New Hiding and Terrified Cat

[alewifebp]

I just adopted a new cat, a 2 year old boy named Dublin.  In the shelter, he was the sweetest and friendly cat that I saw.  I was able to easily pick him up and put him on my lap. He was letting me rub his belly and was nearly about to fall asleep!  I knew this was the cat for me.  That's what makes this so frustrating that he is now the exact opposite of what he was.  He was even in the free roam area of the shelter with other cats and constant human interaction.

The shelter did tell me that he took a while for him to warm up to the surroundings, and they weren't kidding.  After I opened the carrier, he took a very long time before he even tried to get out of it.  After he got out, he slinked around a little bit, then hid behind the washing machine.  Now my washing machine is in the same pantry area that the littler box is, and is near where the food dish is.  It's only a one bedroom apartment, so there isn't a huge amount of room here.  That was a week ago.  While he does come out to eat and use the litter, that is it.  When I do peek back there just to see how things are going, he stares up at me, and will occasionally hiss if I stick around too long.  For the most part I'm just leaving him alone.

I picked up some Feliway to see if that helps a little bit.  There are no other cats in the house, I had to put my other cat to sleep a few weeks ago.  Any suggestions to help him get out of his shell?

 

[ritz]

Thank you for adopting Dublin.  And I'm sorry about your other cat.

He needs time (and you, patience), maybe lots of it, especially if he was at the shelter for a fairly long time.  There are several cats at the sanctuary where I volunteer that are lap cats, but would not be so if moved into a different environment.

Try to spend as much time with him as possible, reading, working on your computer; play music while you're not there.  Feed him only when you are in the room so he associates you with food.  He may have been free-fed at the shelter, so he doesn't connect those dots.

Also, make sure there are toys, cat trees, beds that are brand new.

Although Dublin is clearly not feral, there are some good tips in this thread.  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/16045/h...ng-and-low-cost-or-free-spay-neuter-resources

PS:  don't stare at him, cats take this as a threat.  Do the slow blink, and hold out a fist (version open palm) if he wants to sniff you.  Or wear (fake or prescription glasses and let him smell the frame.

 

[alewifebp]

I've been doing the slow blink with him, and trying to talk plenty with him.  Since he's behind the washing machine, I really can't get near him at all.  I talked to a volunteer at the shelter, and they mentioned that he took a really long time to acclimate to new environments.

 

[alewifebp]

While he is still hiding, I'm making some small progress.  When I feed him I stick around talking and let him slowly come out of hiding.  So far, he has only eaten for about 30 or seconds before he retreats back to his hiding spot, but that is better than he was.  This is so foreign to me.  Any other cat that I've adopted has acclimated within hours.  Now we are on three weeks.

 

[random gemini]

 
While he is still hiding, I'm making some small progress.  When I feed him I stick around talking and let him slowly come out of hiding.  So far, he has only eaten for about 30 or seconds before he retreats back to his hiding spot, but that is better than he was.  This is so foreign to me.  Any other cat that I've adopted has acclimated within hours.  Now we are on three weeks.

This is exactly what Porter did when I got him home and what Fuzz did whenever we moved to a new place. I actually packed Fuzz into a car and drove him 1,900 miles across country on a move. He was less than pleased and hid under my bed for a month.

You're doing the right thing. Give him the food, talk to him softly. I would sit a bit away from the food bowl, make sure that you're not in a spot he would deem to be threatening. Porter would only come out when I was a couple of feet away from the food. For me, the goal was to coax him out of his hiding spot and nothing else. Even if all he did was set a toe out of there, that was good enough for me. So just relax. Try to keep the environment as quiet and low pressure as possible for Dublin. 

He's just shy. Give him some space. Eventually, his curiosity will get the better of him.

 

[jennyr]

You are making good progress. It can take months for a traumatised, institutionalised cat to come out of hiding. One of mine lived behind the sofa for 6 months! Have you tried music? Some cats get more relaxed if they hear calm soft music. Your speaking voice certainly helps - stay in earshot and sit and read aloud. And you are right to talk to him as much as possible, repeating his name often and always when you leave him treats or food. This becomes a pleasant signal he can recognise, rather than a jumble of sounds. But I know how frustrating it can be, especially when you have recently lost someone with whom you had a good relationship - the difference can be so marked. But it will happen.

 

[alewifebp]

I should update everyone with the excellent progress that I've made.  When I was feeding him, he would come to me and let me pet him and he'd rub against me.  Over the next few days, I was slowly moving where I was lying on the ground further and further away.  I had put a down comforter on the floor to at least make my stays more pleasant, because the kitchen floor isn't exactly the most comfortable.

  Slowly and surely he would get further and further out of his comfort zone.  Any loud noise or sudden movement and he'd retreat.

Finally about a week and a half ago, I got him on to the couch.  It turned out this was the weekend, so I was able to spend plenty of time with him.  That seemed to do the trick.  With him on the couch, he eventually came over and went on my lap, and purred very loudly while I scratched his chin and behind his ears.  He then fell asleep on my lap!  So every night after work I go to the couch and let him sleep on my lap for a little bit while I use my tablet.  He does hate the TV though, so I've got to work on that a little bit.

Additionally, he has been sleeping on my bed for at least part of the night, and he mostly stays out of hiding while I'm home.  Needless to say I've been very happy with the progress.

Thanks everyone for your help.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Thanks for the great update!!

 

[jennyr]

That is great news! He is learning to trust you and I am sure you can look forward to many happy years of companionship.

 

[random gemini]

So glad you're starting to see your buddy hanging around! That's great news!