Adoted Rescue Cat is Hiding. Help!

[boo_kitty1953]

on 8/24 i picked up jacob from a non-kill rescue shelter where he had been living for 10 months (since he was 2 months old). the shelter resided another 15-20 cats. he was locked in a kennel for about 20 hours of any given day. he had about 5 - 6 othere people care for him (them) on any given day.

he has a very shy nature, but friendly and when i went to select a cat to adopt he caught my attenion, since he came straight to me and it seemed we bonded. after i brought him home for about 2-3 hours he sat with me on my bed, then for a bout 4 hours observed his new home from under the bed.

later that night he discovered his hiding spot behide a small opening of my kitchen counter. no pipes or opening in the wall to fear he can escape, but the area is too tight for me to get him out of hiding (i thought that be a good idea anyhow). at night when i am sleeping, he eats his food, sits on my kitchen table, uses the cat litter box an occassionally peaks his head around into my bedroom door "to check" on me.

i would love to start "getting to know him" but when i slowly approach him, talking to him softly, he disappears back into his spot for 10-12 hours at a time.

i was told he might hide for a while (2-14 days). any one out there with any ideas how i can make jacobs transition from a shelter environment to a single cat home easier.

he is neutered, has all his shots, nails are clipped and has a clean bill of health. he eats well, drinks well, uses the litter box, and i talk to him gently even if i don't see him. i keep noise levels to a minimum (no vaccum, mixers, etc.) i rescued a cat from a shelter before, he never acted that way, but he was only in the shelter for 2-3 weeks before i got him. he died at the age of 17 4 years ago, just letting you know that i am not a "cat" noob.

any advice would be highly appreciated how i can help jacob. thank you!

 

[jennyr]

Well done you for rescuing this poor boy from a place that if well-meaning could not offer Jacob a real quality of life. But he is naturally scared and unsure - his tiny world has suddenly expanded and he can'r deal with it. It is is good that he is eating and coming out to explore when you are not there - he obviously wants to get to know his surroundings, but at his own pace. This is absolutely normal and in fact better than some cats at this stage - I had one once who stayed behind the sofa for 6 months, even to eat.

I would not try to get him out by force - that will freak him out. Play some soft music to relax him, try some Feliway spray around the room, but most important, spend time in there without trying to contact him. Sit on the floor, read aloud, if he comes out do not move and above all do not make eye contact - he will interpret this as aggression. Let him learn that you are part of the furniture and let him get to know your voice. You can also put something that smells of you (a sweaty T shirt?) under his food bowl, so that he associates your smell with good things. Be assured that he will come to you eventually and you will feel wonderful. Have some treats to hand so that when it happens you can give him something nice. There is nothing as good as the trust of a cat that is scared.

 

[begemot]

I think you're doing everything perfectly! I would say to just keep doing what you're doing, and if he hasn't stopped hiding after two+ weeks then maybe start to get a little worried. I've had new cats -- or old cats in a new apartment -- take days or weeks to stop hiding.

Also, a little noise isn't a bad thing. Cats generally like to watch activity around them, so long as it's not scary (vacuum, party).

You could also try putting a little catnip at his hiding place. I find that after the initial craziness it has relaxing properties. Mine get very lazy and relaxed for a long period after the hijinks. (Here's link that I just found that discusses it, so I'm not the only one.)

 

[stephanietx]

You can get some toys on wands and play with him to entice him out. Also, sit on the floor next to his hiding spot and read to him so he gets to know your voice. The other thing you could do is confine him in a room in your house (like the bathroom or a spare bedroom) until he's comfortable with you. Once he's comfy with you, you can allow him more access to the rest of the house.

 

[boo_kitty1953]

it gave me direction and confirmation not to push jacob. i keep ya all posted in a few days how he is coming around. the first 36 hours i didn't see him at all, the last 24 hours i made 4 appearances and show himself to me (after eating!) staring at me with is big yellow tea cup eyes and no worries, i didn't move towards him, nor did i stare back, i just lowered my head and spoke softly to him.

i have to admit, the accommodation in the non-kill-shelter for the cats was far from perfect but i am grateful volunteers taking out the time to have saved each one from certain death.

thanks again

 

[kat013]

Be sure to blink at him slowly, whenever he initiates eye contact with you, and use sleepy relaxed partly-closed eyes when looking at him. Likewise, if he blinks at you, blink back. The blink is like "I trust you." Also speak in high pitches to him. Chirruping high-pitched truncated meow sounds are what mothers use with their kittens.

 

[jack31]

We went through the same thing with Harley when we brought him home, he had been in the shelter for 4 months. What I finally realized was that it was apparent that Harley had spent very little time in an actual house, he had lived on the streets, so everything was scary in our house. He did come around and is the sweetest cat in the world-but really the key has been letting him do and try things on his terms.

 

[callista]

Okay, so let's see...

You're a small cat and you've lived in a cage for a while, and most of the time you had lots of smells of other animals, but you didn't have a lot of contact with people. The people were nice, but they didn't have lots of time to play with you.

Then you get stuffed into a carrier and go with a person who seems not too threatening, but whom you don't know; so you're not too sure about them yet. They take you to a quiet place that hasn't got nearly as many other-animal smells as you're used to. There's food to eat; it's not the kind of food you're used to, but it's edible and that's a good sign. You have a litter box that's probably cleaner than you're used to. So you figure you'll probably be okay here, despite the way your brain is constantly sending Alarm! Alarm! New place! New thing! New smell! signals at you.

But the place is huge. You're worried you might get lost and be unable to find your food or your litter box. Things happen that you've not seen before, or not seen for a long time. There are strange lights and strange movements. But, being a smart sort of a cat, you realize that there are spaces here that are small and comforting--the sort of places where your back and sides are covered, and you can keep a good watch on this new world and its human inhabitants without anything sneaking up on you. It's nice to have a small place that you can call your own.

Of course, you're also a pretty curious cat. You want to find out new things. But your sensible nature says that new things could be dangerous; so until you've scoped out those new things for yourself, thoroughly, until you've learned the people and their tendencies, you will probably stay in your small places where you feel safest. The people do look interesting. They're the ones putting your food out for you, and they're not making any sudden movements, and it doesn't seem like they're going to grab you around the middle and yell "Kittykittykitty!" into your sensitive ears. But you're going to stay here until you know for sure they won't do that. You're a smart cat; you're not taking chances.

 

[boo_kitty1953]

to Callista

very well written!

jacob is slowly coming out of his shell and showing himself. checking me out, watching me when i am not lookingm and at times makes an appearance when i call him by his name.

the prescence of the smell of pouched chickenbreast is yet another bonus for him and he looks forward to that occassional treat.

he now lets and looks for being petted on his terms: him under the bed and me laying next to him on his level. his rubbing up to me and purr are my treat from him. he licks my hand as i pet him and occassional i get a soft "love bite"(?)

patience has its payoffs, i will continue to work with him on his terms.

thanks for your feedback.

jacob's mom