Cat Running From Me

[bpenniman]

My orange tabby, sunshine, came from an alcoholic man two months ago. I found him on craigslist. He is 6 years old and the sweetest most playful cat I've ever known. But sometimes, for some reason when he's in the bedroom and I walk in, he runs from me and hides. Also, sometimes when I'm petting him and he gives me a love nip or climbs on the lap, he puts his head down like I'm going to hit him. I wonder if he was abused. If he was, how can I get him to trust me more?

 

[RajaNMizu]

Hi bpenniman. Sunshine sounds like they got very lucky when they met you. Trust is a process that simply takes time. Before you walk into the bedroom, you could announce yourself in a cheerful voice (Hi Sunshine! It's me!) so that Sunshine might learn to anticipate your arrival instead of hiding. Give lots of praise when Sunshine comes near you for lap sitting or pets and try to keep your space as stress free as possible. Best of luck!

 

[Nature9000]

Depending on whether or not the person he came from was abusive towards the cat, we don't know as just alcoholic doesn't necessarily mean animal abuser, he could be skittish or affected by that.

At the same time, when I first got my first cat, Prince, he was five months old and during the first two months he was still very nervous because he was getting his bearings. He was in new surroundings, finally outside of a cage and exploring the area. Eventually he became the confident cat that he is now, and of course, the dominant cat.

That said, just give your cat extra special care. I suggest treats while you're petting him, let him sniff you and investigate you so that he can come to trust you. Have patience and let your new kitty know that he his in a place of love

 

[catlover73]

Some cats take longer to adjust to new environments than others. I agree about announcing yourself when you walk into the bedroom. It seems like sometimes Sunshine gets startled. My Starbuck does the same thing if I walk in the house and she is downstairs. If I see her in powder room or living room. I just quickly say Starbuck mommy is home. She does not run away when I announce myself.

As for putting the head down during interactions on the couch try just talking to Sunshine when he gets on the couch before trying to pet him. You could also try putting you hand out slowly and allowing him to sniff it. See if you can get him to rub his head on you before petting.

Sunshine is doing well making progress in his new environment. The key to earning the trust of cat that may have been abused is time and patience. The cat needs to set the pace of how the relationship develops. Two months is a short time from a cat's perspective. Sunshine is actually adjusting very well in a short amount of time if there was abuse in his past. I have experience living with a cat that was formerly abused and it took her much longer to feel safe interacting with humans. You are doing things right and this may just be that Sunshine needs more time to feel completely comfortable with his new human.

One thing I will mention is that when Sunshine runs away because he is scared give him time to chill out and do not chase him. It is better if you go about your normal routine and let him decide when to interact again it will help build trust.

 

[bpenniman]

He is a very very loving cat when he isn't scared. He will lay on my lap when I read as much as he can. He would 24/7 if he could. He also is extremely playful. My mom got two kittens and my cat is more playful than they are. He has a cat tree and tons and tons of toys I got him. I should add he doesn't exactly put his head down, he flinches, like I'm going to whack him. He's rather obese right now, but I'm not going to cut the amount of food he gets until he adjusts properly. Then I want to move him to a healthy weight cat food or something.

 

[Nature9000]

For the food, here's what I would suggest. You don't have to cut food or switch to healthy weight (unless it is that bad). A lot of brands (I use wholehearted) will have a chart on the back showing the approximate amount of food For a range of weight, that is what I follow