstairs and downstairs. If possible try to be sure your boy has private areas that he can go to and be undisturbed if he needs to and that he knows where his exits/ entrances are. I have my cats bed down by the side of my bed furthest away from the door and this is like her little refuge, my children know they are not really allowed around that side and she's very peaceful when she's there! Try not to worry because if you stress about it and focus on trying to coax him out ect he might pick up on your anxiety and then you get stuck in a bit of a cycle - I'm not at all saying you are doing this, it's something I've learnt from having done it myself 😁! It doesn't sound like he's very old so maybe he'll get more confident as time goes on. Really good luck!

Thanks for the replies. I think I will try the feliway and see if it helps.

He comes to the bed every morning for a stroke, maybe he is just more solitary. They are only a year old.

His brother literally follows you from room to room.

The timid one is asleep in my little girls room on a blanket on her toy box.