BP Escaped; Cats Are Now Traumatized

[Deadringer21]

Three weeks ago, I spent several days at the local hospital as my wife gave birth to our first daughter. I returned home on a Friday, and I found that my three-year old BP had escaped from his tub. Various clues have led me to believe that he had escaped on that Monday or Tuesday, so he was out for several days. I found him after a bit of searching, and I have made adjustments to endure that he will not be able to escape again.

Now, I have two cats at home, and after this whole fiasco of my wife and I going AWOL for a week plus the wild snake roaming the house, they were both quite spooked. In the past few weeks, my cat has returned to her normal self, but my wife’s cat has been constantly on edge. She cautiously inspects every object on the floor, examines every pair of shoes, and basically has just dedicated her life to making sure the snake isn’t present. She was even right there next to me when I found him and returned to his tub, but that did nothing to ease her mind.

Has anybody else had any similar experiences? I feel so terrible, and it’s honestly just heartbreaking to see that this cat is now living in a constant state of fear and paranoia. I wish I could find some way to show her that there are no snakes roaming the house, but nothing that I’ve tried has worked. Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

[GpBp]

First off, congratulations on your daughter! I would recommended buying some kind of lock for the tub if you don't havr one already. Even if the tub is completely secured, it may make your wife feel better. You two could also go in and make sure that BP is in tub and lock is locked every night until she is comfortable. Sorry, I have no idea What to do for the cats! Hope this helps a bit, good luck!

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[Hamsnacks]

I believe the only thing is time, I have 2 cats who were extremely uncomfortable every single time we moved, and we moved 3 times in 2 years.

They would find a place to hide and constantly search the house and then quickly run back to their hide out whenever anything startled them, even a simple snapping of your fingers would make them run back. One adjusted faster than the other but took about 1-2 weeks. I felt bad for them but nothing you could really do when you're moving and very busy. But whenever you have time, what helped was playing with your cat in every particular room in the house lol or where they usually hang out.

If they are anything like my male cat though, they'll always have a hate for your snake now if they ever see it again. My male hates certain friends of mine and it's been like that for 5 years and they'll do absolutely nothing to him lol.

Best of luck

Sorry Congrats on your daughter as well, hope she and the wife are healthy and strong!

[Pengil]

Congratulations! I hope both mom and daughter are doing well.

I have no had anything similar, but you might consider trying Feliway spray or plugins (maybe do plugins- if you're too liberal with the spray, it can give you a whopper of a headache). It's made up of pheromones that help calm cats, and it did wonders for my friend's cat when she moved. Perhaps if your wife's cat feels calmer, she'll be less inclined to be so concerned about the snake possibly being out and about.

[Sunnieskys]

My male cat can't stand the snakes out. I usually have boople on the couch with me and wicked gets all neurotic and freaky! And when I put her back in her home my cat is on edge for days. When I'm on the couch he always looks first, acts scared and won't lay on me. They come out of it but it will just take time.

[Deadringer21]

you might consider trying Feliway spray or plugins (maybe do plugins- if you're too liberal with the spray, it can give you a whopper of a headache). It's made up of pheromones that help calm cats, and it did wonders for my friend's cat when she moved.

I did some research on these Feliway plugins, and I think this will be a great option to trt out. Thanks so much for the suggestion! aside from this, it looks like I should just give it a few more weeks and see if things calm down a bit. Thanks, everyone, for all of your advice and suggestions!

[Craiga 01453]

Congratulations on your new baby!!! Sending my best thoughts to you and your family.

Phew!! Glad you found your snake quickly. As for the cat's behavior, that's a little odd, but cats can definitely be quirky like that. I wish I had advice, sorry.

Anyway, congrats again!!

[Reinz]

A whopping Congrats on your first born.

As far as the cats, mine get spooked out as well. Most of my snakes are 6-8 ft so they stay spooky for a few months or until they see one again.

Living alone, sometimes I get bored and can have a mean streak. When one of the cats come through the living in ultra slow, spooked mode, I grab a pen or wad up a napkin and toss it real high in the air so that the object comes straight down behind the cat. It is too funny, the cat jumps 3 feet in the air while doing a 180, lands and then does a burn out like a cartoon character rolling up the carpet as it runs, then shoots off like a rocket! Sometimes I just can’t resist.