My shy cat hates to get pick up

[whc216]

Hello,

I adopted a shy cat about 5 months ago. In the beginning, she was very shy that she hid all the time, and it was very hard to approach to her. Now, she lets me pet her, follows me, and purr all the time. I am so happy how much she changed! However, there is one thing I still cannot do is to pick her up. Every time my cat senses that I am trying to pick her up, or even when I use two hands for petting, she runs away crazily. I tried many times; unfortunately, no success but many scratches in my hands. It's not a problem to not pick her up at this moment, but when I need to visit vet or even somewhere else, since my life requires occasional move to different cities, or states, this gets a little problem.

I've heard that my cat's previous owner had kids who love to chase cats, and etc and I think maybe my cat is traumatize from that?

Anyway, so I am curious if there is any slow step-by-step that makes my cat more comfortable gets pick up. I've heard that some cats hate to get pick up. And perhaps my cat can be one of them too (or traumatize, I don't know...), how to deal with picking up? I tried to scruff, but this is also hard for me because even before that, my cat already ran away (She is very cautious about everything still...)

Thanks!

 

[bad cat chris]

There are many cats out there that don't like to be picked up. You should accept that your cat may never like it. Just love her for who she is and try to play by her rules.

 

[cocheezie]

My scaredy-cat didn't/doesn't like being picked up. I started by always taking her to the same place. Down the stairs and onto the middle level of the cat tree in the dining room where there were a few treats and a great window. Gradually, a level of trust was built up. While she still swears like a sailor when I pick her up, she doesn't try to fight for escape now. She knows that she's safe in my arms, and that I would never put her in a scary situation (well, except for into the cat cage for a trip to the vet).

 

[ondine]

Yes, she may never feel comfortable being picked up.  You can get her used to your hands, though, by practicing.  When you are petting her, lift her gently in place, not moving anywhere at first.  If that proves too stressful for her, you may have to resign yourself to having to scruff her to get her in the carrier.

It will upset her but it is something all cats should get used to.  A trip to the vet once or twice a year (and an even less frequent move) is the price they pay for having a loving, warm home and plenty of food.

We have seven cats inside and only one of them will let us pick her up.  The rest bolt or wriggle away when we try.  We have various tricks we need to play with each of them (and we've had to be very creative!), to get them into carriers.

Keep trying and thank you for your patience with her!