I'm afraid of my cat. What do I do?

[Seraphim]

She is just a scared cat not a voracious man eater.

[lostlove76]

She is just a scared cat not a voracious man eater.

LOL. So true.

[ParisPaulette]

Maybe this will help? Jackson has an entire series of handling anxious and scared cats on YouTube. And yes, I use them a lot when I'm dealing with rescues.

 

[video=youtube;QDH57ytvu7U] ]

 

P.S. Play the videos that follow as well too, they're great!

[ParisPaulette]

Also this episode will help you understand more of what to do with a cat that loves one partner before the other.

 

EDIT: Realized this isn't the full episode. But this is Season 2, Episode 1: Terrorizing My Clients and if you can find the full episode, play that as it may help. Amazon has the episode for sale online here:

 

In your case your kitty is not scratching you, so I think you're ahead. But episodes where a cat will get along with one individual, but not others in the household is probably what you want.

[treesandbees]

Could give her little treats when you meet her in whatever room so you are then associated with something good and something that she likes and in time she will warm, hopefully. Does she just avoid and stare, no hissing or pouncing you? My shelter cat would go hide behind the washer and dryer and behind the sofa when she first came home after while she took more out in the open spots after getting a feel for things and me. Could there be a scent you wear that bothers her that he doesn't use that could affect her wanting to get close to you over him?

[boltnrun]

Where did you get the idea that cats will "eat" body parts off of humans???

 

I presume you have zero previous experience with cats.

[GingerMay]

These are great videos. Thank you so much. Bless you!!

[Wiseman2]

Let her know who's boss....her

[ParisPaulette]

No problem. Patience above all is key with any animal. Give her time, give you time. No animal is unreachable and I can vouch for that, because I once took care of a horse that had been so abused his only instinct at the time was kill whatever human came near him. It took me three months to get him to eat from my hand, another three to let me ride him. And there was just a huge amount of time devoted to simply becoming someone he finally saw as not a danger, but it was bad. I had to keep him separated from the other animals and at one point I remember telling my vet, who I was helping on that one in exchange for free health care for my other horses, that I didn't know if I could do it. This was after he and my mare got into a fight, because he tried to turn on me suddenly and she came to my rescue. (That horse loves me like no one else does, even my husband jokes he can never love me as much as she does.)

 

Remember: your voice, your slow blinks, your patience, your compassion, your scent. Those things will always form a bond with all but the most feral of animals, and it takes a lot to make a domesticated animal get to that point. This kitty had a home, one with at least enough love in it for her to already show one of you some care, so she is reachable.

 

P.S. Treats and catnip do not hurt either.

[GingerMay]

Yes, she's definitely the boss and has taken over the whole household... even if she's only in 1 room.

[Seraphim]

I think it is time to let her explore her world. I never restricted my new animals.

[GingerMay]

Thanks and I agree. I don't restrict her. She just won't venture anywhere else in the house. She sits on a fluffy rug under a chair, and only goes into another room for the litter box. My husband was recently able to pick her up and she sat in his lap for a few minutes in the living room, but then jumped down and returned back to her spot in the other room. She doesn't seem to be curious about exploring the rest of the house yet. (2 weeks)

[youareworthy]

Dear Ginger May,

 

She is acclimating on her terms and at her pace. That fluffy rug is her primary "safe spot." Gradually she will develop other safe spots. Before you know it, she will have set up 10 or 12 little safe nests in your home. In the winter, we put a basket on the floor in front of a heating vent, and line it with a towel or small blanket. Our cats sleep or groom for hours there.

 

Any shallow container will do, as our cats have taught us. Over the last 2 years, I have been getting boxes of things from my mom, who is downsizing to a smaller place. Anytime one of us leaves the lid to a box on the floor, even for a few minutes, the cats climb into it and sleep. We put a blanket or towel in there, and voila, a new nest. Now we have 3 or 4 of those.

 

Several days ago I was lying in my room, sick, and I heard an incessant and loud clawing and scratching sound. I assumed some object was being shredded. A day or so later I wandered into the kitchen, and saw a box lid on the floor, which I think my son had laid there temporarily. Clumsily half-draped over the edge of the lid was a thin, rubber-backed doormat we had had inside the kitchen door, a good 16 feet away. The more industrious of our two cats was curled up on the small amount of mat that was actually in the lid.

 

I laughed, picked up the mat, folded it in half so it would fit better in the box lid, and placed it back in their new nest. Time to get a new doormat!

 

Youareworthy

[RainyCoast]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]11114[/ATTACH]