Anyone here know much about Cat Psychology ??

bull01lay

Hi all,

My wife and I have a new cat - a 7 month old Blue Smoke Persian named Olly (pedigree name is Pannonius Olympian). Olympian he is too - weighing in at 5kg already !!

He's extremely timid, and hides pretty much constantly, meowing (squeaking now cos I think he's made his throat sore, poor mite). Any attempts to go near him result in him hissing and running away. Then, all of a sudden, he'll just run up for a fuss, then the next time you see him, he hisses again and legs it.

I know it's a new home for him, and he's just been removed from his siblings, but is this normal behaviour ? If so, how long is it likely to last, and how can we help him feel more at ease?. The breeder says just to leave him alone, and he'll come around to us. I'm worried we're gonna end up with a feral cat skulking around the house. We're also having his mum in a couple of weeks time, and hope that will help him to settle. (both neutered)

Any tips or advice would be greatly received!

Thanks,

Bull!

blondie

1katorinthians 2:16 (with apologies)

"For who has known the mind of the ~~Lord~~ Cat
that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of ~~Christ~~ the Dog

Nathan Natas

Congratulations on your first contact with alien intelligence!

In a nutshell, yes, this is pretty much a normal kitten response to what you have already recognized is a scarey situation for the young 'un.

The best way to acclimate the cat to his new home is to simply let him be. Make sure he has a clean potty, and food and water, and that the food and water are not near the potty. Make sure he has some cozy places where he can feel secure. Cats enjoy being up high, so buying or building a six-foot tall "cat tree" is something he will appreciate. He will also want something on which to work his claws, and for some reason those scratchpads made from end-cut corrugated cardboard is realy BIG with cats. They love them, ESPECIALLY the inclined ones!

Having taken care of all the necessities, spend some quiet time in your house. When he is ready, he will come out, tentatively at first. Always let the CAT make the first move. Don't rush after him to pick him up - he has no reason (yet) to think you aren't going to eat him.

I'm not a REAL cat behaviorist, but I have found the books by Pam Johnson-Bennett to be filled with insight and wisdom.

"We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taken form so far below ourselves. And therein we err, and greatly err. For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and complete, gifted with the extension of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth." -- Henry Beston, ~1925

Lady Lee

Nathan gave you good advice.

Years ago I adopted a cat from someone who got him from the SPCA. She had him for his first year and told me he hated being picked up. He never got used to her. Well I took him and the other cat she had (a real smooze who loved people).

In the beginning I could not even touch Sierra. He hated everyone. But once I went to bed that stupid cat would come to sleep on my pillow. He did this right from the beginning.

After a few months he made it clear that he wanted my arm out from under the blankets so he could line up his paws along my arm or use my hand for his pillow. He would go on the bed over my shoulder and stick his paw under the blanket and tap me very gently to let me know he wanted my arm.

Sierra was the most gentle of animals once he trusted me. It took months for him to let me hold him. But after a year he would let me hold him for a few minutes. He had to come to me though. It was always on his terms. He never got used to other people and would run to hide when any stranger came in. He never stopped hissing at kids. I would just leave him to go hide until he thought it was safe.

Take it slow with Olly. You might want to try some tuna flavored cat treats. I read somewhere that the smell of tuna is irresistable. It sure worked with my two cats

blondie

Any attempts to go near him result in him hissing and running away. Then, all of a sudden, he'll just run up for a fuss, then the next time you see him, he hisses again and legs it.

I adopted a cat like that. I gave him a month. He hid in my closet. I just made sure the cat box was clean and that water and dry food were out (only dry food or your cat box will smell). Every day I went to the closet to get my clothes and he hissed at me. By the 29th day I thought, "gotta get the carrier ready." Then on the 30th day, as if he had understood me, me came and and rubbed against my ankles and jumped into my lap and purred. I have owned a few cats and he was the most affectionate one ever.

You just can't figure cats.

jeanniebeanz

You just can't figure cats.

This is pretty much as close to Zen wisdom as I have seen on the board... lol

I have never had a cat that failed to come around given time. One though, took a very long time. She wanted to be near me and would sneak up behind me and huddle a couple feet behind, purring. I could not touch her though for many, many weeks. It was very slow going for her and she was always skittish. She also seemed to develop an attachment to only one person in the house, my little son. I could pet her just a bit and she'd split. However, our son could pick her up and drag her all around the house and she'd just purr..

What Blondie said.

Jean

bull01lay

Thanks for the advice, and the encouragement guys - it's much appreciated.

We had a kitten session this morning - lots of purring and fuss - so much so that it was difficult to get out of the house and go to work - physically and emotionally. I melted on the spot and would have stayed fussing him all day if I could've done - every time I tried to close the door, he tried to get back out for more fuss! Some references I've found on the net say that he's probably lonely too, adding to his distress of moving home / family.

It seems that he feels comfortable being fussed on the stairs - so long as I let him initiate the contact.

He's dribbling a lot at the minute, so I think he's cutting his back teeth, which could be another reason for the withdrawal and meowing - pain.

Desperate to get back home now for another fuss!

Bull!

defd

Is this serious? All I know my cat was acting up once by constantly darting outside everytime we opened the door. This cat is an indoor cat and has been since we got it. 6yrs of being in the house. Then one summer it started doing that. Consequently it brought in a bus load of fleas in the house which drove us nuts. So I said, "You wanna be outside?, fine!" I took it for a long ride and dropped it off at a farm somewhere.

HOWS THAT FOR CAT PSYCHOLOGY?

D.

under74

cats are weird. My mom took a tiny kitten in when I was 15. She wouldn't make a sound and didn't want to be touched. 16 years later the cat won't shut the hell up and constantly wants attention. A little while ago it looked like the cat was going to die (and was hiding in my mom's basement the whole time) but it turned out with medicine she has a while left. She's now a pain in the ass again when I'm at my mom's because she wants to be sitting on you and petted even though I'm allergic and not really a pet person. But she's elderly so I guess that's good.

alreadygone

Defd

You're a man after my own heart. I hate cats.

Anyone here know much about Cat Psychology ??

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