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#11
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Very shy cat...I need help
cshenk wrote:
"bertoiaj" wrote cat...another female three years old. It was thought that the two girls would become friends an keep each other company....but since I Not so fast, especially if she or your other cat are 'only cats'. That means one who prefers to be the only cat in the house. My adoptive cat Daisy is like that and we knew it in advance from the shelter when we picked her. Daisy will tolerate another cat at a distance, but thats it. Weirdly, she bonds to dogs so I got a cat and dog, sleeping in sin together. got the new cat in late December she has been living in a spare room under a bed....she eats and uses the litter box, but whenever I enter the room she is hidden under the bed. I have gotten her out a number of times and she purrs and does like to be petted and brushed, but the moment I let go of her she hides under the bed. So, it does not Give her time. This can take at least 3 months. That she comes out for you, is a good sign. Daisy was a no-see'um cat for 3 weeks. Then, she came out one night to paw my lap. Next night, we saw her playing with the dog but she ran when we came in for another month. A year later, she bitches at me if I don't go to bed when she wants me to be there to make the bed warmer. Huffs off and curls up with the dog.... I agree that you've given her little need to walk out as of yet, but I see no need to rush it by dismantling 'her hidy hole'. I also don't see picking her up and walking around with her, unless she tolerates that well. Daisy still can not be picked up. If your new lady does tolerate that, then it's fine to do so. have them in the same room together the other night...my cat was not pleased...and hissed and growled. The new cat just hid under a coffee table. ( I live alone and work until 5 each day,so I have limited time to spend with the cats. Let them work it out without forcing it. It seems to me you have a 'dominance issue' which is not abnormal. The new cat hiding this long means 'uncle' or 'I give' but the pre-existing one will occasionally remind the new one 'I'm Boss Cat'. So I am at a loss....I want the new cat to have a better quality of life than hiding under the bed 24/7.....any advice? Time. It was just December you say and this is just late Jan. When we got Daisy, the foster folks and the adoption agency both said 'you will not find this cat for 2 months at least and may be longer'. It did take 3 weeks but after that it was pretty straight forward. Lets look at it from another view. If you'd been left loose to fend for yourself in the wild, then found a home, then moved, you might be a bit hesitant at the start too. I do agree to start a wet treat twice a day. You have to do this for *both* of thm though and best not in the same room just yet. Another mentions you dry feed (I must be blind as not seeing that) so I'll digress on how to shift that with 2 kitties. The dominant one will steal the food of the other one, especially at the start and definately if she can eat it all. You probably should start that with a closed door between the two then slowly you can shift to feeding them at opposite corners of the same room but it's gona be a long time before you can use a 2 feeder bowl for both and it's actually not smart to push that at all (memories of 2 cats who liked that but most want their *own* dish). You'd make the first feeding before you go to work. This can be pretty quick if you need to. Second one after you get home with more petting time allowed based on your schedule. Free feeding may be ok, but I'd opt for one free feed bowl between both of them, and separate water and wet feed. I just know it worked when i integrated new cats. BTW, dominance interactions can be interesting if you don't let it get out of hand. Daisy and Cash have their wet morning and night, and a lunch nosh of broth with a bit of meat. Same room but she's up high. Reason is he'll eat her food if he can, but he's more apt to have leftovers and she'll jump down, push him from his bowl, and grab a kibble (he gets kibble and wet mixed). This can be pretty amusing when the 'Boss 4foot' is all of 9 lbs and the 'underling Dog' is a mixed beagle and bull mastiff weighing 54 lbs. I was only basing my comments on casual personal experience. I have no REAL experience rehabbing feral or scared cats. I think OP will be able to take a little from each response, use what works and forget the rest. I found especially interest the person who's friend had lots of experience with feral cats. Btw, ITA - the dominance interactions can be interesting to watch. I have 5 felines - 4 are a momma and 3 of her babies (all siblings) - there is one "boss" cat among them who rules those 4. Then there is my oldest, from another place altogether. SHE is the true dominate cat. She walks thru a room and all the other 4 topple over like broken toys, onto their backs into submission - even the "boss" cat of the 4. They definitely have their own sub-community in this house. |
#12
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Very shy cat...I need help
"Poe" wrote
cshenk wrote: I was only basing my comments on casual personal experience. I have no REAL experience rehabbing feral or scared cats. I think OP will be able to take a little from each response, use what works and forget the rest. I found especially interest the person who's friend had lots of experience with feral cats. It's fine! I havent seen any 'bad' advice at all on this particular thread, just a few paths I would take a bit differently. I am no professional at this either. Just integrated cats many a time, and now a slightly still feral cat to a dog who used to be a hunting dog. (now type softly for a bit, they are asleep in the bedroom with her curled to his belly). Btw, ITA - the dominance interactions can be interesting to watch. I have 5 felines - 4 are a momma and 3 of her babies (all siblings) - there is one "boss" cat among them who rules those 4. Then there is my oldest, from another place altogether. SHE is the true dominate cat. She walks thru a room and all the other 4 topple over like broken toys, onto their backs into submission - even the "boss" cat of the 4. They definitely have their own sub-community in this house. Oh yes! Can be fun to watch if kept in reasonable limits! It's pushing the interaction too fast that can cause the problems. It's rare (from what I have been told by vets and SPCA etc) for a cat to not eventually integrate with another cat household, but now and again you get that 5% of the community. Daisy is that 5%. I can see it clearly in her behavior. She's an odd mix of Boss and fraidy-cat. Poor Cash-pup! At 54 lbs, he's bottom of the pecking order here, below the 9 lb cat ;-) Once he knew that, they got along famously. Now the hardest integration? I had 2 fully clawed cats who were raised together from kittenhood (about 4 months age difference) who were subjected to me adding 2 declawed cats (front and back) when they were 11. The new ones were 8 and 7 years old respectively. (previous owner was going to have them put to sleep because new wife was pregnant and developed cat fur allergies). I was quite worried that adding 2 so terribly defenseless would be a problem. It wasnt really. I just let them take their own sweet time about it. One of the new ones, i found another home for as her nature was to be happier as an 'only cat' (why I can see it so clearly in Daisy now). The other one was a lap kitty who converted from 'dominant' when with the other declawed kitty, to 'bottom of the heap' with the 2 clawed ones but it was not a claw issue. He was just too gentle natured to lead the other 2. He did however teach Roscoe to not pester him. Roscoe (clawed) was all of 6.5 lbs at best and normally about 5.5. Thom (declawed) was about 21. I got to watch this one. One day, Thom just got tired of Roscoe being a little *too* assertive of dominance so he *sat* on Roscoe. Poor Roscoe! You could just see him miffed and going 'get offa me you big galoot!'. |
#13
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Very shy cat...I need help
In article , Poe
wrote: I wouldn't force the cats to be together. Cats will do that in their own time, or not. I have had cats live their entire lives hating each other's guts :-/ On the up-side, I think they secretly enjoy starling at each other and copping attitudes! I agree with you completely. Especially about the cat secrets. Mine are best buddies one moment, hated enemies the other. Definitely Frienemies that occupy the same house. |
#14
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Very shy cat...I need help
On Jan 27, 9:38*pm, bertoiaj wrote:
So I am at a loss....I want the new cat to have a better quality of life than hiding under the bed 24/7.....any advice? Recommendations? sure, fix it so she can't get under the bed or put your mattress box spring on the floor good luck do give her a house to retreat to like, a small cat box, lol something. my cat was the same way looks like the real instinct is, she don't feel to safe somehow it may take year(s)... really sometimes the more you call a cat, the scareder they get as someone on here explained to me they feel like you're trying to "get" them it's better, let them come to you of course |
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