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Afraid of heights

my 4yo Bengal cross cat Puss Puss seems to be afraid of heights when outside 

many times I've had to "rescue" him off the roof of our house and when he stayed at my nannas  recently I had to get onto my nannas garage roof to get him down and he was shaking and meowing in fear    as soon as he got near the edge he'd panic so I couldn't tempt him to the edge and had to pick him up and put him in a nearby tree to help him down   even in the tree he was scared so I had to gently push him down the branch with a broom until I could reach him to get him down  he was less than a metre from the ground when I got him but was petrified  he wouldn't even follow our younger boy Simba who was happily jumping off the roof on his own  it was at least half an hour before Puss Puss was calm enough to get out of my arms onto the ground    it only seems to be outside as when hes inside he climbs into cupboards and on the top of doors etc with no fear at all      anyone have any ideas or suggestions as he also panics when our 2 younger cats climb onto the roof and trees outside as well  he is very protective of all of us but this seems to be a real concern to me that he gets so frightened and upset
3
answers

  • Emily W.

    It's possible there's a vision issue, or a vestibular/balance problem - something physical.

    1

  • Lacy M.

    We had a kitty years ago that had a similar issue. We trained her on how to get down from places using stairs like the ones below. We mounted them around the posts on our porch and some inside on the wall. We kept adding/raising them until she was totally ok with figuring her way down from high places. We made them ourselves but I know you can also buy them premade online nowadays.


    1

  • Chewy

    Hi Jodi, 

    Using a cat tree indoors at first, then gradually moving this closer to your outside door, then outdoors may help your kitty to become more comfortable with heights outdoors. Afterwards, you can also place the cat tree below the actual tree your cat tends to climb. This way it may be more reassuring for him. There are also cat pheromone sprays that can help to relax your cat. Many of these are natural and may allow some of the fear to dissipate slightly. You can talk to your vet about these, and they may even have some additional tricks to help.

    Keep us posted with how you get on. I'd be keen to follow how it goes. 

    Good luck!
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