terrified new kitten

i got a 5mo kitten this week and shes so shy that ive only seen her about 4 times. shes eating well and using her box; she just hides under my fridge for hours on end. i was told she was shy when i got her. how can i draw chloe out? ive already tried treats; she avoids them.

I would only say, don't try to 'draw her out' - let her gradually decide to come to you. Make sure she has all she needs in easy reach and then just let her get used to the sound of your voice near her. Speak to her, read aloud but otherwise ignore her till she wants to come out. If she doesn't have a bed under the fridge or wherever then maybe you could try putting a shirt or towel with your scent on it somewhere comfortable, but let her choose it, don't force her. Give her time, she will come round - one week is a very short time, especially for a cat who is already timid. Just read the threads here on Pengy and Adelaide and others, who took literally months of patience to get them to socialise even a bit. Yours has presumably not been abused or have other reason to hate humans, so it is not such an extreme case. Good luck with her!

Welcome to TCS, Courtney, to you and your baby! Congratulations on your new addition to your family. This is great advice given by Jenny. With love and time, she will come to you when she is ready. Please do continue to let us know how she is adjusting to her new home.

tonite when chloe came out, i moved the fridge so she cant hide there anymore. she got really mad and kept hissing at me. i thought she was going to bite me. i was afraid she'd get stuck behind the fridge or underneath. now she just hates me apparently

Can you put her in a room that has safer places for her to hide? Maybe you could also try to play with her from afar. Use a laser pointer or a long stick with a feather at the end. That might help get her out of her shell. She will come around eventually I am sure!

I don't think she hates you. She just isn't used to her surroundings yet. I agree with moving her to a room that is pretty safe and letting her hide in there until she is ready to come out and play, eat, go potty.

I would definitely lure her out from under the refrigerator and get her in a room where you can close her off safely. Use baby gates stretched vertically in the doorway to keep her contained. But being under the refrigerator is not safe for her-

try giving her treats and or a little bit of smelly food such as tuna or prawns so shes associates you with nice things. you dont need to hand feed her, you can make a game of it by throwing the food and letting her retrieve it.

make her a 'safe room', i used my bedroom when i got maverick. just make sure there no where she can get lost or stuck and every thing she needs is in there. the bedroom is ideal becuase it smells of you and she'll associate your scent with being safe.

she doesnt hate you, shes just scared! her whole worlds been turned upside down and she just needs a bit of time to get used to you.

spend as much time as possible in the same room as her but ignore her. when shes sees you dont bite you can play with her with a cat wand or by throwing toy mice for her.

she will come round eventually and when she does she'll be a very loving cat becuase of all the time and effort you've put in.

good luck!