You walk in the door after a long day of work, you’re tired, and just want to snuggle up with your best little kitty friend and forget about the day. Your cat greets you at the door and just as you bend down to pet them they scurry off. Wait a minute, what’s going on here? Why does my cat run away from me?
If your cat is typically friendly and begins running away from you, this new behavior is typically a form of play or their way of saying something has changed in the household. There are several other reasons for this, including more severe socialization issues.
Cats, just like humans, range from being abundantly social animals to shy little misfits… and everything in between. So in this article, we’ll dive into the reasons your cat may be running away and help you figure out the cause, so you can ultimately work on a solution.
5 Reasons Your Cat Runs Away From You
It doesn’t feel great when your cat runs away from you, you have a bond with them, or at least you thought you did. Was it something you did? Something you didn’t do?
The good news is that if your cat has been with you for a long period, and hasn’t typically exhibited this behavior before, it’s most likely a benign issue and easily fixable. So let’s get to it. Here are the 5 reasons your cat runs away from you, and what you can do about it.
1. It Might Just Be The Mood Your Cat’s In
Cats are independent creatures by nature and frequently need alone time to recharge. Sure, they love you in their own feline way, but greeting you at the door was enough, they need to go reboot somewhere alone.
It’s not you, it’s them (but in their opinion it’s always you.)
If your cat’s running away from you, it might just be in a mood where they don’t want to be bothered and are seeking some peace and quiet. In this case, it’s best to leave them be.
Forcing affection on them will only create a further need for distance and cause them to run away from you even more.
If your cat is usually very affectionate and giving your cat some alone time for a few days doesn’t do the trick, something else could be going on, which we’ll get to in a bit.
Your Cat May Just Want To Play
It’s worth noting that if the mood is the driving force behind your cat running away from you, it doesn’t always mean they are seeking solitude. It could be the opposite, which is play.
Playful cats may run away from their humans as part of a game. So how can you tell?
If you think their mood is the culprit of this new behavior, try the following:
- Approach your cat, and if they begin to run away calmly follow
- If your cat runs and then stops to let you catch up, crouch or sit down near them
- Extend a hand out with your palm facing upward
- Don’t try to pet them, just let them sniff your hand or rub against your hand
If they run and then stop so you can catch up, or if they engage your hand extended out and then take off again, it’s time to have some fun.
Toss a toy around, grab a ribbon, and dance like nobody’s watching, or give them a good petting session. Despite their reputation, cats are incredibly social, and play is one of the strongest forms of building bonds in their worlds.
If they don’t seem interested in playing, don’t force it – let them continue on their merry or crabby way. There’s a running theme to this, but avoid forcing any sort of interaction with a cat. It will always backfire.
2. We Can Be Loud & Obnoxious
It’s not just you, it’s all of us humans. We can’t help being noisy at times. For an animal that’s evolved to be stealthy, this can be disruptive to its state of zen.
Cats are natural predators, but they were also once prey for larger animals. Because of this, cats have evolved to be incredibly sensitive to sound.
So if your cat is running away from you, it could be that they’re afraid of the loud noises humans make.
Albeit anecdotal, whenever my son coos and squeals (less than a year old) my cat will run into the room, and then take off. If my son begins crying, my cat will go to a quieter place in the house. And when my nieces and nephews, all under the age of ten, come over, he is nowhere to be found – the noise and chaotic sounds and movement are overbearing to his kitty senses.
If your household is anything like mine, there may not be too much you can do about the cause, but you can take some steps to make it more tolerable for your cat.
For starters, creating a quiet place that is off-limits to everyone else but your cat is one way to make sure they always have an outlet for peace.
This could be as simple as putting some bedding or pillowcases on the floor of a closet and leaving it cracked, or it could be as elaborate as getting a large cat tree where the crow’s nest is far from the ground and in a room that’s away from where the action happens.
We’ve incorporated both ideas into our house – a laundry basket with old pillowcases that sits in our closet, as well as a large cat tree on the first floor – it has a great view of the street and is far from the baby’s room, aka the booming noises that only a baby can muster.
As for what you can control from a noise standpoint, try to be mindful of how loud you are around your cat and give them some space when they are eating or grooming themselves.
Being sensitive to your noise level, especially when first entering a room or getting home from work may lead to more positive interactions with your cat.
3. Your Cat May Be Under New Household Stress
Cats are in tune with their environment and any changes. They have a beautiful mind when it comes to household details – they will notice if a piece of furniture has moved an inch to the left, or if a door is open that usually is not.
No matter how small, some of these changes in their environment (aka house) can cause them stress. While many things can shift in a house in a given day and stress your cat as a result, here are some common ones to think through, if your cat is running away from you:
- Family Members: Adding a new pet or baby to the family
- Furniture & Bedding: Moving, cleaning, or adjusting furniture or bedding that your cat typically spends time in
- Food & Water Bowls: Moving or cleaning their food and water bowls
- Adjusting food: e.g. trying a new brand of food, shifting from wet to dry food, etc.
- Litter Box Environment: e.g. moving to a new room, putting something in front of the litter box entrance, creating more noise in the litter box room, cleaning with some sort of scent that your cat dislikes
While the examples are just a few of many possibilities, there are some commonalities that you can use to uncover any sort of household stressor for your cat.
- Adjusting: Again, cats have an insane memory for familiarity. Adjusting any sort of landmark in the house can mess with their mental comfort and stress them out.
- Moving: Putting furniture in new spots, especially a piece of furniture your cat loves, can mess with your cat’s flow. If you do this, bring some sort of comfort with it, like an old pillow case with your scent on it.
- Cleaning: A cat’s sense of smell is extremely developed, and citrus scents among others are heavily disliked. So cleaning their food and water bowls, or litter box with strongly scented solvents can harm their behavior. This is also true for using something like aromatherapy devices or candles throughout the home.
- Essential Activities: Food, water, litter, grooming, and napping are the basics as far as your cat’s concerned. Adjusting, moving, or cleaning anything that impacts any of those essential activities can have serious consequences to their temperament.
Sometimes you need to move furniture, and god knows you have to clean the litter box. It’s inevitable that change will happen. In those instances, it’s important to give your cat some extra attention and help them adjust to the new normal.
The pillowcase concept with your scent is great for when you move furniture or objects – it brings a level of comfort for your cat to cope with the change. When cleaning, avoid chemicals and strong scents as much as possible – if water can do the trick alone that’s always the best option.
If you need something stronger, try to stick with unscented soaps and detergents that are appropriate for your cat.
4. Past Traumatic Experiences with People or Animals
Another reason your cat may be running away from you is due to past traumatic experiences with humans or other animals. This could range from abuse at the hands of a previous owner to witnessing a traumatic event, like another animal being hurt.
A cat’s memory isn’t reserved for tiny changes around the house; they have a remarkable ability to catalogue events in their lives, and unforunately some cats go through horrific events like the aforementioned.
Cats that have dealt with trauma may be scared of humans or animals in general and running away is their way of trying to avoid any potential harm.
In these cases, it’s your job to rebuild trust. And under NO CIRc*msTANCE should you force any type of interaction. The appropriate action here is extreme patience – leaning on compassion and love.
If you’ve had your cat for a long time, this is less likely a cause, but if you’ve just adopted your cat and are unclear about its past, this could be what’s going on in their lives.
You’ll need to rebuild trust slowly and cautiously. Sudden movements or loud noises may startle them and cause them to run away from you again. This could take some time, but with undying love and understanding, your cat will come around, and you will have one of the strongest bonds.
I can tell you, gaining the trust of an animal that’s been through traumatic experiences, is one of the most rewarding experiences. You’re showing them that not all humans or animals are bad, and that it’s okay to trust again.
5. Poor Socialization When Your Cat Was a Kitten
Just like humans, a cat is the product of its full life experiences, and that starts in its first weeks of life. If your cat was poorly socialized as a kitten, this can show later on in its life.
“Kitten socialization” is the process by which a young cat learns to interact with other animals and humans. It’s critical for their development and if not done correctly can lead to cats that are scared of humans or aggressive towards them.
The socialization window for cats is between 2-7 weeks old. So a cat’s behavior is truly shaped early in life. After the second month, it becomes increasingly difficult to socialize a cat.
If your cat wasn’t properly socialized during that crucial window, they may be scared of humans and running away from you is their way of trying to avoid contact.
Similar to how a cat deals with traumatic experiences, your approach to resolving poor socialization will require a load of patience and compassion.
You could look at positive reinforcement to help build trust – treats and toys are a couple of incentives that you could employ.
Sudden Change in Behavior is Something to Watch Out For
Cats are intuitive creatures – you know that – and when yours runs away, they could be trying to tell you that something is amiss. This is especially true if running away is a new behavior.
While we didn’t discuss health as a cause, this is another cause to be mindful of – running away could be related to some sort of medical issue. If you suspect this to be the case or aren’t sure, take your cat to the vet to eliminate any questions.
Even if that’s determined to not be the case, you’ll at least have crossed off a potential cause, and one of the most serious factors at that.
But on the benign side, this behavior could still be a piece of furniture moved and your cat is upset about it. The point being that sudden behavior could be the result of a serious health issue, and if this is your experience, it’s best to go to the vet to rule out medical causation.
3 Tips on How to Get Your Cat To Not Run Away From You
We’ve touched on the 5 most common causes of why your cat is running away from you, and we’ve even hit on a few ways to handle this behavior. But to be more concrete about how to handle any cause, here are 3 tips that can encourage your cat to stop running away from you.
1. Build Trust With Your Cat
If you want your cat to trust you, it’s important to take things slowly and give them plenty of time to adjust. Start by offering them treats and toys and let them approach you on their own terms.
Once they’re comfortable with you, try petting them and see how they react.
If they seem receptive, then continue but if they start to get scared or run away, back off and give them some space.
Again, it’s important not to force the issue as this will only make your cat more distrustful of you.
2. Make Your Home Cat-Friendly
One of the best ways to keep your cat from running away is to make your home as cat-friendly as possible. This means providing them with plenty of hiding places, like beds and tunnels, where they can feel safe and secure.
It also means having litter boxes in multiple locations so they don’t have to travel far to use the bathroom.
You should also try to reduce any potential sources of stress, like loud noises or strange smells. By making your home as cat-friendly as possible, you can help reduce your cat’s stress levels and make them less likely to want to run away.
3. Be Aware of Changes in Your Household That Could Be Affecting Your Cat
As mentioned above, changes big or small can affect the behavior of your cat. New household additions like a baby or adding another pet to the family will surely cause a reaction from your cat. But even smaller changes like furniture moving or a change in location of your cats safe spaces or scratching posts may also elicit behavior changes.
But we all know things change in households and it’s unavoidable, so the advice here is to be sensitive to any changes and look to give your cat friend a little more time and space as it adjusts to the new changes.
Cat’s Run Away From Their Owners for Several Reasons
By now, you’ve realized that there are a number of reasons your cat is running away from you. The most likely cause will be some sort of household change or your cat is in a funny mood. This is especially true if the behavior is fleeting and new.
But there are clearly times where the behavior requires attention and concern. Depending on the circ*mstances of how your cat was raised, socialization and traumatic experiences could be the cause of this behavior.
But this would be more of a common behavior in your cat, and not one that appeared randomly. And to deal with this, requires patience and active trust-building.
Of the potential causes for why your cat is running from you, health issues are the most serious. And even if you slightly suspect this to be the case, or are unsure, this is your signal to pay a visit to the vet.
