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My cat is scared to come downstairs. She's never been scared for the past 6 months and she use to love it. Now she just sits at the top of the staircase and looks down. She's still socialable when I'm upstairs with her and she has no problems with her siblings at all. I can't think of anything that has happened that may have traumatized her not to come down. I tried bringing her down to see if a little nudge would help, but she ended up freaking out and bolting back up. What's wrong with her?

My cat is scared to come downstairs. She's never been scared for the past 6 months and she use to love it. Now she just sits at the top of the staircase and looks down. She's still socialable when I'm upstairs with her and she has no problems with her siblings at all. I can't think of anything that has happened that may have traumatized her not to come down. I tried bringing her down to see if a little nudge would help, but she ended up freaking out and bolting back up. What's wrong with her?

Updated On June 8th, 2018

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 1 year old | 7 lbs

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Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

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Hi there. Without a much more detailed behavioral history, it's hard to say what might be causing this. It does sound like something downstairs probably spooked her, but this could have been almost anything - an unusual noise, a strange smell, or something else that you aren't aware of. She may eventually decide to come back downstairs on her own, but I would not try to rush this process as this will only make her more fearful. You can try feeding her treats at the top of the stairs where she is comfortable, and go one step lower each day as long as she is doing well - this can help encourage her to associate good things with coming down the stairs, as long as you go very slowly. You could also try a Feliway pheromone diffuser downstairs, along with a natural calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure to see if this helps with her fear.

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