Adopted world's most frightened cat

[i'mnotsofast]

If you don't want to feed it, give it to a shelter or someone who does want to feed it. You can't take a cat in from an advert looking for a "good home" to a cat and then just let it go off and fend for itself from your neighbours because it won't sit on your lap? What did you think the advert meant by a good home? You need to take responsibility for it. If you've changed your mind and don't want the cat, you need to find someone who does - not wash your hands of it.

Well, what more can I do? As I said, I am not planning on stopping buying catfood and putting it out every night and sitting there as still as I can while the cat comes in and eats. And I've started this thread for further advice.

I didn't let the cat go off because it didn't sit on my lap. It got out when the patio door was open, disappeared for a fortnight, and we've been feeding it since it reappeared.

There is a Celia Hammond near here, but I don't think I stand much chance of getting the cat into the cat-carrier (which we do still have) seeing as I can't even get the lounge window shut while he's inside.

 

[felixthecat]

Oh and try to keep her in for the next month! If she comes in to eat, close up all exits and be very careful every time you open a door. The Feliway will help her calm down and she'll find a hidey hole - behind the sofa, in a wardrobe, somewhere dark and enclosed. Just carry on as usual around her and don't try to fuss her. Make sure her litter tray is somewhere quiet too - the bathroom is often a good spot.

All of this is just from experience of new scared cats - its what has worked for me.

 

[felixthecat]

BTW sorry I called your boy cat a her!

 

[i'mnotsofast]

get it hooked on catnip, like you are a pimp

Hah, now this is a good idea!

 

[i'mnotsofast]

I too can't understand why you got a cat if you wanted and are used to dogs.

A cat was never gonna be right.

You'll just have to carry on as you are, either that or find someone that wants a farm cat, reckon it'd be happier in that kind of environment.

We looked after a friend's large soppy English Pointer dog for a couple of months immediately before we got this cat. And yes they could not be more different. The dog slept under the duvet with me! But he was useless at catching mice....

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Just carry on as usual around her and don't try to fuss her. Make sure her litter tray is somewhere quiet too - the bathroom is often a good spot.

I agree. No smothering (not that OP's getting a chance), but ignoring her a bit might make himr feel a bit more relaxed and let him get on with doing his own thing in his own time - when he's ready, not you

 

[gaijingirl]

Well, what more can I do? As I said, I am not planning on stopping buying catfood and putting it out every night and sitting there as still as I can while the cat comes in and eats. And I've started this thread for further advice.

There is a Celia Hammond near here, but I don't think I stand much chance of getting the cat into the cat-carrier (which we do still have) seeing as I can't even get the lounge window shut while he's inside.

Well I gave you some advice above.

Firstly you need to be patient and rethink your expectations, it's only been a month. You've taken on a cat that has had some bad experiences by the sounds of it. Felix has given some good tips too (but you will need to get the lounge window shut first).

But seriously, if you don't want it - don't leave it to your neighbours to sort out. Call Celia Hammond or similar and get them to take the cat back.

 

[Geri]

You do really need to get him back into the house and keep him there, so he gets used to it as his home and territory. He will never come to you and sit on your lap if you are some stranger who just gives him food.

 

[i'mnotsofast]

Oh and try to keep her in for the next month! If she comes in to eat, close up all exits and be very careful every time you open a door. The Feliway will help her calm down and she'll find a hidey hole - behind the sofa, in a wardrobe, somewhere dark and enclosed. Just carry on as usual around her and don't try to fuss her. Make sure her litter tray is somewhere quiet too - the bathroom is often a good spot.

All of this is just from experience of new scared cats - its what has worked for me.

Put the litter tray in the bathroom? Euurggghhh!

I have to say one thing I was not used to was the nauseating smell when I had to empty out the cat litter tray. The cat actually escaped when I opened the patio door to go outside to do it.

That is why I would be happier with the cat being an indoor/outdoor cat, so it can do its business outdoors as well as having the fun of exploring neighbourhood gardens. One of the reasons its previous owners gave the cat to us was because we have a garden, and they didn't think it was fair for the cat to be cooped up in their tiny flat all the time.

Though I understand the subject of whether cats should be kept indoors/outdoors is a subject of a lot of debate, and if anything the "indoors" school seems to have won.

 

[Geri]

You don't have to keep it in forever, just until ihe gets used to the house and considers it as his base. It's a good idea in this weather anyway.

 

[Yu_Gi_Oh]

Put the litter tray in the bathroom? Euurggghhh!

I have to say one thing I was not used to was the nauseating smell when I had to empty out the cat litter tray. The cat actually escaped when I opened the patio door to go outside to do it.

That is why I would be happier with the cat being an indoor/outdoor cat, so it can do its business outdoors as well as having the fun of exploring neighbourhood gardens. One of the reasons its previous owners gave the cat to us was because we have a garden, and they didn't think it was fair for the cat to be cooped up in their tiny flat all the time.

Though I understand the subject of whether cats should be kept indoors/outdoors is a subject of a lot of debate, and if anything the "indoors" school seems to have won.

Yeah but even if it's going to be an indoor/outdoor cat, you still have to keep new cats indoors for a month to settle them in!

 

[colacubes]

It took our cat from Battersea 3 months before he'd stay in the same room as us, Another year before he'd even consider sitting on our laps, and another year after that until he wouldn't hide when a stranger came in the flat.* You have to be really fucking patient. We've had him 6 years and he still doesn't like being picked up. Some cats just don't like some things. One of my Mum's cats will not sit on your lap - next to you yes, but not on you.

*He's a right attention seeking slut now though

 

[lizzieloo]

You don't have to keep it in forever, just until ihe gets used to the house and considers it as his base. It's a good idea in this weather anyway.

You do this with any new cat Imnotsofast.

 

[gaijingirl]

You do this with any new cat Imnotsofast.

and also, to add to Lizzie's post - if you move house - you do it all over again.

 

[Ax^]

catch it and hot box it

*not sensible advice btw*

 

[i'mnotsofast]

Last night I tried tying together a couple of cables and fastening them to the latch on the window. I wanted to see if I could pull the window down by pulling the cables down, without having to move from the sofa. It didn't work, unfortunately! The other idea I thought of is to have a blanket or something fastened halfway up the window frame, that I could pull down when the cat is inside, to cover up the open window. Or to put its food bowl inside the cat crate, and see if he will go in there to feed him, and if I can chuck a blanket over it when he's inside. (I couldn't fasten the metal grill, too fiddly).

But the cat is about 1/500th of my weight and 1000x faster than I am....

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Put the litter tray in the bathroom? Euurggghhh!

I have to say one thing I was not used to was the nauseating smell when I had to empty out the cat litter tray. The cat actually escaped when I opened the patio door to go outside to do it.

That is why I would be happier with the cat being an indoor/outdoor cat, so it can do its business outdoors as well as having the fun of exploring neighbourhood gardens. One of the reasons its previous owners gave the cat to us was because we have a garden, and they didn't think it was fair for the cat to be cooped up in their tiny flat all the time.

Though I understand the subject of whether cats should be kept indoors/outdoors is a subject of a lot of debate, and if anything the "indoors" school seems to have won.

Cat litter deodoriser makes it smell not quite so bad, so might be worth getting that

 

[Geri]

I'm feeling really sorry for the cat now - please try and get him in tonight, not leave him out to fend for himself.

 

[Corax]

The cat is obviously very tense, so you need to break the ice with it a bit.

Next time it's eating, leap from the sofa making a roaring bear sound as loud as you can. The cat will see the absurdity of the situation, you'll both laugh, and you'll be much more comfortable with each other from then onwards.

 

[i'mnotsofast]

Oh yes I have also been lighting candles and playing ambient music each night, having read somewhere that this would appeal to cats.
It's quite funny, it feels like I am trying to romance it....

 

[i'mnotsofast]

I'm feeling really sorry for the cat now - please try and get him in tonight, not leave him out to fend for himself.

Well, I've seen him already today. He appeared at the window about 3pm, which is early for him. I think it shows he's getting more confident that we now sometimes see him in the daytime. But I had closed the window because there was an arctic wind coming in. I got up to open it, to see if I could let the cat in, but he jumped down off the ledge and ran off. The window's now open and I wouldn't be surprised if he turns up again soon.

 

[i'mnotsofast]

The cat is obviously very tense, so you need to break the ice with it a bit.

Next time it's eating, leap from the sofa making a roaring bear sound as loud as you can. The cat will see the absurdity of the situation, you'll both laugh, and you'll be much more comfortable with each other from then onwards.

Haha, this sounds like a great way to bond!

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Oh yes I have also been lighting candles and playing ambient music each night, having read somewhere that this would appeal to cats.
It's quite funny, it feels like I am trying to romance it....

Yeah, until cat decides to sniff candle and set his whiskers on fire

 

[lizzieloo]

Get some of this and keep it inside for a bit, you'll just have to cope with having a shitty tray in your house for a while, it comes with getting a cat.

And read soj's thread

http://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/feliway-feline-facial-pheromone-diffuser.287731/

 

[purenarcotic]

I'm sorry, but it really sounds like you didn't do a lot of research when you decided to get a cat and I have no idea why you've expected so much from a rescue cat, who are in rescue shelters because they have had a difficult or abusive start in life, so require extra love and care. Not that many cats are lap cats anyway, that's quite a rarity. Most seem to just put up with us invading their territory because twice a day we feed them tasty crap in jelly and they get the odd tit bit of chicken.

The next time the cat comes in, you need to shut the window. It is absolutely freezing outside at the moment and it's not safe to leave an animal out in the cold for hours on end like that. That doesn't mean you never let the cat out again, just that for the next few weeks it can start to adjust and get used to a house. Use Feliway to calm the cat down and also just leave it be. Get a comfy cat bed and put it somewhere quiet and warm with lots of blankets so that it can hide away somewhere cosy and feel safe.

Talk to the cat lots in soothing, reassuring tones. Praise it lots while it's eating, get some cat treats and leave them about the house for the cat to find. That'll help the house to be associated with nice things. Accept and expect that for the first few weeks the cat will be jumpy as fuck, but it will get used to things and it will become less jumpy. When you go out the house, leave the radio on at a fairly low volume; not a music channel, but something like radio 4 or another station where it's mainly all talking. For one, this will give the cat a bit of stimulation and it will also help the cat to get used to human voices and sounds.

Get some toys (you can pick up packets of toys from poundland) and again, leave them around the house. As the cat grows in confidence, you can start to throw the toys about and get the cat used to the idea of playing with toys. You should get a scratching post too.

Cleaning up a cat litter tray is horrible, but tough shit, that's what you take on when you have a cat. You can get very good cat litters that do a good job of masking the smell, there's also powders you can sprinkle on litter that also help to erase odour.

 

[temper_tantrum]

I'm feeling sorry for the cat too.
Look, it will take ages to gain the cat's confidence and you are probably scaring it by paying too much attention to it. First things first, can you not appreciate that it is FUCKInG cold out there Nd you need to provide it with some outdoor shelter, SHARPISH???
If you can't appreciate this point then I really don't think you're cut out for cat care, I'm afraid.
Whatever else you do, PLEASE find some kind of kennel or shelter for it, NOW. The poor thing.

 

[i'mnotsofast]

Feliway looks good, something for once we have got the cat inside though!

 

[pogofish]

One of my cats was and still can at times be really nervous.

When we first got her, she hid under the bed for a full fortnight and only came out in the very dead of night to use the litter tray and get a quick bite to eat before scuttling back under.

Then one day I opened a bag of crisps and all of a sudden she was straight-up on the chair arm beside me asking for one! I had found one of her favourite treats.

Then I introduced her to catnip and eventually she would come to me and be petted without problems.

Over the years since, she has become socialised to a couple of other people but if a stranger or any other untrusted person comes in about, she is straight-off to hide. Most usually she waits till I get into bed then jumps up on the chair beside me and demands to be stroked. When she's really scared, she climbs under the covers of my bed and hides there but most of the time she is happy with her enclosed warm bed in a quiet corner of the house or various spots in the garden where she spends a lot of time in the summer. Till she hears the rustle of a crisp bag!

This Feliway stuff does seem promising and there are quite a few past threads here about it - A good number of folk have found it effective. It is also far cheaper to buy from Amazon, compared to most pet shops - £13 for 60ml as opposed to £27 in the shops!

 

[lizzieloo]

Feliway looks good, something for once we have got the cat inside though!

it's going to be very cold tonight, just watched the weather.

 

[i'mnotsofast]

I'm sorry, but it really sounds like you didn't do a lot of research when you decided to get a cat and I have no idea why you've expected so much from a rescue cat, who are in rescue shelters because they have had a difficult or abusive start in life, so require extra love and care. Not that many cats are lap cats anyway, that's quite a rarity. Most seem to just put up with us invading their territory because twice a day we feed them tasty crap in jelly and they get the odd tit bit of chicken.

The next time the cat comes in, you need to shut the window. It is absolutely freezing outside at the moment and it's not safe to leave an animal out in the cold for hours on end like that. That doesn't mean you never let the cat out again, just that for the next few weeks it can start to adjust and get used to a house. Use Feliway to calm the cat down and also just leave it be. Get a comfy cat bed and put it somewhere quiet and warm with lots of blankets so that it can hide away somewhere cosy and feel safe.

Talk to the cat lots in soothing, reassuring tones. Praise it lots while it's eating, get some cat treats and leave them about the house for the cat to find. That'll help the house to be associated with nice things. Accept and expect that for the first few weeks the cat will be jumpy as fuck, but it will get used to things and it will become less jumpy. When you go out the house, leave the radio on at a fairly low volume; not a music channel, but something like radio 4 or another station where it's mainly all talking. For one, this will give the cat a bit of stimulation and it will also help the cat to get used to human voices and sounds.

Get some toys (you can pick up packets of toys from poundland) and again, leave them around the house. As the cat grows in confidence, you can start to throw the toys about and get the cat used to the idea of playing with toys. You should get a scratching post too.

Cleaning up a cat litter tray is horrible, but tough shit, that's what you take on when you have a cat. You can get very good cat litters that do a good job of masking the smell, there's also powders you can sprinkle on litter that also help to erase odour.

Great post, thanks. Just to be clear, I didn't get the cat from a rescue shelter. I got it from a young couple who posted on another forum. They didn't mention in their post that it had been a rescue cat, it wasn't until I travelled 90 minutes to get to their place that they told me this, and they told me in the context that it had been neutered and wormed and microchipped etc.

If anything it sounds like the most irresponsible person in this story is guy who got the cat from the rescue home in the first place and then couldn't look after it. He passed the cat on to this couple, who had the cat for a month. They did everything they could to look after and bond with the cat, but were unable to keep it because they lived in a tiny flat with no outdoor area and a landlord who didn't permit pets.

I know I need to get the window shut, but I am on the other side of the room and can't get over there without the cat smelling a rat, so to speak, and running out. Hold on, I'll do an MSPaint...