Hey everyone. I was recently looking to adopt a cat, and I came across a cute 18 month old Siamese cat. The woman from the organization told me that I could foster him to see how things went. She found him when he was only about a month or so old, and he's been with her ever since. She said that he is scared of new people, gets along well with other cats, and is somewhat of a laid back cat who will usually only play if you initiate it. He wasn't scared of her or her family after while, and she was able to pick him up and pet him all the time.
I've had him for 11 days. I have two roommates, one who also has a cat, so I've kept my cat in my room.
Day 1: I was initially talking to him lots and giving him treats, but he was very scared and was hiding out in a kitty condo. He wasn't eating anything during the day either, he waited until I was asleep.
Day 2: I could pet him, but he often cowered (and still does) when I initially reach out to pet him (I let him smell my hand first).
Day 3: He met the other cat briefly, but he was scared and the other cat ran away too. I decided to pay little attention to him, and that night I came into my room and he was on my desk. He hid behind my laptop, which was fine, except I had homework to do. I slowly walked up to my desk, sat down, and began working. He chilled there for quite awhile before stretching out and having a nap. As soon as I stood up an hour later, he was scared and jumped off. The next day he was scared again and I felt like I was back at square one. The owner told me to maybe give him lots of attention and let him know that I'm safe.
Day 6: I gave him lots of attention, and he was hanging out on my desk, and again napped there for over an hour while I did homework. The next morning we were once again back at square one. In the meantime, my roommate returned the kitty condo, so the cat began hiding in my closet.
Day 8: Late afternoon, I left my bedroom door open and he briefly went out to explore. I tried to get him to play, and for about 20 minutes he hungout under my desk while I tossed a fur ball string with a bell on it towards him, and he was absolutely loving it.
Day 9: He was scared again, and the owner came by to drop off some Feliway spray. He was scared at first, but she held him tight and pet him while he was attempting to escape. Awhile later he was purring and kneading, walking up to both of us and being affectionate. He got a bit too stimulated and was wanting to wrestle with her hand. She stayed for an hour, and quite soon after she left, he returned to being scared and hiding in my closet.
Day 10: He was extremely nervous and scared, and hissed at me about 8-10 times throughout the day. Prior to this, he had only hissed at me twice.
Day 11 (today): The other cat came into my room this afternoon, and they ended up chasing each other back and forth a bit (as cats often do upon meeting each other). When I got home from class, he was hiding under my blankets, as he does quite often while I'm gone. It was getting late and he hadn't ate forever, so I brought him out from under the blankets and fed him. He initially hid in my closet, but soon after came over and ate. Now he's just laying on my bedroom floor by the closet, but I know he'd be scared if I stood up.
Sorry for the lengthy timeline, but I felt it was important to be detailed. I've been patient and tried both giving him lots of attention and petting him frequently, and also paying little attention to him. Both methods have each resulted in him sleeping on my desk on one occasion. I just have no idea what to do next. Should I keep giving him lots of attention, or just ignore him? It seems when we do make progress, the next day he has completely forgotten about the strides we made.
I've had him for 11 days. I have two roommates, one who also has a cat, so I've kept my cat in my room.
Day 1: I was initially talking to him lots and giving him treats, but he was very scared and was hiding out in a kitty condo. He wasn't eating anything during the day either, he waited until I was asleep.
Day 2: I could pet him, but he often cowered (and still does) when I initially reach out to pet him (I let him smell my hand first).
Day 3: He met the other cat briefly, but he was scared and the other cat ran away too. I decided to pay little attention to him, and that night I came into my room and he was on my desk. He hid behind my laptop, which was fine, except I had homework to do. I slowly walked up to my desk, sat down, and began working. He chilled there for quite awhile before stretching out and having a nap. As soon as I stood up an hour later, he was scared and jumped off. The next day he was scared again and I felt like I was back at square one. The owner told me to maybe give him lots of attention and let him know that I'm safe.
Day 6: I gave him lots of attention, and he was hanging out on my desk, and again napped there for over an hour while I did homework. The next morning we were once again back at square one. In the meantime, my roommate returned the kitty condo, so the cat began hiding in my closet.
Day 8: Late afternoon, I left my bedroom door open and he briefly went out to explore. I tried to get him to play, and for about 20 minutes he hungout under my desk while I tossed a fur ball string with a bell on it towards him, and he was absolutely loving it.
Day 9: He was scared again, and the owner came by to drop off some Feliway spray. He was scared at first, but she held him tight and pet him while he was attempting to escape. Awhile later he was purring and kneading, walking up to both of us and being affectionate. He got a bit too stimulated and was wanting to wrestle with her hand. She stayed for an hour, and quite soon after she left, he returned to being scared and hiding in my closet.
Day 10: He was extremely nervous and scared, and hissed at me about 8-10 times throughout the day. Prior to this, he had only hissed at me twice.
Day 11 (today): The other cat came into my room this afternoon, and they ended up chasing each other back and forth a bit (as cats often do upon meeting each other). When I got home from class, he was hiding under my blankets, as he does quite often while I'm gone. It was getting late and he hadn't ate forever, so I brought him out from under the blankets and fed him. He initially hid in my closet, but soon after came over and ate. Now he's just laying on my bedroom floor by the closet, but I know he'd be scared if I stood up.
Sorry for the lengthy timeline, but I felt it was important to be detailed. I've been patient and tried both giving him lots of attention and petting him frequently, and also paying little attention to him. Both methods have each resulted in him sleeping on my desk on one occasion. I just have no idea what to do next. Should I keep giving him lots of attention, or just ignore him? It seems when we do make progress, the next day he has completely forgotten about the strides we made.