Two weeks ago I adopted a feral cat from a Humane Soc. foster home. She is very shy and often hides when she is alone. How do I get her to stop being such a scardy cat. She was with several siblings and was the smallest and seemed to be a loner when I picked her (or vise versa). She plays fine and seems to greatly prefer my husband's company to mine. Do you think she will outgrow this leftover feral instinct to hide when I enter the room?
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Posted 4 years ago by oneeyemina #
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Hi, OEM, Welcome to the Daily Kitten. (We tend to shorten people's screen names here. Mine is KW.) How old is your cat? We've had several folks ask questions about how to reassure a scaredy cat. Patience seems to be the best approach. Introducing a cat to a new environment without the siblings she was used to is a big transition. It will take time for her to feel comfortable and safe. Do you have other pets in your home? Do you spend as much time in the room with your cat as your husband?
Please keep posting. I'm sure others will have suggestions for you. TDK is a friendly place full of cat lovers! If you haven't already done so, you can create a webpage for your cat on Catster.com. It is easy to do and free. Most of us have done this as a way of placing our cats' pictures online. You can then link your catster webpage to your screen name here. Click on my name to see my two polydactly kits, Digit and Furl. :-)
Here are some recent threads that talk about scared kittens/cats:
http://www.dailykitten.com/chat/topic/2892?replies=22
http://www.dailykitten.com/chat/topic/2298?replies=21
Posted 4 years ago by Kitten Whisperer #
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Hi OEM and welcome to TDK!
How about taking kitty into the bathroom or some other small space with you where she can't run off. Spend some time in there with her, playing with her favorite toys, maybe giving her some treats and pets if she'll let you. Don't let you husband, any other person or pet in there with the two of you.
I've done this and it's always worked. If the kitten runs from you when you try to play with or pet it, just ignore he/him. Sit on the floor and read a book or something and let the kitty get used to you. She can come up and sniff you and get to know you better. In the beginning, just ignore her and let her explore you so she'll find you that you're a friend. Then little by little you can start the petting and some playing and treats.
Try to do this with her every day at least once and you'll soon bond, I'm sure.You didn't mention whether or not this is a kitten or an adult cat. Either way, I would suggest the same thing, but warn you it may take a while longer with an adult cat. Best of luck and keep us posted!
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Hi, welcome! I have taken in quite a few ferals over the years. The older they are, the harder it is to get them to feel safe...but it can be done. I have one right now that sleeps with us and plays with all of our kitties (we have 7!) but he still does not liked to be touched (it's been 6 years). But he was older when we took him in; and we are just happy that he is safe and content. Another one I currently have (Willow) we took in when we think he was under a year old. It took me only six weeks to domesticate him and now he is the ultimate Mama's boy lap kitty! The key for sure is patience. I agree with the other advice that it is best to confine her to one room only, if she has the run of the house she will always be able to run and hide from you. In a small space, she can slowly learn that you are a safe and good person. With Willow, after a few weeks, I first just would pet him just a little when I gave him food; he was hungry and distracted, he then really started to come around when I got him toys that the two of us could play with. As a young one, who had never played before , that made a big difference.
Click on my pink name and you can see my family, including our 2 ferals, Willow and Cute Linda.Good luck What is her name?Posted 4 years ago by Tigerlilly #
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Our first experience with ferals was almost 14 years ago. A feral mama had 3 kittens she brought to our outdoor feeding and shelter area. She died of kidney failure when they were just 6 - 8 weeks old. There was a feral male cat who took care of them. Anyway, we were able to capture all 4. The foster dad died from a long illness, but we had all 3 kittens. Each kitten had such different personalities. S.C. (Scaredy Cat) was afraid of us all his life, no matter how hard we tried to win him over. He died at age 10 of cancer. The only time I was able to touch him was when we euthenized him. But he had a very happy life. He enjoyed being around us and even slept on the very bottom of the bed in his later years. He even followed me from room to room. Squirt was timid all her life. She enjoyed being pet as long as it was her idea. We had to euthenize her the following year. Qantas turned into a little love bug. From the day we brought him home from his first vet visit he needed (and still needs) constant loving and cuddling. He's 13 1/2.
So what I'm saying is that every cat has his own quirks. With 6 ferals now, only one doesn't come near me, but she loves my husband. The rest have given their hearts and trust to us. So take the earlier advice, hope for the best, and know even if she always remains aloof, she will none-the-less love you.
Good luck!
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CATerriD, what you say is so true, they all have their quirks just like their human brethran. I have 5 inside furry ones, with 2 being partial-feral rescues. One is a love bug and the other is so-so, as long as its his idea, petting him is fine. I do have a 14 yr old male whom I rescued along with his housemate at the age of 8 yrs old from the shelter, he is my shy baby but a big lover no less. And two bro/sis that I have had in the house since they were 6 weeks old. The feral outside is finally brave enough to get within hands reach after almost two years of feeding him. The small colony of ferals that I feed still won't come closer than two feet but thats alright.
Posted 4 years ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #
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