Still Scared?

Will Ceci ever change and stop being such a 'scardy cat'? Shes been home for 6 days, and she is eating, drinking and using the litter box fine. She is no longer confined to the bathroom, but she still chooses to remain in hiding all day long. After I find her I will call her and call her but she will not come to me and if I try and grab her she will move further back. If I do manage to grab her she wont protest and i'll lay on the bed and she'll purr and rub against me and even groom me, but as soon as I get off the back she goes back into hiding.

Will she always be like this? I'd really like a cat who isnt hiding in fear all day. Please help!

My kitty hid under the couch for about three days after we brought him home. Six days is not a very long time to adjust. Most adoption applications even warn you that it may take 3 weeks before your cat adjusts to his/her new home.

In my case it took a good 3 months before my cat really got very comfortable with us and our house (mainly because I have two loud young children). He wasn't hiding all the time but he also wasn't seeking attention from us either. Now he is quite at home!

Be very patient. It is way too soon to label your kitty a scaredy cat.

PS: Offer treats so that your cat will come to you and you can pet him/her. Treats are the way to a cat's heart and trust!

Hi, I disagree about giving treats to get 'action' - you'll end up with one very spoiled cat and one well trained person! Instead, use toys to attract her out slowly, pulling a knotted cord under a sheet of newspaper a few feet away should be guaranteed to get the most 'chicken' cat to come out and pounce on it, as they cannot resist 'catching' the knot under the paper. And do it increasingly farther away once she's busy with it and distracted from her surroundings.

You've only had your kitty 6 days, so be patient. The poor thing is probably just scared of the new environment, new sounds, new smells, and new people.

First of all, go into the room where your kitty is hiding. Sit on the floor and read aloud. Do not approach the kitty. Do not try to pet the kitty. Just talk to the kitty in a soft voice. Do this several times a day. Eventually, the kitty will come out to investigate you. Let the kitty come to you. When it comes out, don't approach it, don't touch it, don't try to pick it up. Let it get used to you and its surroundings on its own timetable.

Secondly, use interactive toys to draw out your kitty. Things on a string that you can dangle, drag, and make fly around will capture your kitty's attention. Again, be quiet and let the kitty come to you when you bring out a toy. You might want to make sure your kitty has little toy mice and balls to bat around when it feels like playing, but invest in some good interactive toys like Da Bird. Your kitty may not come out to play with it at first, but over time, it will.

Stephanie

Cindy hid under the bed for weeks. If I carried her downstairs, I could see she was curious, but after a minute or two she would run back up. Thanks to patience and Feliway, she is right now asleep on the sofa next to the computer, and last night she slept in the bed leaning up against my leg.

Just keep being loving with Ceci, she will come around.

Thank you! I see she is a very curious girl, as sometimes her curiosity will get the best of her and she will slink around the house. She loves to be petted because she will lay against me and purr and 'groom' me, but as soon as I stop she dives under the bed.

It just makes me so sad that she is hiding all the time, but I will wait patiently until she comes around!

P.S. What is Feliway and where can I buy it?

Originally Posted by JulieKit

P.S. What is Feliway and where can I buy it?

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Feliway is a pheromone(sp?). You can order it online, one vet in my area carries it, I know some pet stores carry it. Here's a link I found to be interesting.
http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/beha.../a/092804b.htm
Here's another
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...188x003&ctt=60
You can also do a forum search for "feliway" & you should come up with TONS of results.

It is rather expensive, but worked WONDERS on my girl who had crystals & was spraying. Admittedly, it does not work for all cats.

Give Ceci more time to adjust. Some cats take months to get comfortable in their surroundings, other take only days. Ceci probably will adjust to you & won't be hiding in fear all day, but she needs her time.

Can't really expect too much from her after only 6 days. Give her a month at least to really come around and relax. I have had my cats for years and some of them still don't get along too well.