I'm also starting to think it's what it was. My cat was very fearless with other cats but that was when he was younger and still had his nuts. Without the testosterone making him brave he went back to his normal self: a very sweet non-agressive and easily startled/scared cat. A cat probably chased him and he was hidden in a safe place not daring to leave until he left too. I'm glad he called for my help and I was there for him.
He was fine, he didn't even fight. That will teach him not to stay out late. In the end he had lots of love that night. Everybody gathered around the bed where he hid while he peaked for safety. He only felt safe to come out after the other cat came to comfort him and show him it was safe (they are heavily bonded). I gave them a few treats and the next day he was rolling his butt in the grass in the backyard again while I laughed about cat leashes and triggered Americans.
Do you leash your kids too when they start going out. Do you guys in the US realize how ridiculous you sound? Leashing a cat, really? Do you realize how stressful that is for a cat? You guys are obsessed with locking living beings for the rest of their lives. To us it is just abuse.
I'm not having this discussion again. Everytime someone mentions a cat going outdoors enters the paranoid american. Look, I know you guys really like your prisons and locking something for the rest of their lives for "safety" comes natural, but for the rest of the world you're pretty much just abusing your cat.
When I was kid I also took risks for going out. My parents didn't lock me home for my "safety". Some parents did and it fucked up their kids. If you love someone you can't completely dominate them and control their autonomy just for your peace of mind. Living implies risks. You guys sound a lot like helicopter parents. Do you realize how insane and abusive you guys sound when you say "it has to be always inside because it's not safe" or when you talk about catios and leashes. My cat would have a heart attack if he found itself outside stuck on a leash.
My cats are healthy, they're very happy and I wouldn't ever make them miserable to satisfy my need of control.
My cats are 8 and 9 years old. They never had close calls with cars or other animals. If I suddenly decided to lock them indoors for the rest of their lives they'd go insane. When I leave for days and they have stay locked inside they become depressed.
Is there a risk? Yes, but it's a small price to pay for their mental well-being, not to mention physical activity.
I'm much happier letting them decide where they want to go during the day. And so are they. Keeping an animal in irons just because you want it "safe" is not protecting it is abusing it.
I also think fox is a prime candidate. Never saw one here and I know the woodland pretty. But I have seen a fox in a larger city and very bold one at that. But why wouldn't my cat just run back home?
It's in the suburbs of a major city. I'd be very surprised to find a fox here. I'd very surprised if another cat would scare him that much. He's not a pushover.
Every show about alternate timelines had the characters visiting the weirdest timeline. Turns out WE are the weird timeline! Maybe we should all have goatees, ahah.
The opposite happened with Extreme. Their hits (More than words and Hole Hearted) were OK but nothing to go crazy about. One day I was in the mood for that type of music so I looked into them. Blew my mind, their catalog is nothing like their hits, it's awesome!
Don't explain yourself. Just ignore them. Your cat is gorgeous, well exercised and most of all happy.