What do I do about a cat with extreme anxiety?

by Lydia
(Cincinnati)

I’ve had my female cat since she was 2 weeks old and she is now 6 years old. I rescued her, her mother, and her sister at the same time and kept them all.

As a kitten she was fearless and very playful, constantly trying to run out the door and all around, not scared of anything. As time went by, she became more and more scared of everything.

For the last few years, she will only stay in one room, the dining room. She was too scared to leave the room that she would just pee on the floor.

I have since moved two litter boxes and food and water in the dining room and she has not had any more accidents.

I used to put her in my bed at night under the covers, because that was the only way she would be calm, but I’ve awoken many times to her jumping to the ceiling, bouncing off the walls freaking out because I moved.

She was also unable to even jump down from the bed or leave the room unless I physically carried her.

I have tried to put a cat bed in the dining room so she doesn’t have to sleep on the hard floor but she is terrified of it. She is not afraid of humans, other cats, or loud sounds.

The only time she moves is if a human is around. She will jump on our laps or jump up our backs if we are standing.

She feels safe on human laps. She is very scared of non-moving objects or anything I bring in the house that is new.

I have a Roomba that she is not afraid of at all. It’s only things that don’t move.

She can’t go from one room to another because the floor dividers terrify her. My sister is very worried about her and thinks it might be best to put her down to put her out of her misery, but she is so sweet I can’t!

Has anyone else dealt with this before? I have taken her to the vet and the vet said she should grow out of it but she has been the same for years.