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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / December 2006Timid cat
It's been years since I checked into rec.pets.cats, but it used to be a good place for advice and I hope it still is with its new (to me) branch groups. I received a cat this weekend. It was a stray that my neighbor caught for me. In the trap it seemed nervous but not averse to contact, which I thought was a reasonable sign. I brought him to the vet, where he was neutered and given a number of precautionary treatments. That was Saturday, and I brought him home on Sunday. So far he hasn't been adjusting very well. At first I kept him in the laundry room with the door closed, so he wouldn't have to deal with Carl, my other cat, right away. He's thrown up three times and had diarrhea once; I took him back to the vet to check on that. He got IV fluids and an anti-nausea drug and hasn't thrown up (anywhere I can find it) since then. But he still hides in corners and won't come out. In fact, I've named him Haydn. He'll accept petting, but won't approach me, even from a few inches away. Usually he doesn't back away, though sometimes he will. I can pick him up briefly; he squirms but doesn't fight. There haven't been any signs of hostility toward me. He doesn't act afraid of me, just afraid. My other cat, Carl, is mildly curious about him. Haydn growls when Carl comes near, and I've heard a few clashes out of my sight. Mostly Carl leaves him alone, and I don't think Carl has ever been hostile to him. I'm hoping Haydn will become less timid, but there are no signs of progress so far. I try to pet him when I get a chance, though sometimes this requires contortions to reach his hiding place. He purrs when I do. Any thoughts on how to best deal with this cat?  SignatureGary McGath http://www.mcgath.com > It's been years since I checked into rec.pets.cats, but it used to be a > good place for advice and I hope it still is with its new (to me) branch [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > > Any thoughts on how to best deal with this cat? Gary, Bless you for taking him! I know it can be frustrating when it takes them a while to warm up to you, but I can tell you have a winner because he purrs when you pet him! Bet he's a people cat just waiting to bloom. If you can just find some patience, he will come along. You have not had him for very long, and who knows what he has been through? At the shelter where I got one of my cats, the lady has what I thought was an odd way of dealing with very timid cats, but she says it works every time. She keeps them in her bathroom--meaning the one she uses all the time. She says it gets them to warm up to her because there is no place to hide, and because they can observe her, smell her (lol!) and get used to the idea that she will not hurt them. She would just go on about her business, not corner or pursue the cat, and eventually the cat would pursue her! You are already a cat man, so you know how cats somehow adore us when we are on the porcelain throne! Good luck, and let us know what happens. This is the kind of cat that often winds up being the best friend ever. All he needs is some patience. You're a good man. SignaturePosted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com > Gary, Bless you for taking him! Why? I wanted a cat, this was one way of doing it. I'm not someone who collects cats for virtue points. > At the shelter where I got one of my cats, the lady has what I thought was > an odd way of dealing with very timid [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > cat, and eventually the cat would pursue her! You are already a cat man, so > you know how cats somehow adore us when we are on the porcelain throne! You're writing as if you know me. Do I know you by some other name? That seems to boil down to "leave the cat alone, let it come to you." I suppose it's the only way that works. SignatureGary McGath http://www.mcgath.com > You're writing as if you know me. Do I know you by some other name? Gary, my guess is she doesn't know you -- we just like people here who save cats! Lots of people go to the pet store and get that cute kitten in the window, but not enough will take in a cat trapped outside with (probably) unknown origin and temperament. > That seems to boil down to "leave the cat alone, let it come to you." I > suppose it's the only way that works. She was not saying that -- she was saying put the cat in a room where it has to interact from you. In a bathroom, there is no place to hide. We did that with 3 feral kittens we trapped years ago. It does work well, although the crazy kittens figured out how to open drawers and hide behind them. They once opened a drawer so far that it blocked the door when when we tried to get in. It was a smart tactic on their part. Anyway, wherever you decide to keep the kitty, spend time with him. Lots of time. Quietly sit in the same room. I sat on the floor and just read with our last former feral. I sat a little closer every day. Then I would talk to him, saying anything to get him used to my voice. Another thing that can work -- food. Take him treats and let him know they come from you. Eventually try to get him to eat out of your hand -- it's a sign of trust. It's a great that he doesn't mind you petting him and even purrs. Good luck, Rhonda >> You're writing as if you know me. Do I know you by some other name? > > Gary, my guess is she doesn't know you -- we just like people here who > save cats! Lots of people go to the pet store and get that cute kitten in > the window, but not enough will take in a cat trapped outside with > (probably) unknown origin and temperament. gd, Rhonda, I can't even win when I am being sweet! lol >>>You're writing as if you know me. Do I know you by some other name? >> [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > gd, Rhonda, I can't even win when I am being sweet! lol I know, and I liked your post! Maybe chalk this up to too much sugar over the holidays. Try again about mid-January. :) Rhonda You're doing fine. Relax. Cats adjust on cat time, not human time. Look at it from the cat's point of view - he was free and now he's been caught by a stranger and confined to a strange place in another cat's territory. He's worried, that's all and he has a BIG change in circumstances to adjust to and cats don't particularly like changes. The first thing to do is to get him used to you - it's actually a really good sign that he'll let you touch him. That means he has some sense that you aren't out to hurt him. But he does need to watch you for a while to try to figure out what's going on here. So just let him hide for a while - and spend some time in his area - talk to him, tell him about your day, listen to some quiet music (nothing too discordant), read, watch tv, fold laundry, whatever - just go about your business while giving him a friendly greeting and lots of space to watch you. If he comes close, make your eyes slitty and call his name to indicate that you like him. Don't try to creep up on him and hold him or extricate him from his hiding place and if you startle him, don't follow and tell him you are sorry in a gentle voice. Give him lots of yummy food (a little Fancy Feast can do wonders and usually Temptations treats work) - put a soft blanket as close to his hiding place as you can get and put a few fuzzy mice around the room - so he sees that you care about his needs and wants. Eventually (probably a few weeks), he'll start approaching for some pets - try to give him a few and then back off - the idea is to leave him wanting more - not to overwhelm him with too much. Try to massage the top of the head - usually that's soothing. When he seems to be happy to see you and calm about getting a few pets, then you can start to leave the door open for some initial contact with the other cat. There will be some hissing and hitting, but if both the new and old cats are secure in their relationships with you - they will work it out. Seperate them for a while if they get over-excited, but otherwise it's probably best to let them work it out - just make sure that both of them get a little private time with you so they don't feel jealous of each other. Thanks for what you're doing for this guy. It isn't easy at first, but it's so worthwhile and you'll have a great cat if you can just hang in for a few months while he's getting acclimated. Best, Tracy > > You're writing as if you know me. Do I know you by some other name? > > Gary, my guess is she doesn't know you -- we just like people here who > save cats! Lots of people go to the pet store and get that cute kitten > in the window, but not enough will take in a cat trapped outside with > (probably) unknown origin and temperament. There are too many good things in life to spend time worrying about jerks like cybercat. > > That seems to boil down to "leave the cat alone, let it come to you." I > > suppose it's the only way that works. [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > from you. Eventually try to get him to eat out of your hand -- it's a > sign of trust. I've been doing some of that. By "leave the cat alone," I didn't mean avoiding the cat, but avoidng pushing myself on it. The cat always has to come to you, and I think the key is to give it the opportunity to do it in a situation where it doesn't feel threatened. At first I had him in the laundry room for similar reasons, but now he runs away from that room; maybe he was feeling imprisoned there. At least I know where he is now, and he may feel less confined. > It's a great that he doesn't mind you petting him and even purrs. It's tricky getting down to his current hiding place, but he still likes the petting. We'll see how it goes. > Good luck, Thanks. SignatureGary McGath http://www.mcgath.com Update: Haydn was actually playing with me just now when I was petting him, purring and rolling over. But he still won't take a step toward me. I think he actually likes me, he's just afraid of something. SignatureGary McGath http://www.mcgath.com > Update: Haydn was actually playing with me just now when I was petting > him, purring and rolling over. But he still won't take a step toward me. > I think he actually likes me, he's just afraid of something. That's great--like the other posters have said, it just takes time. It's a really good sign that he's purring and rolling--sounds like he's going to do fine. Bonnie That's great news! Sounds like he's coming around. Don't worry about taking the step towards you yet, he needs more time to trust his surroundings. Patience is really going to be a virtue with this kitty. Rhonda > Update: Haydn was actually playing with me just now when I was petting > him, purring and rolling over. But he still won't take a step toward me. > I think he actually likes me, he's just afraid of something. >> Gary, Bless you for taking him! > > Why? I wanted a cat, this was one way of doing it. I'm not someone who > collects cats for virtue points. Because the cat was a stray, a.shole. lol >> At the shelter where I got one of my cats, the lady has what I thought >> was [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > You're writing as if you know me. Do I know you by some other name? You said you had a cat, a.shole. And you adopted a stray. That says catman to me. > That seems to boil down to "leave the cat alone, let it come to you." I > suppose it's the only way that works. No, that is not what I said. Read it again. I said, put the cat in a place where he has to be around you and cannot hide. Like your bathroom. Got much of a chip on your shoulder there, Gar? SignaturePosted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com > >> Gary, Bless you for taking him! > > > > Why? I wanted a cat, this was one way of doing it. I'm not someone who > > collects cats for virtue points. > > Because the cat was a stray, a.shole. lol > > You're writing as if you know me. Do I know you by some other name? > > You said you had a cat, a.shole. And you adopted a stray. That says catman > to me. > Got much of a chip on your shoulder there, Gar? *plonk* SignatureGary McGath http://www.mcgath.com >> >> Gary, Bless you for taking him! >> > [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > *plonk* I'll take that as a "yes." :D > It's been years since I checked into rec.pets.cats, but it used to be a > good place for advice and I hope it still is with its new (to me) branch [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > > Any thoughts on how to best deal with this cat? Just give him plenty of time! Keep doing what you are doing. Can you leave a small radio on so he can get used to voices? MLB
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