Need Advice For New Cat.

[Tusc]

Hello,
I just got a new kitty! Her name is Blossom, she's one year old, and she's super shy. I've only had her for just over a week now. I am concerned because she has not even begun to acclimate to her new environment. I got her from our county rescue shelter and they told me she was really, really shy. She had been adopted before and that owner brought her back to the shelter after only a week because all she would do is hide.

I have tried to make my apartment as cat friendly as possible. I have toys and a cat tree in front of the window, a scratching post and a nice litter box. When I first brought her home I opened the carrier and left the room for about an hour. When I came back to check on her she was still in the carrier. I put some food out, made sure her water fountain was full and put on some soft classical music. I left her to her own devices until the next morning. I checked the next day and the food was gone and she was not in the carrier. I looked around and found her hiding in the litter box (it was a covered box but I took the lid off so she would not hide in her poop).

She has now found her way under a bookshelf and simply will not come out in the daytime. I have a motion activated camera and I can see that in daylight she hides and at night she comes out just to eat, drink and poop. That's it, no sniffing around, no exploring. Straight to business then right back to her hiding spot. If I come within six foot of her she hides her head in the corner, balls up as small as she can get and trembles so bad. She has yet to make any kind of vocalization.

I suspect that there has been some abuse in her life.

Since she is eating, drinking and pooping I don't think she is physically sick but definitely think she has some emotional issues.

I want to ensure she has the best life possible. For now I just sit in the same room as far as possible but still within sight and read out loud or just sing silly little songs to her. I have tried to pet her a couple times but she gets so scared I feel like that's not helping.

What can I do to help her? Any books that deal with helping cats heal from abuse?

Please help.

Thank You.

 

[RajaNMizu]

Aww, to me it sounds like you are doing all the right things to make Blossom feel welcomed. I think the best thing to do would be to continue what you are doing except trying to pet her. Try not to make much eye contact either so she doesn't feel like you're a threat. I found a few threads that might give you some ideas. A week isn't terribly long and at least she's coming out to eat, drink and use her box. That's awesome! Realistic Expectations For A Super-shy Cat
What Was Your Cat's Behavior Like In The First Day?

 

[littlecatt]

Oh my gosh what a poor sweetheart, you're a wonderful person for adopting a shyer cat! She's going to love the toys and cat tree once she's settled and feels more confident in her environment. It's such good news that she's coming out at night to eat and drink and use the litterbox! Echoing the above advice to avoid the temptation to pet her and just let her be for now. You're doing everything right — just sitting in the room with her and going about your daily routine is perfect.

When she's at the point where she'll come out into the room with you there but shoots back to her safe place when you move or if there's a noise, I recommend tossing some treats on the ground or getting a wand toy like Da Bird. You might still be weeks away from this point however, so just relax and know you've made such a wonderful difference in this cat's life! No need to rush introductions or worry, with some patience she will definitely come around. I've found that shy cats make such wonderful pets. They vanish when there's visitors, but they bond so tightly to their owners and give them all their love.

Do you have the shelter's photograph of her that you can post? We'd love to see her!

 

[Father of furbabies]

Just go about your daily activities and let her adjust at her own pace. It might take a few weeks to become sure and confident enough to be seen.

Look from her pov, a giant just took her from one place (don't know if she was in a cat room with other cats or by herself) to another different place that is totally unknown for unknown reasons.

If that happened to you, what would you do? Hide and only come out when you absolutely needed to till you were sure they were not going to hurt you or come out full of energy?

 

[ArchyCat]

I suspect that you are right. This cat does sound as if she has been abused. If so, it make take longer than typical of shy cats for her to start exploring and inter- acting with you. Patience is the only course of action, I think.

Are there any members of TCS with experience rehabilitating abused cats? Your thoughts and experience would be helpful for Tusc.

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. And congrats on the adoption Blossom. Sorry she's taking a while to get used her new home. She's lucky, though, that she has you.

Eating and using the litter box is good. So at least you don't have to worry about that.

It's possible she was abused at some point in her past. Or maybe she was a stray for a while, and has learned to be fearful of humans. Or maybe she's just a shy/timid cat.

TCS has some articles that may be helpful. I'll post the links below.

And, yes, please post a picture of beautiful Blossom, when you can.
How To Add A Picture To Your Forum Post

Here are the links to the articles:

How To Help A New Cat Adjust To Your Home

How To Get A Cat To Come Out Of Hiding?
10 Must-know Tips For Happy Living With A Shy Cat
16 Top Cat Experts Share Tips For Dealing With Timid Cats

How To Help An Abused Cat Recover

Handling Feral Cats (this one is for feral cats, but might have some tips/suggestions)

14 Cat Experts Reveal: How To Get A Cat To Like Me

 

[maggiedemi]

What helped when taming my 2 shy, feral cats, was teaching them a lot of words, like "Maggie Dinner", in a cheerful, excited voice. I really just tried to make them a part of my day. At first I petted Demi with a long-handled duster, and he really seemed to like that. Some people use a backscratcher or a sock taped to a stick.

 

[Tobermory]

Gaining the trust of cats that have been mistreated or abused and/or have come from a "group home" setting--whether they are in individual cages or in a large room--often takes a very long time and a lot of patience. They've been subjected to a tremendous amount of stress in situations that are confusing and completely out of their control. And they're small, and we're large! It's terrifying for them.

I volunteer at an animal sanctuary, more specifically, in the cat cottage. The adoption successes with the more fragile kitties are the ones where the adopters understand that they're going to have to let the cats re-learn, or learn in some cases, how to be companions. It makes me so sad to see the shy ones returned in a short period of time because they weren't given the time they needed to be comfortable in their new surroundings with new people. I adopted one of them myself last October.

Mocha was about three years old when I brought her home. No one could touch her, not staff, not volunteers, not visitors. But I felt like I could make a difference for her, so a staff member and I tricked her into a carrier and off we went! It took two weeks before she would come out of hiding in her "safe" room. It took four weeks before she'd stop running back in there to hide. And it took weeks before I could lightly touch her. I spent a lot of time sitting in the same room with her, talking to her, encouraging her. I avoided direct eye contact and did a lot of slow blinking.

She will have been part of the family for 10 months on August 13. She's a different girl. She purrs constantly. She never hides. She hops in my lap to sleep (just in the past three months) and often sleeps on the bed at night. She loves to be brushed and to have her back scratched and her tummy rubbed. But...I can't pick her up. That seems to be where she has drawn a non-negotiable line, but that's okay.

There's a cat that people keeps bringing back to the sanctuary. Twice she's come back, and I'm hoping that her new adopter has the patience to let her be herself. She purrs when you pet her and rubs her face on your hand, but she's so shy and easily frightened. Noises scare her. Lots of people around scare her. Other animals scare her. But she has a sweet personality and wants to be loved by someone.

Give Blossom time. You have to soft and gentle and patient. Watch her body language and let her go at her own pace. No quick moves, no reaching out suddenly toward her. Get down on the floor and put your hand out with the back of your hand toward her. Let her come to you. She'll do it eventually (after your arm practically falls off from holding it out) and will bump your hand. It will be such a great feeling!

She'll get there! I'm so glad she has found someone understanding.

 

[huxleysmom]

I would suggest sitting on the floor, not too close to her and just be in the room with her without paying attention to her specifically. Read a book out loud, but with a soothing voice, work on your computer, maybe listen to some classical/soothing music not too loud. Do that a few times a day for a while and hopefully she’ll start feeling more comfortable and was threatened by your presence. When I first got Huxley, he was hiding on top of the stackable washer and drier for a while. I did this and on day 2, he must have decidedly I was okay, jumped to the floor and came testing next to me. Now for you it might take longer, but she’ll come around eventually. The most important is to let her come to you and to not force it.

 

[catlover73]

If there is some unknown abuse in this cat's history it is great that she feels comfortable enough to eat, drink and use the litter box at night. A week is a very short amount of time for a shy kitty that has possible abuse issues to adjust to a new home. Just continue to sit in the room she is in on the floor. For now do not try to pet Blossom yet. She needs to be allowed to decide when she is ready to make contact. The best thing you can do for Blossom is to continue to work on her being comfortable with you being in the room first. Time and patience are going to be the key to her getting comfortable around her new human in her new home. With a cat that has been abused it is more than just being scared of being in a new home they actually have to learn that humans are safe. It takes more time to build trust with a cat that has been abused. The best thing to do is let the cat set the pace of the introduction.

I adopted a young adult cat years ago that had been abused and then abandoned. You are already one step ahead of where I started. I had to teach my Baby-T that it was safe to even eat cat food. She was scared to eat any kind of cat food. It was a very long process to earn her trust. Once I was able to earn her trust she turned into one of the most loving cats I have ever been around. Blossom is a little younger then my Baby-T was when I adopted her.

There is hope in this situation for you even if it does not seem like it right now.

 

[Tusc]

Thank you all for the replies and advice. I woke up this morning and she was in her cat tree! Just long enough to get a pic then she was gone Even if she never opens up she'll still have a safe and loving home.

Here's my new girl, Blossom

 

[Tobermory]

Oh, yes. I know that body language well. Here’s Mocha, terrified at the sanctuary before I brought her home in October, followed by a shot of Mocha in December at home. I did have to zoom the lens because she was still skittish but you can see the difference in her posture. I now have several photos of her in my lap and chllin’ with the other cats but I won’t bore you with those!

I love the name Blossom. Sweet little girl.

 

[rubysmama]

Awww... pretty Blossom. She does have that weary look in her eyes. Hopefully she'll quickly realize she's in a loving home now, and will be able to relax and enjoy her new life.

 

[meowpassion]

don't push her, from what I have read, a cat/kitten usually needs about 2 weeks to get used to a new place. However, it might sometimes take even a month

 

[maggiedemi]

Oh, she's pretty! Is she a Calico? I love the way she's glaring at the camera.