I need help now!

We brought home a cat from a farm that was going to have a bad life, and we brought him into our home last night. The minute he got here, he ran under the bed, and hasnt come out, untill we NOW just tried to get him out of there with some tuna. He freaked out, and jumped all over the walls, and was bring pictures down, and absolutly going crazy, and almsot hurt himself very badly. He is now in our closet on the very top shelf. So we put his tuna up there, hoping he'd eat.
So 2 questions: how do we get him down, because he probably wont get himself down....He would claw our face if we did it manually.
And how long should we let this go on? he's freaking out, and I'm actually scared of him. But he's so cute.
HELP US!

Awww he must not have ever been in contact with humans, poor little thing is scared to death! Try to keep him in one room( with a door) keep the room quiet as possible and as dark as possible. Try not to make extra noise around the house like vaacuming, anything really loud and spooky. I say let him stay up there in the closet as long as he feels, as long as he has food and water up there. Whenever you talk to him, which you should try to do as much as possible, talk real quiet and soft. If you have time sit with him as long as you can even if you dont talk to him just so he knows you are there and gets used to your scent. Good luck I hope some of my advice helps you a little. He will climb down out of the closet when he is ready

Thanks so much, but Im still scared of him. I mean, I have never seen anything like that in my life. He was like an acrobat. And I think it was all because he wanted to get up on that top shelve to feel more secure. But he's so scared,
how long do you think he will stay up there?
and it's a pretty far jump, and I know they dont like going down. I just dont want him to think he's stuck up there.
He IS scared to death. So very very scared. And it's scaring me. I just dont want him to freak out and get me.

I have some experince with this. Having had feral cats around our place for years, I hope I can help. I think that I would scratch anyone who touched me if I were in the same position. I would give him some time. If it is safe for him to be in the top of your closet, let him be. Is there a way he can be closed off in a certain area? I would suggest leaving him in the basement or upstairs, close off one area. Let him get used to the idea of being in the house, let him learn about his new surroundings. I don't think you can rush this. Remove everything breakable & anything he could harm himself on. There isn't really a way I know of to figure out how long to let this go on. If he was a feral cat, he may never readily accept people. If he had interaction with people, he may just be really really scared. Make sure he knows where the food, water, & litter are, and give him a chance to explore. They say when you bring a new cat into a home, give it a few weeks to adjust. Good luck!

Edited to add: Is there any way you can make a stair step down for him? If you can stack something more stable, he might get out of the closet easier. If you really have to get him out, find a pair of thick gloves(we used leather) and something to cover your face somewhat, and..well..grab him. We had a cat that felt really safe in a Pet Taxi. If you have one you could leave it for him to hide in. He might feel really safe in it.

He did have interaction with people, But not to the point where he KNEW people. The lady that gave him to us only fed him from time to time, and when she did, she would pet him and she said he would purr. So that IS a good sign, but he's not acting like he's ever even seen a person before.
He's never actually been IN a house, but I just fell in love with him, and I want him to happy he's in a nice warm house that has good expensive food for him.
So you say it takes weeks?? weeks before he even interacts with me?
He is in our bedroom, and he was under the bed last night, and tonight it looks like he will be staying on the top shelve in the closet.
Just let him do everything by himself?

OK I've been in your shoes.

Keep him isolated to one room. Have food and water at one side of the room and a litter box at the other.

Do NOT attempt to pry him out or force him out to interact with you. You need to gain his trust as he truly is frightened and has no idea you are the good guys.

Spend time in the room sitting on the floor/bed and just quietly talking to him or reading to him. (We sat on our bed in our bedroom and watched TV and would occasionally talk to the kitty for 4 full weeks before he came out.)

Do not stare him directly in the eye as this is an indication of a challenge to a cat. When you look at him slowly close your eyes and talk gently to him. We call those kitty kisses.

You need to be very patient and let him come to you when he trusts you enough.

In our particular case, Simba would run back behind our headboard as soon as we came into the room and would not come out while we were there. After a couple weeks he would come to eat but if you so much as put your hand or foot over the side of the bed he would run back into hiding. My husband wanted to catch him and return him but I managed to convince him to be a bit more patient. At the end of 4 full weeks, Simba finally let me touch him, by the end of 2 more weeks, we had the most amazing lap cat you would ever want to meet. My daughter and I neither one could sit without him wanting to be on us.

Just be calm and patient and let him come to you. Forcing him out will be the worst thing you can do as he will mistrust you.

I just want to add that if you are all freaked out and stressed he will pick up on your feelings and make him more tense. Try to relax and not be frightened of him. If you don't force him or try to grab him against his wishes, he is not likely to attack or bite or scratch you.

I am no expert on this, but from what I have read maybe I can give you some tips until someone more experienced can help you on this matter.

First I would try and get the cat into a room where it can be left alone and to get used to the surroundings, living indoors etc. Maybe where you can go in and spend some time, read aloud that way it can get used to your voice. Or just clean or do something that way it can get used to you. Of course don't vaccume or anything that would scare it. Just try to stay in the room and that way it can get used to human presence and realize that there is nothing to be scared of. Also put it's food, and water and maybe litter box for a while in the room.

This will take time, remember that. It's a gradual process but eventually it should work.

Best of luck and best wishes.

thank you thank you so much. This has all been very helpful. It just breaks my heart to know he's so scared.

I was pretty sure to just let him be, but I didnt want him to stay under the bed forever. But I am glad he's in the closet now, because he can see me better.

He's just so scared, and I instictivly want to help him. He was raised with a bunch of other cats, and we have a cat here, but I kind of get the gist that they should NOT be introduced to each other for a while.

But you guys dont think he will lash out at me if I'm just in there like picking up or watching TV? Because I am afraid to sleep in there now.

Once again thank you for all of this help, and I am so glad I came upon this forum before any other ones.

Oh hey, one more question...How long should I wait before getting him fixed? Let him get used to the house and us first? Or do it now while things already suck for him?

You have a lot of excellent advice!! Just wanted to say good luck and be patient with this kitty. Even kitties who have human contact take awhile to adjust in a new environment.

Winnie (who is Stormy's sis) came to us 9 months after Stormy because my sister couldn't keep her anymore, it took her a week to come out from under the bed) and another week or so to come out of the room.

And Francine came to us last year when my brother and SIL couldn't keep her anymore and it took her over a month to come out of the room.

Bless you for taking him in to give him a better life first off. All the advice you've been giving is great. My family and I found a feral cat once years ago and it took 2 weeks for her to come out and interact with us. I'm sure you'll find that your patience will pay off and you will have a friend for life.

Do not fix him yet until he gets used to you guys!!! He will associate you with the pain. Also, since he already stressed out he might pick up a URI or something while he is at the vet. I would not worry about him attacking you while you are in the room. As long as you dont try to pick him up or anything. If you can't stack something up by the closet for him to jump down on, hang a towel or something over the edge and he wil shimmy down that ( make sure it is secure) Do not nail it though the hammer will scare him. tape it or push a tack or push pin through the wood on the shelf. do not stare at him!!! It will freak him out! talk to him so he gets used to your voice. Take your most recent shirt you had on and took off, put it up in the closet by him so he can get used to your scent. DO NOT INTRODUCE HIM TO THE OTHER CAT YET!!! He will be even more freaked out. Honestly all and all it will probably be about 2 months until he is "normal" don't try to rush it! Good Luck.

P.S. How old is he?

This is information I gathered from posts by Hissy and other experts.

Bringing Home a Scared New Cat

Preparing your home for the new cat

Select a small room where you can isolate the cat for a few days. A quiet bedroom works best in these situations.

Place the following in this small room:

• If possible, the kitty should have two litter-boxes, one to urinate in, and the other to defecate in and you should plan to scoop the boxes daily.

• Provide the cat with new glass or metal food bowls (plastic harbors bacteria). Never place food or water bowls near the litter boxes.

• You might invest in a ComfortZone diffuser. This emits a calming “friendly cat†pheromone that will make your cat feel more welcome in her new home.

• Make sure the new cat has a good place to scratch. The large cardboard scratching pads you can buy at PetsMart are cheap and excellent. (Adult cats need the wide scratching pads. The thin pads are best for small kittens.) Remember that scratching is a genetically based behavior. All cats (even those who are declawed) need to scratch, so make sure your cat has an appropriate place to scratch (scratching pad or post) so she does not use your furniture or rug when engaging in this normal cat behavior.

• Check your linen closet for an old blanket you don't care much about and give this to the new cat to lay on. Make a nest out of the blanket and place it under the bed or in a secluded corner of the room for the cat.

• Put in a few toys so the newcomer has something to amuse herself with.

Once you return home with your new cat

Seclude the newcomer in the small room, then just shut the door and leave him be for the first several hours.

After these first hours, while the newcomer is isolated, try and go in as much as possible and just sit on the floor and be with the new cat. Try reading out loud to your new cat. This gets him used to your voice. Read very softly to him for a minimum of 10 minutes twice a day (the more time you spend on the floor reading to the cat, the more quickly he will feel safe in his new home).

If kitty hides, just accept it, he will come out to you eventually -- don't ever chase him or force him out of hiding.

Once he becomes used to the sounds, sights, and smells of his new home, he will no longer be frightened and will soon be your best friend.
This process sometimes takes only a couple of hours, but it sometimes takes several weeks. Just be patient and it WILL work. Just remember to never force the cat to come out from hiding.

You might also click here to read about Lucky, a stray cat who sounds very much like the cat you brought home. In this thread you will see the techniques used to help Lucky feel more safe and calm.

Good luck!

Ok, sorry it took me a while, I right away took your advice, and went in there and picked up the aftermath of the craziness that had happened before.
The entire time, I was moving cautiously and was talking to him. I think he liked it.
He was much more interested in me, and I caught myself looking at him a few times and quickly looked away.
As for how old he is...I am not quite sure. He is smaller than our 1 year old cat, but bigger than about 6 months. So somewhere between 6 months and a year.

This poor baby's world just got turned upside down. It sounds like he's never been inside before, doesn't know you, has new sites, sounds and smells to deal with. Your best bet is to just leave him alone for a while. Bring him food at the same time each day - get a solid routine built up with him. Get a book, sit down on the floor and read out loud to him. Play classical music for him (low), preferably harp music (don't ask, it just works). When you sense that he is getting a little more comfortable (could take a long time), get a wand type toy and waggle it around to lure him to you. Always wait for him to come to you - he will do so in his own time. Most of all, simply be patient with him.

Some things to avoid at all costs:
- Standing tall where you are towering over him
- Direct eye contact - if you happen to make eye contact, slowly blink your eyes at him - this is a sign of greeting with cats
- Forcing yourself on him by trying to catch or hold him
- Spraying him with a water bottle
- Loud noises
- Fast movements

Thanks for taking this boy in - he is very lucky to have come into your life!

And btw.....he got up into the closet, he will find a way to get down.

Yeah try spend as much time with him as possible so he does'nt get lonely on top of beeing scared already! Good Luck! It sounds like you are making progress already

I really think me talking to him while picking up really helped a bit. Because he was watching me very intentively the whole time.
And I got to rearrange under the bed so he cant go all the way in the back like last night.
He is just so darn cute, I just want to hug him, but I now know I have got to wait a bit to do that.
He hasnt touched his food though, and hasnt peed or pooped, or drank water scince yesturday at about 1 pm. So it's been well over 24 hours where he hasnt done any of that.
Any help on that?

thanks so much. At the time i wrote this, I was so panicked that I wrote another one in a different forum part on here (im a forum newbie), and they also had helped me so good. I am soo amazed by the help I have gotten on this website. This is just wonderful. the other forum where I was in for a while, is in health and nutrition and i belive it said "help me now!" lol.
I didnt know what else to say. Because that's what I was feeling, and My husband said no one will reply to that because you sound like a noob. But people did.
And I am so greatful for that. All of this help has been great.

As long as it it right there on the shelf for him I think he will be ok. Put some wet food out or a little tuna to stink it up and draw his attention to it. He might start to eat it then.