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- Mar 15, 2016
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It's good that she lays near you and isn't always hiding from you. You guys already have sort of a relationship, even if it's just a relaxing in the same room relationship. I haven't read through this whole thread yet, so forgive me if this has been suggested. But I bonded with my semi feral cat a lot initially by playing with him with wand toys. It was something he genuinely enjoyed, without any stress factor. He knew it was something we were doing together. Eventually that just led to him wanting to spend more time with me. Especially since Belle is playing all night with your cat, it sounds like play bonding would probably help some. You might have to close your other cat in a room and play with them seperatly so that Belle gets one-on-one attention.
I also just slowly ramped up the petting. Like, the first couple months I could pet him like twice before he swatted me. So I just did that as much as he would tolerate it without leaving. Also, feeding a cat is pretty powerful for them. So maybe you could sit near her while she eats her regular food. Then move closer and closer. Eventually try getting her to lick food off your fingers or from a long spoon before you feed her a meal, so she's a little hungry. Baby food is super good for this, I've never found a cat who didn't enjoy baby food. I guess if she's more of a hard food kind of cat though, you could find a dry treat that motivates her.
Also, this is an issue that's gone on her whole life and your mom is a vet tech, so I'm sure this was an avenue that was explored. But it might be worth it to take Belle to the vet to make sure she isn't having any pain issues that need to be taken care of. Also, if her hair is getting really matted, that could be painful and make her not want people to touch her.
I also just slowly ramped up the petting. Like, the first couple months I could pet him like twice before he swatted me. So I just did that as much as he would tolerate it without leaving. Also, feeding a cat is pretty powerful for them. So maybe you could sit near her while she eats her regular food. Then move closer and closer. Eventually try getting her to lick food off your fingers or from a long spoon before you feed her a meal, so she's a little hungry. Baby food is super good for this, I've never found a cat who didn't enjoy baby food. I guess if she's more of a hard food kind of cat though, you could find a dry treat that motivates her.
Also, this is an issue that's gone on her whole life and your mom is a vet tech, so I'm sure this was an avenue that was explored. But it might be worth it to take Belle to the vet to make sure she isn't having any pain issues that need to be taken care of. Also, if her hair is getting really matted, that could be painful and make her not want people to touch her.
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