A week ago today, I brought home a new cat. Her name is Chubbs.
About Chubbs:
Chubbs is a three year old Dilute Tortoiseshell. I found her on Petfinder, where she was currently living with a foster family. She had been living with the foster family for about two years. After speaking with the family, they told me that they had reason to believe that she was abused up until she was rescued. She was very emaciated, very skittish as if she had been hit/kicked, and her left ear is poorly, and unprofessionally cropped - as if it had been done with a pair of house scissors. They told me that after living with them, she had become extremely friendly and gentle. She'd bat and play, and no longer used her claws. She also loves attention and belly rubs. I met with Chubbs twice before taking her home, and we clicked very well.
We started having trouble with her after she came home.
We had everything all ready for her arrival. I had gotten her two beautiful bowls for her food and water, a very comfortable cat bed, a good litter box, and treats and toys. When we got her home, she did seem very nervous, but allowed us to pet and touch her. We decided that we would let her get investigate the house, and get acclimated. Almost immediately, she went into hiding in the bedroom closet. The closet is filled with mostly storage bins that I need to get into frequently. We tried gently coaxing her out with tongue clicks and treats, but after realizing that she wasn't planning on coming out, we left her food and litter box close by for her, and decided to leave her be and relax. Every day or so, we would try to coax her out again once more, but she still wouldn't budge. Over the last two days, she's actually become aggressive. Like I said before, I need to get into the closet frequently because that is where some of my things are kept, such as winter clothes, and things for my computer. But now, if I get too close to her while I'm trying to get something, she viciously claws at my hand and hisses. It's been a week now, and she still won't come out of the closet until we are both asleep, or at work.
I understand that she's been abused, and is still very scared, and she would need more time than most cats to get acclimated. But I'm not sure what I can do to make her feel more relaxed and understand that we're not trying to hurt her. I'd like it very much if she came out of her own accord and got used to the house and the two of us in it. Does anybody have any ideas at all as to what I can do? It's been a week since we had her now, and I'm really not sure how to go about making her feel comfortable enough to come out. Any suggestions would be wonderful!
About Chubbs:
Chubbs is a three year old Dilute Tortoiseshell. I found her on Petfinder, where she was currently living with a foster family. She had been living with the foster family for about two years. After speaking with the family, they told me that they had reason to believe that she was abused up until she was rescued. She was very emaciated, very skittish as if she had been hit/kicked, and her left ear is poorly, and unprofessionally cropped - as if it had been done with a pair of house scissors. They told me that after living with them, she had become extremely friendly and gentle. She'd bat and play, and no longer used her claws. She also loves attention and belly rubs. I met with Chubbs twice before taking her home, and we clicked very well.
We started having trouble with her after she came home.
We had everything all ready for her arrival. I had gotten her two beautiful bowls for her food and water, a very comfortable cat bed, a good litter box, and treats and toys. When we got her home, she did seem very nervous, but allowed us to pet and touch her. We decided that we would let her get investigate the house, and get acclimated. Almost immediately, she went into hiding in the bedroom closet. The closet is filled with mostly storage bins that I need to get into frequently. We tried gently coaxing her out with tongue clicks and treats, but after realizing that she wasn't planning on coming out, we left her food and litter box close by for her, and decided to leave her be and relax. Every day or so, we would try to coax her out again once more, but she still wouldn't budge. Over the last two days, she's actually become aggressive. Like I said before, I need to get into the closet frequently because that is where some of my things are kept, such as winter clothes, and things for my computer. But now, if I get too close to her while I'm trying to get something, she viciously claws at my hand and hisses. It's been a week now, and she still won't come out of the closet until we are both asleep, or at work.
I understand that she's been abused, and is still very scared, and she would need more time than most cats to get acclimated. But I'm not sure what I can do to make her feel more relaxed and understand that we're not trying to hurt her. I'd like it very much if she came out of her own accord and got used to the house and the two of us in it. Does anybody have any ideas at all as to what I can do? It's been a week since we had her now, and I'm really not sure how to go about making her feel comfortable enough to come out. Any suggestions would be wonderful!