Anyone good with pets? (Cats in particular)

[EthanPSU]

Is anyone here good with pets / cats, or know much about them? Our family friend got into a situation where she is unable to keep her cat anymore so we volunteered to keep it. We have had it for a day now and you can tell it's scared. It just sits in one room and with hiss and growl if we go near it. Anyone know how we can make it comfortable with us? It is a 6 year old cat.

 

[lookame]

You should try to get it something from her old home which smells comfortable to her. Let her adjust slowly to her new environment, it'll take about a week, just leaving her in a single room with a litter box and her thing from her old home and her food and water bowls. She may not eat really until she's adjusted. Get some toys on strings and play with her to get her come out of her hiding spot and swing them around her(these are great because you get her into play without being to close to her making her feel intimidated)

 

[lost kitten]

Cats like to do things in their own time; she'll probably take a few days to adjust to being in a new place and then tentatively go and have a look around the rest of the house. Just try and stay calm around her while she's settling in, or you might end up with some nice big scratches!

 

[DustyKat]

Agree with all of the above Ethan!

Leave it alone to become familiar with its new surroundings in its own time and as has been suggested put some familiar things in the room. Put out food and water and then carry on as if the cat isn't there. Eventually it will venture out when it no longer sees you as a threat.

Before you know it it will seek you out and you will be fighting it for your favourite chair!

Good luck!

Dusty. xxx

 

[kiny]

We tamed our cat by giving her milk and sitting next to the milk (or food if you don't agree with milk like chicken, they go crazy for the smell of chicken), she'll want the milk and she'll come get it sooner or later. Keep moving the milk closer and closer to you each time. Just don't touch her when she drinks.

You can still play with shy cats too, get a string and pull it along side her, most cats go crazy when you move it and they start chasing the string trying to catch it.

 

[SarahBear]

It might help to invite the previous owner over a few times, if possible. Seeing someone familiar might help the cat get used to all the changes. Other than that, familiar objects and waiting it out will probably work. Trying some toys might help, but since it's an older cat there's a chance it might not be interested.

Hope it goes well!

 

[Samboi]

I have four cats and I'm rather obsessed with them!
Integration into a new environment takes time - your parents new pet will settle - it just needs time. Cats can be very anxious animals - so any change to their routine, food being served up, or environment etc can have a profound impact on them. There is a spray you can get that calms their anxiety - but it's expensive and your new buddy will settle in time anyway.
And good on you for offering a loving home to a puss. Cats are incredibly entertaining furry delights. Have fun with your new anipal!!

 

[EthanPSU]

The previous owner gave us everything that she had so she has lots of things she knows. I was surprised today because we have a large golden retriever puppy as well, 1 years old but full size. And she went up to the cat today and all the cat did was the same to us, just hiss and growl. I thought it was going to be worse hah

 

[lookame]

A dog can also be very intimidating for the cat, especially if the cat has never been around a dog before. Try to get some sort of cat furniture with levels so she has somewhere to perch that is all her own and where she can feel safe and scan the environment.

 

[phoebestar]

Hi Try catnip, cats love it . Most cats are calmed by it but some times in makes them hypo. Good luck its worth a try.

 

[Manzyb]

To get the kitty used to the dog, I would get a towel or something and put it where the dog normal lives, or even maybe rub it on the dog, and then put it in the area the kitty is in so she can smell the dog and get use to the scent. When we first brought our dog home, our cats were not happy about it at all, we did this with the dog's sent and the kitties became pretty friendly with him.

 

[EthanPSU]

A dog can also be very intimidating for the cat, especially if the cat has never been around a dog before. Try to get some sort of cat furniture with levels so she has somewhere to perch that is all her own and where she can feel safe and scan the environment.

Hah the previous owner had one of those big cat climbing things and it's like 5 feet. She didn't want it anymore and gave it too us, so the cat has a good place to hide.


And Manzy, thats a good idea, never thought of that. Ill go do that now and just lay the towel in the room as the cat

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Cats can take awhile to get used to new things. Someone told me once that to cats, their world is their home as much as it is their people. So moving with a cat is still traumatic to them because essentially half their world is gone. Add to that being with new people too, and basically the cat's whole world has radically changed! It took my cat a few weeks to adjust when we moved a few years ago, she was mostly okay as long as we were awake, but at night when we were sleeping (we don't let the pets in the bedroom at night), she'd roam the house and sadly meow. After about 3 weeks or so, she adjusted and stopped meowing at night. So give your cat a few weeks at least and just be very gentle - let the cat do things on its own terms. It'll come around eventually, although it may never be friends with the dog (we got our dog a year and a half ago and the cat still isn't super friendly with the dog, ha ha).

 

[EthanPSU]

Oh boy, I wasn't watching the pooch and she got into all the cats toys and slobbered them up....The cat's pissed even more hah

 

[Rebecca85]

Can you get a baby gate across the door of the room the cat is in at the moment? Then the pooch can't get in, but the cat can easily jump over if/when it wants.

 

[RFarmer]

Milk or chicken. Just put them in the room. Water too, and whatever cat food. Litter box.

Don't touch it unless it comes to you. Cats don't like you touching their face or head, but they like touching your hand with their face or head. Does that make sense? If it gets to the point to let you touch it, offer your hand, but let it decide what to do.

Also, when it gets out of the room: if you start walking towards it, and it gets scared or stiff, and starts walking the way you want to go, just turn around. It'll think you're chasing it otherwise.


I have a cat who was abused at his former home, and after 2-3 years is still terrified of us touching his face, or that we're going to step on him. However, he loves to rub his face against our hands.

Cats are weird.

 

[kiny]

Yeah, cats love giving nudges bc it spreads scent around to mark her territory, other cats can smell it and they know to watch out because that territory is from another cat. If she starts nudging your hand it means she loves you because she's marking you as safe.

A cat who is happy where she is will nudge walls, corners, plants, etc.

 

[Jennifer]

Dog wont just slobber on its toys, it will also eat the cat poops. Those tasty treats are called "litter logs." Gotta keep the cats stuff in an area where the dog can't go. Other than that I can't add much more than what others have said.

 

[RFarmer]

Dog wont just slobber on its toys, it will also eat the cat poops. Those tasty treats are called "litter logs." Gotta keep the cats stuff in an area where the dog can't go. Other than that I can't add much more than what others have said.

My dog used to do that. Then I went all samurai on her, and she doesn't do it anymore!

I still have a cat that talks to one rug in my house though, so maybe I'm not the best at bringing up pets.