Aloof

I was visiting a friend of mine in Chicago this weekend. She has a beautiful 2 year old cat named Stella that she picked up from a shelter about six months ago. However her owners have not been able to pet or really get near her since they first brought her home. She has a collar on and I think it might be a little tight but, since no one can get near her no one knows. I even tried to play with her with some string, but she's not responsive. She stares at you and then runs away if you get too close.

I don't know what all they've tried because she seems pretty upset about it and I didn't want to press her. I think they pretty much leave her to do her thing and feed her. She will meow at you but she just wont let you get close enough to touch her.

Does anyone have any suggestions for helping this kitty warm up to her family? It would be nice if they could at least have some contact with her if only for health reasons.

I'm going to send my friend a comfort zone plug in and some cat nip. But any other ideas would be very welcome.

She sounds like one of the cats in our local shelter, who has been "invisible" for the past year. Maybe the Feliway will help, or perhaps she just needs a lot more time. Our last cat was a feral, and it took about 2 1/2 to 3 years till I got him to the point where I could pet him (on his head only), and my husband was never able to touch him. I basically let Straycat be, but sat on the floor and talked to him a lot.

Some cats are very shy, especially at first. You might recommend that your friend sit somewhere quiet and talk to the cat. The goal is to get the cat to come to her, rather than her going to the cat. That way the cat feels safe and in control of the situation.

My cats know the sound of the treat container. Maybe she could get a container of Pounce or some other treats and rattle it. Then she could leave a treat somewhat near the cat, but far enough away so that the cat doesn't run. Then the cat might learn to associate the sound of the container with something good. If nothing else, they would be able to get her to come near them when needed for health or safety reasons.

Just some thoughts.