Adopted breeder cat not socialized

[Runnergirl]

I adopted a 4 year old retired Siberian breeder cat 2 months ago. She growls and lashes out at my husband and me any time we try to pet her. She also hides under our bed and comes out when it’s time to eat or if we’re asleep at night. As soon as we move in the morning she goes and hides under our bed. We try to play with her but she doesn’t like any toys. We also have 2 girl Siberians which are 1 1/2 years old. She is also their mother. One of our kittens is trying to be friends with her but every time they get together the mom growls and lashes out at her. Any suggestions on how we can get her to calm down and come out of hiding are appreciated.

 

[iPappy]

I adopted a 4 year old retired Siberian breeder cat 2 months ago. She growls and lashes out at my husband and me any time we try to pet her. She also hides under our bed and comes out when it’s time to eat or if we’re asleep at night. As soon as we move in the morning she goes and hides under our bed. We try to play with her but she doesn’t like any toys. We also have 2 girl Siberians which are 1 1/2 years old. She is also their mother. One of our kittens is trying to be friends with her but every time they get together the mom growls and lashes out at her. Any suggestions on how we can get her to calm down and come out of hiding are appreciated.

Furballsmom has some great recommendations for helping to soothe stressed cats, but if you haven't contacted the breeder about this I would definitely do so. 2 months isn't a lot of time, but I would want to see improvement by now. Have you seen ANY improvement since she came to live with you? Did you confine her to a single room for awhile? I really hope she relaxes, Siberians are really beautiful cats.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
One thing, with this cat I'd stop approaching her. Basically go about your day and don't focus on her at all. She needs the emotional space to figure things out.

If you can find the time, sit on the floor and read to her, but again, don't look directly at her, this can be seen as aggression to cats and in her current frame of mind it is.

Try Cat Music, and maybe calming products.

She hasn't been abused but there might be useful information;

How To Help An Abused Cat Recover – TheCatSite Articles

10 Must-know Tips For Happy Living With A Shy Cat – TheCatSite Articles

 

[Runnergirl]

Furballsmom has some great recommendations for helping to soothe stressed cats, but if you haven't contacted the breeder about this I would definitely do so. 2 months isn't a lot of time, but I would want to see improvement by now. Have you seen ANY improvement since she came to live with you? Did you confine her to a single room for awhile? I really hope she relaxes, Siberians are really beautiful cats.

When we first got her she was alone in a smaller bed room for about a month. We put a camera in there to keep an eye on her. We noticed she would run around alot at night. So we moved her to our master bedroom because it’s bigger. She is still separated from our other 2 cats but we bring one of them in every once an awhile for about 10 minutes at a time to see how they interact with each other. The kitten wants to play with her but she’s not ready yet.
We have seen improvement. When we first brought her home she would always lash out at us but now not as much.

 

[Runnergirl]

Hi
One thing, with this cat I'd stop approaching her. Basically go about your day and don't focus on her at all. She needs the emotional space to figure things out.

If you can find the time, sit on the floor and read to her, but again, don't look directly at her, this can be seen as aggression to cats and in her current frame of mind it is.

Try Cat Music, and maybe calming products.

She hasn't been abused but there might be useful information;

How To Help An Abused Cat Recover – TheCatSite Articles

10 Must-know Tips For Happy Living With A Shy Cat – TheCatSite Articles

I did try reading to her but stopped. I’ll start that again. We have been using a calming diffuser since the beginning. Thank you for your help.

 

[Furballsmom]

Try unplugging the diffuser for a bit. I've read sometimes they can cause a cat to become more intense. I was initially thinking of other types of calming products, but I actually wonder if she needs just nothing.