Is my rescue cat making progress?

[Bettie]

This is wonderful! Verbal communications is a great sign and also requesting for treats is considered good contact. You can hide the treats in your palm and let her sniff your palm and while she is sniffing your palm, gently brush her cheek. Let her get use to this motion.
Try playing a ball with her and see how she responds to it.

Looks like she’s settling in well. Keep it up!

Thanks! I'll give it a go... Will probably take a fair few attempts, she isn't that confident with hands. She'll sniff my finger after treats, but shies away.
I have handed her a few treats directly from my hand, but usually I have to place them down before she'll actually take them. I'm working on trying to get her used to my hands nearby.
Oh yeah! The other thing she does is hit my hand with her paw if I am too slow with the treats - she is super gentle with it, but the message is clear. "Drop the treat please!"

 

[Eurocat]

Hi
Thanks for the update - that’s wonderful and she is truly gorgeous!!
She reminds me so much of my little (ex) semi feral regarding her expressions and her poses in her first months with me. (Who has now become a complete cuddle bug with me and my partner, but initially retains a high level of distrust to other unknown humans).
I think your kitty is a very smart, sensitive and sweet cat who is first shyly but calmly totally checking you out before slowly starting to melt... But oh is that melting worth it.
It‘s also great that she‘s communicating with you.
You could extend her hitting your hand with her paw to playing „which hand“. (You sit on the floor and show her that you have a treat which you put in one hand and then close both fists. You drop the treat out of the hand if she hits the correct hand.) I find cats get it very quickly. Once she has gained confidence you could just unfold your hand and she takes the treat (I just use fry food) from the palm of your hand. Once she realizes she can touch you and nothing happens (except something positive - she gets a reward!) it could build her confidence and may enable you slowly being able to touch her.
But whatever - I‘m totally sure you‘ll continue moving forward step by step
Look forward to your next update! )

 

[Eurocat]

* edit : I mean I just use DRY food as treats and not FRY food

 

[Bettie]

Hi
Thanks for the update - that’s wonderful and she is truly gorgeous!!
She reminds me so much of my little (ex) semi feral regarding her expressions and her poses in her first months with me. (Who has now become a complete cuddle bug with me and my partner, but initially retains a high level of distrust to other unknown humans).
I think your kitty is a very smart, sensitive and sweet cat who is first shyly but calmly totally checking you out before slowly starting to melt... But oh is that melting worth it.
It‘s also great that she‘s communicating with you.
You could extend her hitting your hand with her paw to playing „which hand“. (You sit on the floor and show her that you have a treat which you put in one hand and then close both fists. You drop the treat out of the hand if she hits the correct hand.) I find cats get it very quickly. Once she has gained confidence you could just unfold your hand and she takes the treat (I just use fry food) from the palm of your hand. Once she realizes she can touch you and nothing happens (except something positive - she gets a reward!) it could build her confidence and may enable you slowly being able to touch her.
But whatever - I‘m totally sure you‘ll continue moving forward step by step
Look forward to your next update! )

I love that!! I'll give it a go!!! Thanks

 

[Kwik]

I love that!! I'll give it a go!!! Thanks

Uhhhh-she is just DARLING,what a cutey pie

Of course we want to know- thanks for the update and the beautiful photos!

She's making great progress and you're not pushing it which is the BEST!!!!She'll be playing after she figures out what exactly you're doing,lol She'll watch until she's comfortable & she'll eventually investigate ahd start to engage..... right now you're building trust as she is searching out tye territory and familiarizing herself ... it's ALL in good time,keep up the good work

 

[tabbytom]

Thanks! I'll give it a go... Will probably take a fair few attempts, she isn't that confident with hands. She'll sniff my finger after treats, but shies away.
I have handed her a few treats directly from my hand, but usually I have to place them down before she'll actually take them. I'm working on trying to get her used to my hands nearby.
Oh yeah! The other thing she does is hit my hand with her paw if I am too slow with the treats - she is super gentle with it, but the message is clear. "Drop the treat please!"

Present to her a clenched fist. A clenched fist looks like another cat's head and cats like giving head bumps.

It's good that she's hitting your hand for treats. She's making the first move in getting contacts. Put the treat in your closed palm and let her hit your fist and when she does that, open up your hand and reward her with the treats. You can just play guessing game with her as in which hand is the treat. Guess it right, gets the treat and guess it wrong, try again. I think this is a good move and it's interactive.

 

[Bettie]

Another update!
She has really found her voice and she is choosing to use it! She tells me when she wants food and/or treats, when she has used the litter tray, and tonight to tell us to to to bed (or at least I assume that's why, we are going to bed later than normal and she is sitting in the doorway to our room just yelling at us! )

I love her so much! We still can't stroke her, but she is clearly getting used to us and trying to train us. I made her a toy out of string because she started attacking my yarn as I knit and she plays with it gently when I'm around; if she thinks I'm not looking (around the side of a door) she will really attack it. She is starting to show how much of a little pest she is going to be and we love it!
Photo of her finding the alcove window we have and discovering it's a purrfect fit.

 

[Kwik]

Wonderful update!Her antics and vocal demands are darling,please be careful using "string" toys , watch her carefully-it can be hazardous playing with strings or yarn or anything like that

 

[tabbytom]

Another update!
She has really found her voice and she is choosing to use it! She tells me when she wants food and/or treats, when she has used the litter tray, and tonight to tell us to to to bed (or at least I assume that's why, we are going to bed later than normal and she is sitting in the doorway to our room just yelling at us! )

I love her so much! We still can't stroke her, but she is clearly getting used to us and trying to train us. I made her a toy out of string because she started attacking my yarn as I knit and she plays with it gently when I'm around; if she thinks I'm not looking (around the side of a door) she will really attack it. She is starting to show how much of a little pest she is going to be and we love it!
Photo of her finding the alcove window we have and discovering it's a purrfect fit.

 

[Eurocat]

That‘s fantastic!
My kitty Kala uses calls to signalize she‘s ready for some play or interaction - often after using the litter tray (I suppose she feels a certain relief especially if it’s no. 2 and often gets the zoomies…), in the late evening and basically whenever she feels like it.
Kala was hardly vocal at all (apart from a bit of hissing) when I brought her in (previous semi feral) and vocally shut down completely after the stress of a couple of vets visits and spaying. Like you, I was then totally ecstatic when she gradually started to find her voice again. She just sat somewhere in the flat and called and I, as her humble servant, obeyed as I wanted to encourage her to communicate. It worked
(As a side note - Kala has always been peaceful at night though and sleeps or entertains herself. But we had a routine from the get go - we have a long play session before I go to bed (in the initial months I was on her time - so I was burnin the midnight oil) and I think she knows generally that I just wouldnt react at night (unless I had the feeling something was off).)
Initially I could always see my kitty‘s fear-based inner conflicts in many areas of interaction; she wanted to play, but she didn‘t, she wanted my company, but she didn‘t, she wanted to be stroked, but she didn‘t.
But in the end she decided that we‘re pretty good company and she spends time with or on me (or under my blankets) as much as possible and she comes to me for protection if she feels insecure. She will probably remain a timid and shy cat around strangers, but I feel so priviliged and moved to have seen her blossom and trust me/us.
And everything is a never ending process with small steps - now 2 years on I still see how she’s evolving, understanding and gaining confidence.. and things will keep moving forward for you too - enjoy and keep us updated! )

 

[Bettie]

UPDATE!
We survived Christmas and New Year. Pumpkin spent a couple of nights on her own (boxing day night and the night of 28th) she seemed okay, I was torn between getting a sitter and just leaving her with an automatic feeder. For longer than a night I would get a sitter, but for Pumpkin's stress and fear levels, we thought alone would be better.

My brother stayed for new year (he worked in wildlife conservation so he is very good with animals, he has befriended wild orangutans and sloth bears during his working life, so he is a gentle giant) Pumpkin hid during the day, but showed curiosity towards him at night, although she kept her distance, it was good for her to have another human in the house and only good things happened. My brother went home yesterday.

This morning a huge break through happened! Pumpkin jumped on the bed and is currently curled up at the foot of the bed. I've been reading a lot about cats and ownership of territory, so we placed her favourite blanket on the bed last night. It didn't take her long to find it an curl up on it, so my plan worked. I'm going to start using the same theory around other parts of the house to build her confidence on areas she is less sure on.

 

[tabbytom]

UPDATE!
We survived Christmas and New Year. Pumpkin spent a couple of nights on her own (boxing day night and the night of 28th) she seemed okay, I was torn between getting a sitter and just leaving her with an automatic feeder. For longer than a night I would get a sitter, but for Pumpkin's stress and fear levels, we thought alone would be better.

My brother stayed for new year (he worked in wildlife conservation so he is very good with animals, he has befriended wild orangutans and sloth bears during his working life, so he is a gentle giant) Pumpkin hid during the day, but showed curiosity towards him at night, although she kept her distance, it was good for her to have another human in the house and only good things happened. My brother went home yesterday.

This morning a huge break through happened! Pumpkin jumped on the bed and is currently curled up at the foot of the bed. I've been reading a lot about cats and ownership of territory, so we placed her favourite blanket on the bed last night. It didn't take her long to find it an curl up on it, so my plan worked. I'm going to start using the same theory around other parts of the house to build her confidence on areas she is less sure on.

Great update!

 

[Eurocat]

Happy new year!
That‘s fantastic and a great sign of trust.
She‘s now totally allowing the mixing of scents - her blanket which is place of comfort and vulnerability (as she sleeps on it) on your bed and place of comfort and place of vulnerability.
I like your idea to try and move her blanket around - will be interesting how she reacts.
My kitty initially only allowed herself to be stroked in some areas of the house, with or without her blankets. These were her designated safe areas. Strangely enough, although on the ground she felt most vulnerable and was most skittish - she did also have some safe zones on the floor too (they were independent of feeding/warm areas - it was quite mystical why she chose that floor space as safe). She also initially made herself comfortable on my bed without allowing touch. But that was still a major breakthrough. I often woke up in the middle of the night to find her staring at me peacefully yet intently (and only a few cms away!) from the night table or from another part of the bed. It was slightly uncanny, but I just let her get on with it, hoping that her final analysis of me would be in my favour.
When, while playing, she started lying on my feet or closely hiding behind me I knew things were moving forward again and then one day, while I was sitting on the floor, she climbed into my lap. After that she allowed me to approach her almost everywhere in the house.
And we just kept on moving forward..
Look forward to more updates!
All the best!

 

[Kwik]

UPDATE!
We survived Christmas and New Year. Pumpkin spent a couple of nights on her own (boxing day night and the night of 28th) she seemed okay, I was torn between getting a sitter and just leaving her with an automatic feeder. For longer than a night I would get a sitter, but for Pumpkin's stress and fear levels, we thought alone would be better.

My brother stayed for new year (he worked in wildlife conservation so he is very good with animals, he has befriended wild orangutans and sloth bears during his working life, so he is a gentle giant) Pumpkin hid during the day, but showed curiosity towards him at night, although she kept her distance, it was good for her to have another human in the house and only good things happened. My brother went home yesterday.

This morning a huge break through happened! Pumpkin jumped on the bed and is currently curled up at the foot of the bed. I've been reading a lot about cats and ownership of territory, so we placed her favourite blanket on the bed last night. It didn't take her long to find it an curl up on it, so my plan worked. I'm going to start using the same theory around other parts of the house to build her confidence on areas she is less sure on.

Wonderful update! You must be ecstatic keep up the good work you are doing

 

[Bettie]

Happy new year!
That‘s fantastic and a great sign of trust.
She‘s now totally allowing the mixing of scents - her blanket which is place of comfort and vulnerability (as she sleeps on it) on your bed and place of comfort and place of vulnerability.
I like your idea to try and move her blanket around - will be interesting how she reacts.
My kitty initially only allowed herself to be stroked in some areas of the house, with or without her blankets. These were her designated safe areas. Strangely enough, although on the ground she felt most vulnerable and was most skittish - she did also have some safe zones on the floor too (they were independent of feeding/warm areas - it was quite mystical why she chose that floor space as safe). She also initially made herself comfortable on my bed without allowing touch. But that was still a major breakthrough. I often woke up in the middle of the night to find her staring at me peacefully yet intently (and only a few cms away!) from the night table or from another part of the bed. It was slightly uncanny, but I just let her get on with it, hoping that her final analysis of me would be in my favour.
When, while playing, she started lying on my feet or closely hiding behind me I knew things were moving forward again and then one day, while I was sitting on the floor, she climbed into my lap. After that she allowed me to approach her almost everywhere in the house.
And we just kept on moving forward..
Look forward to more updates!
All the best!

That's really interesting.
How did you go about trying to stroke your kitty?
We have let Pumpkin sniff our fingers, but we can't get any further than that, she will back off if we look like we are going to stroke her.
I know her recent experiences of being handled haven't helped. She had an ear infection when she first arrived at the rescue centre, so I imagine there was a lot of handling her to get ear drops in etc. So not pleasant for her.

Did your cat initiate contact? I know you said she climbed in your lap on the floor (on a side note my rescue when I was a teenager did that the first day we got her, she was in our tiled kitchen and refused to go near the carpet of the dining space. So I got on the floor and she climbed right in. I was stuck there for hours; frozen and had pins and needles, but atleast she slept. I was her person from there on in. Obviously Pumpkin doesn't trust so easily, clearly has a few more brain cells than my previous kitty )

Sorry side track - any advice on initiating contact? Or just keep to the slow and steady let her know she can trust us and we won't try and tickle her every chance we get?
I'm torn because I am not sure she even knows that touch can be a good thing

 

[price053]

Hi... First time posting...
My partner and I recently adopted a beautiful Ginger girl, she is 2. I grew up with rescue cats, so I have some experience of rescue, but this is my first as an adult.

She has been hiding all the time which I expected (coming up to 3 weeks since we got her now). What I want to know is, is she making progress?
I have been bringing her a spoon with various tests and wet food when I visit her in her safe room. She usually eats the treats, less interested in the wet food (think she is a bit fussy, she seems to like tuna and ham, but I want to be careful giving her too much human food...)
She'll come out at night, play like crazy with her mice toys and then once we are up, she will go back to her hiding spot. Today she decided to go on top of the bookshelf instead of hide. So I gave her treats on the shelf and retreated to the other side of the room. She watched me and eventually ate the treats, then she started to move and jumped off the bookshelf onto the floor and ran into her hiding spot. Did I upset her and scare her into her spot or is this a sign she is feeling more confident around me because she is no longer frozen in place?
I have since given her a spoonful of treats and wet food in her hiding spot and she stayed there. I have noticed she isn't an overeater and when she is done with her treats she turns away from the spoon, I take it to mean she wants the smelly food gone from her spot, so I tend to move it when she turns away.

Sorry I know this is a long post, I just really want her go be happy and feel safe. I think she is happy at night, but I'm not sure how she feels during the day.
TIA

Most gingers are male so it is so cool you have a female .. I don't think hiding like that is a bad thing, she will decompress at her speed. She has come out while you are there so that is a good sign. she just is getting used to a whole brand new world and she will get better .. You are doing good and don't stress her to much right now, some cats take much longer to come out of hiding and the fact she is playing at night to me is a good thing.

 

[price053]

Hi Bettie and welcome to TCS,congratulations on your new furbaby

I'd like to suggest you bring her meals away from her hiding spot-her hiding spot should be her hiding spot and it should remain her space,by giving her treats or food or anything is not enticing her to come out but actually showing her that her hiding spot is not so safe-so she's not getting a chance to settle down when you are in the room and she's uneasy..... just a little insight,cats certainly need their very own space where they can relax until they feel it us safe to come out

You can place her food dish close enough to her hiding spot so she'll feel safe enough to come out and eat knowing she can quickly retreat back to her space if she feels threatened... as she begins to come out for her meals you can gradually move her bowl further and further away---- you see,first cats should be familiar with their environment ,familiarizing with you comes next.....as she gets more and more comfortable in her new territory she will feel confident to get to know you .Cats are territorial,without establishing territory they are very warey of everything around them( of course very social cats only need to explore and learn where everything is because humans pose no threat to them.

My advice is to reel it in and let her get comfortable in her safe room,certainly you should be in there but almost as unintrusively as possible,lie on the ground at a distance she's comfortable with....

Routine is important,predictability makes for a confident ,comfortable kitty-regular meal times etc.....Let her safe room indeed feel "safe" first,sounds like she needs to be socialized,you will cover much ground when you start the process after she is comfortable with her safe room first-doesnt take long but she's got to be allowed to move at her pace....

May I ask what her story is,was she a TNR,a stray,an outside kitty ,how long has she been in the shelter....it would be helpful to know a little background info as it seems she's not had any socialization......

I was thinking the same thing.. I just didn't want to be wrong in saying it ..

 

[Kwik]

Hi
So when you put her food down does she come and eat ,do you stay with her while she eats?
First attempts of befriending kitties is usually with food,right? Though many people put food down and worried kitty won't eat they leave and depending on how " feral" or skittish a cat is usually determined that- right?

As we know it's best a cat be familiar with their environment before one starts to initiate engagement.But they do quickly recognize their food source and that's the best opportunity to introduce " touch' imo

From day one when starting to work with any feline I tap the dish with my finger- if kitty does not come to the bowl I back up and wait and keep backing up and waiting until they do - remaining perfectly still while they eat- sometimes I'd have to be across a parking lot before they'd approach the dish & wait an hour- lol When inside my approach is not much different,I may or may not leave the room but typically if they won't eat I find a corner to wait them out- associating a person with eating is a good start

Having said that it's not a one size fits all ( for the person) but it's my method ( dish, tap,back up, wait) - the tapping is important because that's the signal snd the reason I do this is because my goal is they come to the tapping and I continue to tap as they come closer & closer - the idea is for them to get used to the hand by the dish keeping their attention on the tapping

In a few days they typically will be eating while my hand is near the dish- then I graze their necks with the back of my hand as they are eating and focused on that - before you know it you are petting them while they are eating and their attention is not on you- the food source

I hope I'm explaining & describing well- I don't know many that begin as I do but even so- if the cat comes to the bowl when you bring it( which eventually they will if you don't leave while they're eating then it's a very opportune time to start leaving your hand,tapping and grazing.....

I rarely wait for them to make the first move, it's not forced when you just graze.Its like accidentally brushing against someone when you walk by them.... Back of your hand ,always a fist at first so your fingers aren't sticking out- the cat sees very long scarey claws,he has no idea what fingers are

 

[Bettie]

Hi
So when you put her food down does she come and eat ,do you stay with her while she eats?
First attempts of befriending kitties is usually with food,right? Though many people put food down and worried kitty won't eat they leave and depending on how " feral" or skittish a cat is usually determined that- right?

As we know it's best a cat be familiar with their environment before one starts to initiate engagement.But they do quickly recognize their food source and that's the best opportunity to introduce " touch' imo

From day one when starting to work with any feline I tap the dish with my finger- if kitty does not come to the bowl I back up and wait and keep backing up and waiting until they do - remaining perfectly still while they eat- sometimes I'd have to be across a parking lot before they'd approach the dish & wait an hour- lol When inside my approach is not much different,I may or may not leave the room but typically if they won't eat I find a corner to wait them out- associating a person with eating is a good start

Having said that it's not a one size fits all ( for the person) but it's my method ( dish, tap,back up, wait) - the tapping is important because that's the signal snd the reason I do this is because my goal is they come to the tapping and I continue to tap as they come closer & closer - the idea is for them to get used to the hand by the dish keeping their attention on the tapping

In a few days they typically will be eating while my hand is near the dish- then I graze their necks with the back of my hand as they are eating and focused on that - before you know it you are petting them while they are eating and their attention is not on you- the food source

I hope I'm explaining & describing well- I don't know many that begin as I do but even so- if the cat comes to the bowl when you bring it( which eventually they will if you don't leave while they're eating then it's a very opportune time to start leaving your hand,tapping and grazing.....

I rarely wait for them to make the first move, it's not forced when you just graze.Its like accidentally brushing against someone when you walk by them.... Back of your hand ,always a fist at first so your fingers aren't sticking out- the cat sees very long scarey claws,he has no idea what fingers are

Hi,

Lots to answer there... yes she comes when we feed her, she often comes when called too, especially for bedtime. She takes treats straight from us and asks to be fed or to play.
She knows our routine really well and when we deviate from it, she let's us know. "Excise me, you are 5 minutes late with my food, this is unacceptable"
She behaves almost entirely the way all my other cats have behaved, except we cannot touch her. We have brushed her accidentally a couple of times when giving treats or feeding and she jumped about a foot in the air. She didn't run away, but she stopped eating and retreated to a safe distance. That was about a month ago now probably. I gave noticed when objects touch her, she freaks out less. Eg if the toy I am throwing for her touches her, she doesn't jump anymore, she just steps back and then plays.
Or if my phone charger brushes her when I'm picking up my phones, she doesn't really react anymore, when we first got her and it touched her, she'd be off back to her safe space

Interesting what you say about fingers, makes total sense! My partner says he thinks we should wait another month or so before we really attempt touching. I think he is saying that because she is making a jump forward in progress at the min and he doesn't want to trigger a set back

 

[tabbytom]

Interesting what you say about fingers, makes total sense! My partner says he thinks we should wait another month or so before we really attempt touching. I think he is saying that because she is making a jump forward in progress at the min and he doesn't want to trigger a set back

You can form your hand into a fist and present your fist to her. A fist looks like a cat's head and cats like to do head bumps. Let her smell your fist and see if he does the first move by smelling your fist. If he smells your fist, it'll good and easy for you to pet him.

Let's say he smells your fist, and the next move for you to do is gently glide your fist along his face from the front along the whiskers to the ear. If he does not smell your fist but stay put and not run away, you can also make the first move by gliding your fist along his face. This is the first step. Repeat several times.

After several attempts and he is ok, after you have reached his ear, slowly open up you fist and glide your back of your hand from the ear to the neck and then to the back. No sudden moves here and do not over do it till he gets much use to it.

Again, repeat the action and maybe have a treat to reward him after he lets you touch him.