Hi, I’m Christopher. To find out more about me and my silly Russian Blue cat, Olga, please read my about me.
I don’t travel much, and until recently, Olga never seemed too upset when I returned home after being away for a few days. For years, I would travel out of town to spend Thanksgiving with my family, and Olga was always friendly when I returned. However, a few weeks ago, when I left her alone, she was in a bad mood. I had only spent two days in the woods, and my cat sitter had stopped by to feed and play with her.
She meowed when I came in through the front door, but when I got close to pet her she hissed and backed away. I tried to invite her to play with a catnip stick, but she seemed insulted and ran off to hide under the bed. The only time she had ever hissed at me before was when I returned from 10 days overseas.
When I told the vet about Olga’s reaction, she suggested that it was probably the odors I inhaled on the 30-hour trip that were bothering her. I didn’t think a weekend trip would cause the same reaction, but the smell of the forest on my clothes seemed just as unpleasant as the smell of an airplane cabin.
Olga didn’t stay angry for long, and after I got out of the shower, she greeted me with a happy voice, not a hiss. She eventually fell asleep on my lap and seemed to have forgotten the strange smells I had brought into the house. Olga used to be more independent and didn’t hold a grudge if I left her alone.
Now she spends most of the day by my side and has become a spoiled cat. She still enjoys her “alone time”, but if she sees me walking towards the garage door, she attacks my legs and meows. She doesn’t mind when I leave through the back door either, because she can observe me in the yard from her window perch.
Leaving Olga alone wasn’t an issue until I started working from home full time. Now she’s more social and enjoys asking for dinner a few hours before I get off work. She also enjoys that I clean the litter box more often, but she’s also more dependent on me. She follows me around the house and yells more when I ignore her when she asks for an early dinner.
It’s interesting how much my new schedule has affected Olga’s personality. The change was gradual, but I was surprised to see that she is no longer aloof and timid. When I return from a short trip, she doesn’t seem happy, but I am happy that she can hiss.
While this is not a reaction most cat owners want to see in their pets, it is an important defense mechanism that serves as a warning before an attack. Olga has never had direct contact with dogs or cats other than when she is in her carrier at the vet’s office and has never felt the need to hiss at other animals. She has never been scared or threatened by other creatures and I am proud that she only hisses at me when she is angry.
