- Joined
- May 7, 2019
- Messages
- 50
- Purraise
- 38
Hi everyone,
My cat, Gracie, is 2-1/2 yrs. old and I adopted her from a foster when she was 6 months. She is very loving, she behaves the way cats normally do when they love you, purring, rubbing, laying in my lap etc. The one thing she absolutely hates is being picked up or held in any way that she feels constrained. If I reach for her with one hand, she's fine, but if she sees both hands coming toward her she bolts. Yesterday she was sitting on the arm of my chair and I slowly put my arm around her with the idea of trying to hold her for just a minute and she struggled mightily to get away from my arms (the struggle lasted all of 5 seconds.) I understand this is just cats, some like to be held and some don't, but there may occasionally be times I would need to hold her, such as at the vet, or giving her medicine. Is there some way I could get her to accept it? Every once in a while I will pick her up just for a minute (if I can catch her off guard), talk to her gently and stroke her, trying to get her used to the idea but for the brief period of time she's in my arms she's struggling to get down. Is it hopeless, should I just give up on it, because she's wonderful in every other way, or is there something else I could try?
My cat, Gracie, is 2-1/2 yrs. old and I adopted her from a foster when she was 6 months. She is very loving, she behaves the way cats normally do when they love you, purring, rubbing, laying in my lap etc. The one thing she absolutely hates is being picked up or held in any way that she feels constrained. If I reach for her with one hand, she's fine, but if she sees both hands coming toward her she bolts. Yesterday she was sitting on the arm of my chair and I slowly put my arm around her with the idea of trying to hold her for just a minute and she struggled mightily to get away from my arms (the struggle lasted all of 5 seconds.) I understand this is just cats, some like to be held and some don't, but there may occasionally be times I would need to hold her, such as at the vet, or giving her medicine. Is there some way I could get her to accept it? Every once in a while I will pick her up just for a minute (if I can catch her off guard), talk to her gently and stroke her, trying to get her used to the idea but for the brief period of time she's in my arms she's struggling to get down. Is it hopeless, should I just give up on it, because she's wonderful in every other way, or is there something else I could try?