So, I found a stray cat in my backyard months ago and she was super unfriendly. The vet said she would be put down because no one would want to adopt a cat that hisses 24/7. So I adopted her and called her Shyloh.
It has been going really well! She did run away for a week but then came back and now she will let me pat and brush her and hangs out pretty much exclusively in the house. A real improvement.
Yesterday though I think I really broke her trust. I was on a phone call receiving some awful personal news when I heard a smash. I hung up and went to see what it was. Shy had knocked off my Waterford crystal bell that my grandmother had given me before she passed. It was smashed all over the ground and I started crying and screamed at Shy. She freaked out and ran away but I followed her yelling. I was so angry and overwhelmed. I wanted to pick her up and put her outside because she was flying around the house and she obviously needed some space. I think I made it worse by trying to catch her. :/ she ended up hiding in a cupboard and was sort of catatonic. I could touch her and everything, she just wasn't really responding. Then I freaked out that maybe she had hit her head when she was panicking or something!!
She got better quickly though and went to hide in the garage. She came into the house last night and ate some chicken from my hand but hissed a lot and kept bolting every time I moved. I feel so bad and guilty. I really shouldn't have yelled and chased her, it was so mean. I was just so upset by the phone call and the crystal bell. But the poor thing doesn't understand that.
She was probably abused by her previous owners and I feel so so bad that I scared her like that. She probably thought I was going to hurt her and will never like me again. How do I fix this? It's set back months of working with her. I'm such an idiot.
It has been going really well! She did run away for a week but then came back and now she will let me pat and brush her and hangs out pretty much exclusively in the house. A real improvement.
Yesterday though I think I really broke her trust. I was on a phone call receiving some awful personal news when I heard a smash. I hung up and went to see what it was. Shy had knocked off my Waterford crystal bell that my grandmother had given me before she passed. It was smashed all over the ground and I started crying and screamed at Shy. She freaked out and ran away but I followed her yelling. I was so angry and overwhelmed. I wanted to pick her up and put her outside because she was flying around the house and she obviously needed some space. I think I made it worse by trying to catch her. :/ she ended up hiding in a cupboard and was sort of catatonic. I could touch her and everything, she just wasn't really responding. Then I freaked out that maybe she had hit her head when she was panicking or something!!
She got better quickly though and went to hide in the garage. She came into the house last night and ate some chicken from my hand but hissed a lot and kept bolting every time I moved. I feel so bad and guilty. I really shouldn't have yelled and chased her, it was so mean. I was just so upset by the phone call and the crystal bell. But the poor thing doesn't understand that.
She was probably abused by her previous owners and I feel so so bad that I scared her like that. She probably thought I was going to hurt her and will never like me again. How do I fix this? It's set back months of working with her. I'm such an idiot.