Should a skittish cat be an only cat?

eatrawfish · Apr 27, 2005

A friend of mine has a cat, Trigger, right now with an unfortunate background. Trigger was a stray (maybe she had previously had an owner)until another friend of mine's father found her and took her in. Unfortunately he passed away last year rather suddenly, and I helped relocate Trigger with her current owner.

Unsurprisingly she is a very skittish cat. When new people come she runs and hides and doesn't come out for a long time. Even with her current owner she will run hot and cold, sometimes acting like a playful kitten and sometimes freaking out and running and hiding (the feather toy terrified her at first).

We've been wondering if she would do well with another cat, or it would just freak her out more. We've never seen her interact at all with other cats, even ones she sees outside (she's indoor only). Does anyone else have a skittish cat? Do you have others? What do you think?

My friend is not planning on adopting another cat soon (for economic reasons) but we've both wondered if she should even think about it.

yayi · Apr 27, 2005

My Joji runs away and hides from people. If people insist on bothering her she will bite. She doesn't like any of my other cats. She even treated her brother (RB) like he wasn't there sometimes. With me she isn't a lovey dovey either.
She's like that and she won't change. I won't try even to change her either.
I think Trigger is like Joji. Although you can never tell with cats. Trigger may change in time or stay like that for good, like my Joji.

j171978 · Apr 27, 2005

My Calico cat is very skiddish. We got both cats at the same time. The shelter said that the calio was 'good with other cats'. That is so NOT true. She's getting better. Give the cat some time and maybe she will come around. We've had our two cats almost a month and she's already doing better.

Our male cat was fine and dandy after about an hour.

elizwithcat · Apr 27, 2005

My cat was never abused, but he is a scaredly cat due to being sickly. He also hides when people come over and runs away from me. But he gets along great with my other cat, so, just because this cat is skittish, doesn't mean she can't get along with other cats.

emma's friend · Apr 27, 2005

Emma was a feral kitten and is very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very timid. When my parents come for a visit she'll hide for about the first two days they're in the house and only on the third will she even begin to venture out. If I swoop down on her too fast she'll bolt and hide. We already had Mac when she joined our family. She seems fine with him and has made friends with Grace since she came to live with us.

haitwun · Apr 27, 2005

Baby Boy is the most skittish cat ever. He never comes out from under the bed until he thinks i'm fast asleep and he only comes out to eat and drink. Nothing gets him out. Treats, time, toys, nothing! Once i got curious as to what he does down there all the time so i started checking on him from time to time. He just lies there. Occassionally he grooms himself but other than that, he is pretty boring. Sometimes, i just pretend that i'm asleep and wait til he comes out. He knows. And once i just kept my head turned to other way but as soon as he knows i turned it too look at him, he makes a mad dash for his usual hiding spot, bumping and smashing into things along the way. If I am anywhere near his food he will not eat, no matter how long it has been since he last ate. After having him for 5 months, i'm convinced he is never going to change. Whatever. As long as he scratches only his scratching post and does his business only in the litterbox, i'm content.
Don't be discouraged about your own little kitty. There are alot of cats like this. As for bringing another cat into Triggers life, you never know until you try. Sometimes, they just prefer the company of another cat instead of the company of a human.

nano · Apr 28, 2005

I think the owner should allow Trigger to experience some consistency and become comfortable for a while. Evaluate at six months and then re-evaluate at a year. By that point, Trigger will have acclimated about as much as possible and then the owner should determine what is the best for everyone involved.

It will be difficult for me to mix Nano with other cats. Sometimes she will stand on the windowsill and inquisitively look at the outside cats, and I can begin to imagine her enjoying a feline roommate and maybe even having a friend. Other times she goes into "attack mode" and kicks at the window with her assertive bushy-tail raised up high to establish herself with the outdoor cats in the parking lot, and I have to admit there will be lots of work and time involved in maintaining tranquility in any multi-cat household where Nano is involved. But Nano and I have spent four months together and things are still evolving as time passes.

emma's friend · Apr 28, 2005

Originally Posted by haitwun

Baby Boy is the most skittish cat ever. He never comes out from under the bed until he thinks i'm fast asleep and he only comes out to eat and drink. Nothing gets him out. Treats, time, toys, nothing! Once i got curious as to what he does down there all the time so i started checking on him from time to time. He just lies there. Occassionally he grooms himself but other than that, he is pretty boring. Sometimes, i just pretend that i'm asleep and wait til he comes out. He knows. And once i just kept my head turned to other way but as soon as he knows i turned it too look at him, he makes a mad dash for his usual hiding spot, bumping and smashing into things along the way. If I am anywhere near his food he will not eat, no matter how long it has been since he last ate. After having him for 5 months, i'm convinced he is never going to change. Whatever. As long as he scratches only his scratching post and does his business only in the litterbox, i'm content.
Don't be discouraged about your own little kitty. There are alot of cats like this. As for bringing another cat into Triggers life, you never know until you try. Sometimes, they just prefer the company of another cat instead of the company of a human.

It took me about 4 months to get Emma to let me touch her. I didn't try and lure her out, she just finally started jumping up on the bed. I hope your cat will finally come out, too.

5catsandcountin · Apr 28, 2005

One of our last kitten fosters was like this and we decided to keep her. We had to leave for 10 days and it took 6 days for her to come to my mom and stop hiding form under the bed. I personally think a friend is a very smart idea. We have never had a cat NOT come around and make friends with the others.

eatrawfish · Apr 28, 2005

My friend has had Trigger for about 6 months, and I think she is improving. She will let me pet her when I visit, although she tends to run into the other room after a bit, and then run back for more a few minutes later. She cuddles with my friend at night, and plays with her, but still freaks and runs off sometimes.

My friend probably won't get another cat for a while, but it sounds within the realm of possibility. I think waiting another 6 months may be a good idea too though.

dawnofsierra · Apr 28, 2005

I agree perhaps Trigger should be allowed to get comfortable with her new situation before the introduction of a new family member is considered.

Sierra is very skittish. She is an only child and likes it that way! Every kitty I've tried to adopt into our family has quickly become a foster. She becomes extremely upset and depressed, hiding and refusing to eat. Not to say that this will be Trigger's response, though, just sharing Sierra's.

sashacat421 · Apr 28, 2005

Originally Posted by j171978

My Calico cat is very skiddish. We got both cats at the same time. The shelter said that the calio was 'good with other cats'. That is so NOT true. She's getting better. Give the cat some time and maybe she will come around. We've had our two cats almost a month and she's already doing better.

Our male cat was fine and dandy after about an hour.

This is what I think, too. Each kitty will be different, no matter what. What a shelter sees might not be true when you get them home - it can take awhile, new environment, etc etc etc. But a skittish cat who has some permanent wiring in their personality to be that way with humans might do surprisingly well with a buddy cat at home. But make sure you take your time, don't rush anything. They are not on human time.

ilovecats · Apr 29, 2005

I don't think so. Our Orei is so skiddish, he was almost thought unadoptable. But when we added Princess, he got more confident, because he had a friend around.

Should a skittish cat be an only cat?

eatrawfish

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yayi

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j171978

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elizwithcat

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emma's friend

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nano

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emma's friend

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