Newbie with a rescue cat & I have some questions

Here is a video of him from a couple of days ago. You can see how he alternates between being friendly and being skittish.


and here is another 
also I should mention when he does come out from under the bed to play with us he's SUPER lovey. He's "kissed" me a few times and he is always rubbing up against  me and purring. It's just if I stand up too suddenly or my husband suddenly walks in the room he runs back under the bed (though he's friendly with my husband too, once he gets down to his level on the floor).

Also at night he's much more active and is running around checking out the bedroom and jumping up to sit on the window ledge to look out. Or else I hear him playing under the bed while we're trying to sleep so it's not like, even when he is under the bed, that he's all nervous or frightened there. I've also pet him under there or talked to him and he purrs and rolls around being cute.

I think you're doing very well so far

My advice would be to keep him in the bedroom for at least another week. But when you do let him out, have a carrier in the main room you'll be in, I'm assuming that's the living room, and drape a towel over it. He's already shown you that he's fond of cave-like places, so that might help him be a little less skittish when you let him explore the full house. He might not use it, but if he does, don't disturb him while he's in there unless it's an emergency. When he gets freaked out by sudden noises or movements, he can run into his carrier. The carrier should be his safe place while he's in the house.

Thank you, that advice makes sense. I'll definitely try the carrier thing when I do let him out. He's not trying to get out the door right now anyway. 

Took a new video of him this morning. He's so cute.

One of our cats hat we've had for four years still runs under the bed when we enter the room. She was feral so this is still that little feral part of her. When we say her name she comes right out but she always thinks we are coming to kill her or something. LOL.

You've done a great job with him. He's so cute in that video. Thank you for understanding that it can take time and work with some kitties.

thank you for everyone's advice and experiences.

I think I've made some progress with Magnus the past couple of days. He does not run under the bed when I come into the room (not usually, esp. if I come in slowly and talk to him and then he’s a little wary but then he stays put and I get down to his level and he’s fine). And in the morning he's out from under the bed as soon as I get up waiting for me to feed him, and does a chirpy greeting for me. Today he’s stayed out from under the bed the most amount of time yet. All last night he was playing around out from the bed and even slept in a little cat bed for a good few hours that we set up near the bed. I was reading as well as sketching some artwork in the bedroom on the bed while he was doing this and he even came by a few times and was stretching up to the bed to see what I was doing. (he did not actually hop on the bed, but he looked like he was interested in doing so. I figure he may do that in time). And today he has kept mostly out from under the bed and every time I’ve looked in on him he’s stayed out. (however, he did run under the bed when my husband went in, but I think that is because he has not spent quite as much time with him as I have. However, once he was in in the room, Mangus did come back out to play with him). Normally I have fed Magnus so I told my husband to feed him at lunch today so he'd also associate food with him....

So I think that is some progress….. I think we'll start leaving the bedroom door open for him to explore if he wants by the end of the week....

I had a breakthrough with Magnus last night - I got him to sleep with me on the bed for a few hours

Granted, he did not jump up of his own accord - I had been playing with him and he seemed calm so I just picked him up and put him up on the bed next to me. Then my husband and I petted him and he settled down purring and slept with me for a few hours before jumping out to go romp around the bedroom. 

Earlier in the week I had introduced him to the bed as being OK to be on by putting him on it during the day so if he wanted to sleep on it he could. He did say there a few times to nap by himself but other times he was still to much in play mode so he'd just jump off again to go play wtih something.

Today he did (finally!) jump on the bed by himself (not while I was on it, but it shows he's not afraid to go up on the bed anymore).

Some photos from this week

Aw, you and DH are doing great! And what a CUTE silly baby Magnus is!!!!! :lovegrin2

He is BEAUTFUL! Those are some mean looking claws in a couple of your photos....wow!!!! You are doing so well with him. Let him adjust at his own speed. I was a slow learner; it took several new cats (over several years) to teach me this adjustment trick. Finally, it sunk it that cats gotta do what cats gotta do! If you leave them to do those thing they gotta do, they'll be fine!

Also, very sorry about your Harley. A few years ago I had to put down our PC (short for Pyscho Cat!) at about 7 yrs. old because of cancer. I have still miss her. I know it isn't easy.

heh, thanks. When I went to bed last night he actually jumped up on the bed after a few minutes and slept with me for several hours. Even when DH got into bed he stayed in the bed without jumping out. Of course, then he attacked DH feet because they were moving under the covers and ended up giving him a scratch accidentally. So, we'll have to teach him not to attack us under the covers. lol.

But I'm thrilled he's starting to get more comfortable with us.

When my Harley died last month, one of the biggest things I missed about him was not having him cuddle up next to me on the bed at night. I know not all cats are cuddlers (and even Harley was not a cuddler when he was a spazzy kitten), but I was hoping Magnus would eventually be a cuddler at least some of the time. Harley used to follow me around the house and whenenver I'd sit down he'd want to sit next to me or on me. I miss him

Anyway, Magnus has a very different personality so far, but DH and I are totally falling in love with the little guy.

DH has more experience iwth dogs (with the exception of Harley, who I had before I even met him, so Harley was always "my" cat and not "his" cat). So he's never had to deal with a kitten before. he's totally enamored.

Well, it's been a little over two weeks now. Magnus is very playful but he still is keeping himself to the bedroom and bathroom. We left open the doors to the rest of the apartment a couple of days ago, and apart from a couple of times he's run out briefly (only to run back in again) he won't leave his space in the bedroom and bathroom. Also, during the day, he still likes to hang out under the bed. When we come in to see him and talk to him, he comes out and plays with us, but he still hangs out under the bed as his defacto spot. At night he tends to come out and play a lot more - and he'll even take naps in his cat bed or go hang out on the window sill to watch out the window and a few times he's slept with us on the bed (twice that I knew about, but once I didn't realize he was in the bed with me until my husband came in and mentioned it - at which point Magnus hopped off the bed and ran under it. lol). A couple of times during the day I have seen him napping on the bed, but if you walk in the room he'll then hop off of it.

Soooo, my question is, do you think he's EVER going to be completely comfortable around us or will he be skittish his whole life? He eats in front of us, and uses his litterbox, and we can spend hours playing wtih him, but as soon as anybody does anything sudden he's off under the bed. And when we walk in the room we have to talk to him and convince him not to run under the bed if he's out from under it. Usually I'll talk to him and then get down to his level, at which point he's super  lovey with me. But if I stand up - bam - under the bed again. 

So,  you think I just need to be more patient and he'll eventually come around? He IS super lovey with me when we play with him - purring and rubbing himself against me and rolling around the floor and letting me rub his belly and brush him. He's even "kissed" me a few times (i.e. licked my face or hand). Sometimes I'm wondering if he's just messing with us by hiding under the bed. Because he'll run under there, and I'll look under there after him and then he's snuck up out of the bed and gotten behind me. (maybe he's laughing at me lol)

Ok I am not as worried now as Magnus showed some more bold behavior last night and today. Last night he took a couple of forays (that I know of) outside the bedroom and even made it down into the living room where he skulked around briefly (I gave him a treat while he was out there as a reward for being outside the bedroom) before running back to the bedroom. This morning, he took several trips down the hallway but then ran back. Also, normally, when I ran the water for the bath he'd run out of the bathroom at the noise if he was in there, but today he actually came in to see what I was up to while I was taking a bath and  he even drank some water out of his water dish adn did his business in his litterbox while the bath was running so he obviously wasn't completely freaked out at the noise of it. 

Also last night, I had gotten home late and I took my dinner into the bedroom so I could eat it and spend some time with Magnus at the same time. Anyway, he was biggest begger I have ever seen (I was eating baked tilapia) and was crawling up into my lap and getting into my face to beg off some of the fish. i gave him one small tiny bite, even though I wasn't going to as I didn't want to give him people food (or encourage begging) but my resolve failed because he was so cute. Anyway, that was the first time he actually crawled in my lap. Even if it was to beg  

I hadn't posted on this thread in a while so I thought I'd post an update on how Magnus is doing in his new home. As I had posted earlier, we kept him in the bedroom for two weeks or so with the door shut as he was very timid and kept under the bed for the most part, except to come out to eat and play with us a little. It's now been five weeks and magnus is completely comfortable with me now and goes around the house (though I notice he's less adventurous outside of the bedroom (his safe spot) than he is in the rest of the apartment. I've been playing with him with a laser toy, though, to coax him into the other rooms and he cant' resist chasing after it and then playing in the other rooms so I think soon he'll be completely comfortable in the other rooms as well. He has started to follow me into my office / studio space (next to the bedroom) and hang out on a chair while I work there during the day.

He's also been cuddling with me and sleeping with me on the bed at night (I taught him to go onto the bed by throwing his toys on there and playing with him on there - as before he seemed too timid to jump on the bed without "permission") and he lets me pick him up and hold him without being afraid.He's also very good in that if I play with him and I have his toy, he'll use "soft paws" to get the toy in my hand, but then he puts his claws out when he's has the toy to himself and can attack it.

The only problem so far is he's still a little timid around my husband. It's partially, I think, because he has not been around Magnus as much as I have) and also it may be (we think) his tone of voice / manner. I don't think the cat is afraid of him as he'll come out and play with him if he's dangling a string or something but if he gets up he runs a few feet away. Then he'll run back when he's not looking, and when my husband turns around again to look at him he scoots back a few feet. So I told him just to go hang out in the room with him some more just talking until he's more comfortable iwth him. LIke I said, he's not afraid of him. The other day, we were watching TV, and Magnus came into the living room and got up on the couch and curled up inbetween us and napped.

I also brought him to the vet's a couple of days ago and he's gained a pound since he's been with us (he's 7lbs, 12 oz now), which the vet said was a perfect weight for him. He thinks when he reaches maturity he should be a bigish size (a trim 14 or 15 pounds).he also said Magnus was very gentle as he never tried to bite or scratch him (the vet) while being examined, even when he picked him up and carried him like a baby into the other room (I normally put him over with his front paws on my shoulder so he's still upright if I am going to carry him). but he just let himself be carried without complaining. I was afraid that he would be really traumatized since he's a timid fella but as soon as he got home he came out of his carrier and wanted to play.

Some recent photos from this week

Magnus, age 6 or 7 months old.

You are doing a wonderful job helping Magnus adjust to his new home. 

Thanks so much for this good news update and sharing more photos of your handsome boy. 

You are a gorgeous boy Magnus. 

Magnus is a gorgeous cat, and you're such a patient mom with him.

He may always be "your" cat, and not your husband's, because of the things you mentioned.  Familiarity is the main thing.  But, hey, Sterling will walk across me in the bed to get to my wife and cuddle with her, so I guess I know my place in the universal scheme of things.

Thanks XO and Mr. Blanche
 

mrblanche said:

Magnus is a gorgeous cat, and you're such a patient mom with him.

He may always be "your" cat, and not your husband's, because of the things you mentioned.  Familiarity is the main thing.  But, hey, Sterling will walk across me in the bed to get to my wife and cuddle with her, so I guess I know my place in the universal scheme of things.

Click to expand...

lol!

my last cat Harley, used to walk across my face on occasion when I was in bed, but I think that's 'cause he was not so agile anymore.

I was really hoping he'd be "our" cat because my last cat was "my" cat and just basically tolerated my husband - I had him before I ever met my husband and when he (Harley Cat) died and we adopted again, we wanted to have one that was both of ours. it's true he may be slightly partial to me, and that is OK, but I still want him to be lovey with my husband too. 

I know he's been away for a couple of weeks (he does petsitting and he is taking care of some other person's dogs while they are holidays) so he has not been staying nights here while he's been doing that and that's probably not helping. When he's finished petsitting I'm going to get him to spend a couple of days just working on bonding with Magnus.
 

My goodness he is beautiful!  You've done a wonderful job. 

thanks RAFM

I realized that I made some mistakes with my last cat (in regards to nutrition, for example, as there were a lot of things I didn't know when I originally got him) so I wanted to make sure I did things "right" this time around (also, with Magnus being a former feral cat, I knew he'd be a little trickier to socialize than some other kitties).

He was a total spaz attack this morning, running around the house and jumping all over the place lol.

Now's he's hanging out in the office on an extra chair while I attempt to play catch up on some work

Just catching up on all the news on MAgnus. He has certainly come on in leaps and bounds and looks very settled. I think he will probabaly cmoe round to both of you eventually - it is obviously in his nature to be friendly, but will just take a bit longer with your husband because of familiarity with you. Whenever it is possible I would get your husband to feed him, even if it means a meal being a little late occasionally!

Thanks Jenny

He seemed a little bit calmer around my husband tonight. It might have also been because he was feeling sleepy. lol

Your Magnus is just Magnificent and you are doing so great with him. He looks SO happy and well loved :heart3: Glad you are enjoying TCS too