Strange mau.

Jay lo

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5 year old rescue. My 6th week as permanent home. Seems likely earlier abuse. Will only eat turkey. No chicken, fish etc. Gets a small can of fancy feast turkey and giblets am, actually opens my door and attacks me if not fed by 5am. Deli turkey (low salt) during the day, hand fed to overcome skittishness and fear. Another small can at dinner time with the family. At 6 weeks settling in nicely with a large weight gain. Too much actually. Harvard has no idea how to play and is afraid of most things. Likes to play fight with me. Mouths biting, never close to breaking skin but still learning to hold back claws. Sedentary and won't leave the dining room table. Suggestions for a better diet? The fears are going to take awhile.
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Caspers Human

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Harvard looks like a very nice cat but, by the expression on his face, he seems depressed. I'm with you. It seems like the cat has suffered some abuse or neglect. It will take time to acclimate to the new home. Six weeks isn't a lot of time. It will take months and months to fully acclimate.

Our vet told us that abused or abandoned cats often eat only one kind of food. When they are left to their own devices, getting food, they will become attached to a food source that they think is safe to eat and won't eat anything else. It's a natural reaction, I suppose.

Our cat, Casper, was abandoned and he would only eat Meow Mix. That's the food that the rescue group used to lure him in. That's the kind of food that he got used to eating. Because he was on his own for a year or more, that's the only food he would eat. It took us months to get him switched over to a better food. We kept up, trying different things until we hit upon his current rations. He's been eating almost the same thing for ten years or more.

As far as getting the cat on better food, I think you're in the same boat as we were with Casper. It will take time but, gradually, you will be able to switch over to better food. Just keep at it. Harvard will eventually decide that he likes different food.

As for the shyness, that's something that will take lots of time, lots of love and lots of understanding. As above, just keep at it. The cat will eventually come around.

As to the biting or clawing, that's your call. Many people say that you should discourage cats from "playing hands" with humans. The reason is that it teaches them that it is permissible to attack humans. If you have small children or if you have guests that don't understand the way your cat plays, that could spell trouble. A kid or a visitor who gets jumped by a cat might not have the same reaction as you do. If somebody gets scratched, bitten or bloodied up, you could have a situation on your hands. It's also not nice to have a cat attacking you at all hours, especially when you're trying to sleep.

Personally, I don't mind a "full contact" cat. I believe that an occasional scratch or "love bite" is part and parcel with having a cat. We do let our cats play hands but we also have limits. Like you mention, our cats know how to hold back claws and they know the difference between a play bite and a hard bite.

We also have rules about play. We never force a cat to play when they don't want to. Patting the hand on the floor or tussling with the cat are invitations to play. The cats have their own signals that they want playtime. If you solicit play but the cat doesn't respond, don't push it. When playtime is over, the human says, "Game Over" or the cat, pulls back and stops wrestling. Again, when the cat gives the signal, do not pursue.

IF you want a full contact relationship with your cat, all parties must understand and obey the rules. Further, IF you play with your cat like that, you MUST expect to get scratched, bitten or bloody. You would not step on a rugby field if you didn't expect to get a few bumps, bruises or even broken bones. Would you? Full contact play is just like playing rugby with your cat. If you don't like the consequences, don't play the game.

That's what I believe. Others are free to practice what they believe. Generally speaking, it's best to discourage hand play with cats, however.

Beyond that, it's all about time, patience and love. Give your cat a nice, safe place to live. Make sure he has good food to eat. Most of all, make sure your cat knows that he has a safe place to live in his forever home.

Give him time. He'll come around! :)
 
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Jay lo

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It's part and parcel with the breed. They want to fight and play and he only wants to wrestle with me. He wasn't able to he held originally but will now tolerate a bear hug pick up. He desperately needs a nail trim but I can't trim and hold. When I find a volunteer it will be a fight. Heavyweight, knock down brawl.
 

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Caspers Human

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... he only wants to wrestle with me.
That likely means he trusts you! :)
Cats won't wrestle and play with those they don't trust. Good sign!

But DO lay down the ground rules as to what's acceptable play or what's not then stick to them.

You don't have to trim all the cat's nail at one time. You can do them a few at a time. That's how we trim our cat, Elliot's (tiger cat) nails.
He'll let you touch his paws but only long enough to do one paw. Then he gets uppity. I just do one foot every day until they are all done. Casper, the white one, won't let you touch his feet for more than a few seconds before he gets pissy.
 

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Just wanted to say, having rescued several "bitey" feral adolescents over the years, having a toy to pet them with and redirect their aggression is very useful. Something like a Kickeroo toy works well.

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Beautiful cat!

Can you take him to a groomers to have them trim his nails to save you the battle? I had to do that with my two cats when I first took them home. I couldn't trim them alone (and still can't- slowly trying to work on it by touching and gently squeezing their paws to get them used to it). I did manage to get one boy's claws, two nails, when he was dozing off.

For food.. maybe try a tiny amount of new food in the old, and gradually, every few days or so as long as he eats the new with the old , add more new food until it's completely changed over? Maybe with the scent of the new with the old might make him understand it's food and safe to eat. Start really small.

Toys. I suggest using a wand with feathers attached to a string on the end. Cats are natural hunters, they like to chase and catch things. He may love chasing a wand toy that mimics a bird flying or a mouse scattering on the floor. It's a great way to release energy and build a bond with you- it really helped to get my shy and nervous boy out of his shell and he looks forward to our playtime with the feathers every night. If you use the toy and guide him off the table to play on the floor, it will show him that the rest of the house is a safe place to be. It may take time for this too. I play until one of the cats starts panting, about 5 minutes or so, and I end of the play with a treat to reward them for a good hunt.

Most of all, patience and time is what he needs. Don't force him to do anything he doesn't want to do. Let him walk away if he chooses to. Eventually, let it be days, weeks or months, he will be relaxed and comfortable in his new home and show it :)
 
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Jay lo

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Yehhhhh.... nope. Grin, he just looks at them and says, "did it come in a box?" I have all kinds of wands, feathers mice etc...nothin. he likes catnip in his scratch box and taking blood sacrifices from me. He likes to wrestle, but can get over excited. He trys to keep the claws in buttttt....not always. Never bites hard though. Very reluctant to leave the table. Will make a very brief tour of the house but will never linger.
 

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Caspers Human

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Whether to go "full contact" when playing with a cat is up to the individual, of course. The way we teach the cats how to wrestle is by the "Three Strikes" method.

When the cat gets too rough, say, "Easy!" or "Play nice!" If the cat backs off and holds in his claws or just play bites instead of biting hard, the game continues. If he does it again, give a second warning. On the third strike, it's, "Game Over!" and walk away. No punishing or scolding. Just stop playing.

The idea is that, if the cat doesn't play by the rules, he doesn't get to have fun. After a while, he'll learn the rules and can have all the fun he wants.

Our youngest, Elliot, knows how to wrestle like a pro! When he grabs onto you, you'll know it but he doesn't dig in his claws. He play bites and, sort of, "gnaws" on your hand but he doesn't chomp down. If he gets too excited, we say, "Easy!" and he knows to back down. When the humans are done playing, a gentle pat and a "Game Over" all all that's needed. Most of the time, he's the one who says, "Game Over." He'll roll over and just walk away. That's his signal. When he's done playing, we never pursue.

Your guy looks like a really nice cat! :)
He's the same color as Elliot but your cat is more like a spotted tabby while ours has more stripes.

I always say... Tabbies are my favorite kind of cat! :D
 
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Jay lo

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Just wanted to say, having rescued several "bitey" feral adolescents over the years, having a toy to pet them with and redirect their aggression is very useful. Something like a Kickeroo toy works well.

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Bought a few on Amazon per your suggestion.... but i still hope they arrive in a box....
 

Norachan

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Very reluctant to leave the table.
I wonder if he came from a home with a snappy little dog, or something else that made him wary of being on the floor. Do you have plenty of cat trees at home? If you`ve got the space, cat shelves that allow the cat to get all the way around the room without touching the floor are very helpful. Some cats are tree dwellers and just like to be up high.
 
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Jay lo

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Sorry about the delay. Been posting under "my cat is broken". No joy with kickapoo. Wouldn't go near the cat tree, gave it to a neighbor. Tends to climb rather than jump. Watches, supervises. He's union AFL/CAT
 

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For toys cats like to grab things so my wand toys have mouse attachments. No feathers. Slanted or tall scratch posts with corrugated cardboard,not sisal. One of my cats is very timid. Jumping up high helps them feel safe. She licks my fingers if I try to trim her nails so I have someone come over to do it. My cat Coco can only jump up and down so she has to crawl. My cat peaches is a watcher but even at 12 years old she still likes to run and chase after a chew toy.
 
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maggie101

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Purrfect leather bouncer on amazon,spring chew toys,
Also the go cat catcher with a mouse attachment
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maggie101

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My cat cocothat does not use the tower loves the cubes and scratch posts. When I first got her she hid under the couch for 3 months,then bedroom a year. Finally came out on her own(that's Maggie in the pic) Jay lo Jay lo hope things are going better.
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