- Joined
- Sep 21, 2013
- Messages
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I know this cat isn't stray/feral, but I thought y'all might be able to help me with him...
Sharkey is 8 years old, declawed, male, medium hair, was an only cat until dumped at a shelter in North Carolina. I am in a rescue group that was networking him, and fell in love. Labor Day weekend we transported him here to Mississippi to live with us.
He growls, hisses, fusses, is easily startled, sleeps at my feet, has got to the point where he will occasionally let us touch his nose or top of his head with an outstretched finger.
Anything more than that, and he gets very defensive.
He will play with toys I've made of strips of fleece, as I want to be careful of his paws...never had a declawed cat before...he can grab the fabric fairly easily because of its texture, yet it's still soft.
We don't know if he was abused or not...we do know that the shelter had to call the previous owner to get him out of the kennel, as they were going to have to use gloves or a catch pole otherwise.
Where do I do from here in teaching him that we are safe? I want to take the touch he does allow and take it to the next level. I have leather gloves just in case he bites...did I mention that this is a 15 pound Maine Coon mix? He is a LARGE KITTY with some ferocious canine teeth...
I'm an experienced cat owner...48 years old...have fostered special needs/behavioral/feral before, but I've never had to undo damage with an older cat before.
I want to get him to trust us, but I don't want to be too aggressive with him. His eyes look like those of a lost soul...haunted...yet with that question of "Why?" He is so confused as to why his little world got turned upside down. (Mom's new boyfriend was allergic to cats...don't EVEN get me started on what a lame excuse that is for dumping him...)
Anyway, thanks in advance.
Maggie
Sharkey is 8 years old, declawed, male, medium hair, was an only cat until dumped at a shelter in North Carolina. I am in a rescue group that was networking him, and fell in love. Labor Day weekend we transported him here to Mississippi to live with us.
He growls, hisses, fusses, is easily startled, sleeps at my feet, has got to the point where he will occasionally let us touch his nose or top of his head with an outstretched finger.
Anything more than that, and he gets very defensive.
He will play with toys I've made of strips of fleece, as I want to be careful of his paws...never had a declawed cat before...he can grab the fabric fairly easily because of its texture, yet it's still soft.
We don't know if he was abused or not...we do know that the shelter had to call the previous owner to get him out of the kennel, as they were going to have to use gloves or a catch pole otherwise.
Where do I do from here in teaching him that we are safe? I want to take the touch he does allow and take it to the next level. I have leather gloves just in case he bites...did I mention that this is a 15 pound Maine Coon mix? He is a LARGE KITTY with some ferocious canine teeth...
I'm an experienced cat owner...48 years old...have fostered special needs/behavioral/feral before, but I've never had to undo damage with an older cat before.
I want to get him to trust us, but I don't want to be too aggressive with him. His eyes look like those of a lost soul...haunted...yet with that question of "Why?" He is so confused as to why his little world got turned upside down. (Mom's new boyfriend was allergic to cats...don't EVEN get me started on what a lame excuse that is for dumping him...)
Anyway, thanks in advance.
Maggie