3-5 month old cat, quite skittish, inconsistent behaviour

[purplebubblegum]

Hi, Ive got a hold of a Siberian cat. Hes between 3-5 months and is quite skittish. The first day I brought him back, he seemed skittish but I left him in the bathroom with some food, water and a litter box. I left his crate open and didnt force him to come out. After a few minutes he wondered around the bathroom and seemed to be okay, still skittish but I expected that considering he had just come from being stuck in a cage to being in a new environment.

After I got back in the evening, he seemed a little settled in the bathroom. Didnt mind me petting him at all and really seemed to enjoy it. Once I let him out into my bedroom, he went totally ballistic. He ran around the back of the bed, towards the front, where there is a rug, and runs into the dresser, then round the back again and towards the front, and when he gets to the rug he flips out. He does this a few more times and finally calms down a bit under a bench in front of my bed.

He doesnt seem to have issues with me petting him and will seek out attention but only when Im near the sides of the bed and he has a tendency to hug the walls and sides of the bed, he doesnt seem to enjoy open spaces. Im guessing because he feels vulnerable in an open area. If Im sitting at my computer in front of my bed he refuses to approach me. The slightest squeak from my chair causes him to dash to safety. He does sit underneath the bench in front of my bed, so he can see me sitting at the computer but he wont dare approach me.

He does seem quite curious, as he does explore the bathroom when Im there and will have a look under the sink and in the cupboards. But the bedroom seems to totally freak him out. I have a feeling this is due to him being confined to small spaces for a long time, so he feels more comfortable in small areas.

Id like to help him settle in better and try to help him move past his skittishness, as he doesnt seem to have an problems being petted but its holding him back a bit. It appreciate any suggestions and if you'd like to know anything else about him let me know.

Thanks.

 

[rad65]

Theres not much you can do except be patient. A skittish kitten like that needs time to adjust to a new environment. It can take weeks for a cat to fully settle in depending ontemperment and past experiences. I don't think you'll have nearly that difficult a time since he's a kitten, but make sure you keep him confined to your bedroom until he acts normal in there, then you can start letting him have more access to the house.

Cats don't view houses as places to live, they view them as their territories. That's why they scent mark things, and it explains why a new environment is such a huge change for any cat. And since cats hae change, his behavior is expected.

 

[condocat]

I adopted a stray kitty last year who was extremely skittish after he was brought indoors. It took my husband and I weeks to try and calm him down with no luck.

Finally our vet suggested we give him a capsule of Pregnenolone in his food once a day. It's a natural additive you buy at the health food store that acts as an anti-anxiety. In 24hours we had a calmer more managable cat. In about a month we weaned him off of it and he's doing much better, a little skitsky at times but 80% improved.

Check with your vet and see if this might be an option for your kitty.

 

[mrblanche]

You know, I think there may be a clue in what you say about "hugging the wall."

I wonder if he's been kept quite a while in a cage and doesn't feel secure out in the open yet? Did you get him from a breeder, a shelter, or what? I see that you kind of think the same thing...

A big cat tree, possibly with enclosed boxes on it, might be what he needs to feel better. Height is security for cats, and they like enclosed places.

 

[crabbypink]

It may have something to do with this breed. We have a 3 year old Siberian, and she's not very friendly. Or rather, friendly exclusively on her terms. She won't be held much, won't be petted much, won't eat what she's fed and won't sit in your lap. But, she will come looking for scratches and occasional stroking, stay for a few minutes, then go find a good hiding place. Our vet said he hadn't much experience with this breed, but he has heard that they aren't very social until they are older - about 5.