Wild cat.

[solar122]

I adopted a beautiful cat recently, and she acts like a wild animal. Not like a feral cat. She just acts like she belongs in the jungle somewhere. She is very sturdy, lean, and long. She leaps the stairs in 3 bounds to the top! She does not like to be touched for 90% of the day, but will get affectionate in the early morning. Other than that, no growls or hisses, if I get too close, she just gets up and walks away. I can pet her only on her terms. Then she will nip her disapproval and the claws come out if I don’t take the hint. Her claws are no joke! She loves to play, but I have to be careful not to let the toys get too close to my feet because she is a strong aggressive hunter! She has accidentally caught my skin a few times, and her claws are no joke!! She always has a look of “**** off” on her face. Is there any chance she could become an affectionate cat. It’s been 2 months and she is still extremely wary of me. I also have a younger kitten that plays very well with her. They wrestle a lot, but no one ever gets hurt, so I guess as long as she is a good playmate for Ciel, that’s good, but I just want to put my hands on her so bad. My little cat is so affectionate. I had her from 9 weeks old.Maggie is about 2 years old and I have no idea what her life was like before, so I wonder if she still has some of the wild in her, and this may be the best our relationship will ever get. I feel like I’m trying to tame a Caracal.

 

[nurseangel]

Hi, welcome to TCS! Bless you for adopting. Daisy was mean, and I mean, mean for what seemed like the longest time when we adopted her. I thought she had a bushy tail like a raccoon. It turns out, she just kept it that way because she was angry or afraid all the time. She also walked around with her little hand up, so she could slap us if needed. She hid under my coffee table and growled when I walked in the room. She was aggressive toward any loud noises, like the Dust Buster while I was cleaning. She was all over it!

Like you, I had no idea what kind of life my new resident had before coming to us. I wasn't prepared for who we had adopted. I can't even remember how long it took, but first she started to follow me around like a puppy. I was afraid of her. DH is a "cat-whisperer", but she was afraid of him. I think she was afraid of men in general. Gradually, on her terms, she warmed to us and our neutered male, who she also hated at first.

While I can't say for sure that your cat will ever change, given time and space, it is very possible. Daisy did. I can't remember how long, but it may have been around six months. We used Feliway plugins. I am not sure that they actually worked, but I honestly think they did. Cats learn from watching other cats, so maybe Ciel will set a good example for her.

Now it is difficult to image that Daisy was ever like that. There is hope. She may never be a super affectionate lap cat, but I bet she will warm to you sooner or later. Please keep us updated.

 

[solar122]

Thank you for the encouragement. It helps me a lot! I am used to cuddling with all my animals. Maggie is not mean at all. She just acts like she doesn’t trust humans period, or that she is just better than us! I often find her staring at me intently with a look I can’t explain. She will stare at me like this for a long time, but if I move towards her, she goes the other way.

. I just need to give her more time. Having taken in and raised many cats, I have never had one that didn’t seem to want anything to do with me! I think sometimes I might take it personally. I think I’m going to need encouragement as much as she does!!

 

[susanm9006]

Sometimes it is their last history with humans, and sometimes it is just their personality to be cautious or standoffish. With an adult cat like yours it can also just take a long time for them to be comfortable in a new space and with a new human. I think she is checking you out very thoroughly and that is what all that staring is about. She may be feeling very torn between wanting human attention and being afraid of it. Sort of a “I want to be near you but don’t get too close”.

It may take months before you begin to see Maggie’s full personality but I think she will be worth the wait.

 

[solar122]

I hope we can be close! My little cat Ciel shows Maggie how much she trusts me all the time. Hoping she will learn that I have nothing but love to give her!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

The greatest gifts you can give her are time, patience, and acceptance of her, just as she is, and you are doing that. It can take 3 months for a cat to feel safe in a new place, and longer, depending on their history. I took a good, long look at her photo, and this is what I noticed...Her ears are forward and relaxed, as are her whiskers. There is a lot of consideration in that gaze, which is normal. She's assessing you, making sure you are safe before really trusting you. I think it will come, in time, and in HER time, not yours. She's a gorgeous girl, though. Like having a white panther in your living room!

 

[neely]

Another warm welcome to TCS! As others have said, time and patience are the two key words for a cat to adjust to her new surroundings and human(s). This TCS Article might have some helpful information and advice for you:
14 Cat Experts Reveal: How To Get A Cat To Like Me - TheCatSite
Best of luck and please keep us updated with her progress and also photos since she's so photogenic.

 

[Eurocat]

Hi -
I totally agree with Mamanyt1953 -
I think you have a very smart, beautiful cat who really feels like she is in the jungle of life and has to be constantly alert to survive. Everything is new to her and who knows what she experienced before. She knows she can‘t trust everyone. Clever (cat) lady.
IMO the fact that she is watching you closely and trying to work you out means that she definitely IS interested in interacting with you.
I personally think that if you give her the feeling she can connect with you on her terms she will relax and start trusting you. I bet once the ice is broken, you’ll develop a very affectionate and deep relationship with this kitty. You know she can be gentle by the way she plays with the other cat.
Just give it time and patience. I‘m sure if you encourage her but respect her limits she‘ll come around.… it may take a couple of months though..)
All the best!

 

[solar122]

The greatest gifts you can give her are time, patience, and acceptance of her, just as she is, and you are doing that. It can take 3 months for a cat to feel safe in a new place, and longer, depending on their history. I took a good, long look at her photo, and this is what I noticed...Her ears are forward and relaxed, as are her whiskers. There is a lot of consideration in that gaze, which is normal. She's assessing you, making sure you are safe before really trusting you. I think it will come, in time, and in HER time, not yours. She's a gorgeous girl, though. Like having a white panther in your living room!

She is very gradually warming up to me. Strange, though, she is most affectionate when I get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. She is extremely affection rubbing all over my legs and enjoying me petting her. Then it disappears during the day. Lol This is a huge improvement for me and I look forward to my early morning love connection!! She is absolutely wonderful with Ciel and they are very bonded. This also makes me very happy! I’m on the right path. Thanks for all the encouragement!

 

[Eurocat]

That‘s great news! )
Yes - night is a great time for socializing feral or anxious cats and gaining trust as they feel most confident between dusk and dawn. Initially it‘s often still a case of Jekyll and Hyde (during the day), but after a time they‘ll exhibit the same behaviour during the day too.
I‘m sure it‘s just a matter of time until she‘ll completely give you her heart..

 

[solar122]

I am having serious doubts that Maggie will ever be “tame” she acts more and more like a wild cat. I had to treat a wound on her neck, and I had to wear gloves and long sleeves to do it, and still she managed to bite and scratch me. Now she is terrified of me again. I am starting to feel uncomfortable with her. It feeels like I am trying to tame a wild bobcat. I seriously think she would be better off just being an outdoor cat, being fed and cared for, but not interacting with humans.

 

[Eurocat]

Hi there -
I totally understand where you‘re coming from and how discouraged you‘re feeling. But believe me - things will get better and you’re on the right track. Don‘t give up! I went through the whole thing with my little semi feral and setbacks are normal and she will „forgive“ you. This great site and some friends kept me grounded and thinking positive when I was doubting the most.
Your kitty has already made lots of steps forward and has made body contact with you, which is great - it‘s always initially one step forward, 2 steps back, but then the steps forward increase and the setbacks decrease. And your kitty seems to be able to show good social skills and adaptability as she is in interacting with your other cat so well. I take this as a positive sign that these may eventually be transferable to you. I’m sure that despite this negative interaction now, she has many more positive experiences attributed to you and it‘s these she will fall back on. Some beliefs are deep set and existed for a reason. It will take time for these to be reprogrammed by new reality. It‘s a process and I think at the moment all her smartness is being channeled into her fear and her feeling of needing to protect herself. I think you‘ll need to give it at least 6 months - maybe more depending on her state of being.
Medical issues and the treatment of these are a real challenge with a less socialized or more standoffish cat and of course can cause setbacks as the cat may be feeling bad anyway, and then getting treated by one of us terrifying humans or having to go to the vet can temporarily shake her up again.
Although my semi feral kitty was only about 5-6 months old when I brought her in and she was already allowing very fleeting physical contact (but really good play interaction), we really went thru some major setbacks together and I was at the end of my tether. Our story together (and apart again) was quite long and I‘d spent lots of time before bringing her home deliberating if doing that was in her best interests. But once I found her again it was clear what I felt I had to do. But doubts remained, of course.
I had worked in wildlife care before so I really didnt think I‘d get so phased out by everything, but I hadnt reckoned with the ongoing vet visits due to health issues which made socialization even more challenging and I continued to question if I was doing right by her. In addition to this one of my parents in another country took a major turn for the worse healthwise, which made me even more worried, as at that time I was the only person able to interact with her in a minimal way. This put me under even more pressure to get her health issues sorted out asap (pressure is never good) and on one occasion I really had to corner her to get her to the vet on a specific day, which resulted in her going into panic mode (actually the only time she really lost it - she hid behind the tall fridge-freezer and ended up tearing some of her claws as she realized in panic that she couldnt get out and trailed blood over the kitchen floor). I finally cornered her in her cat litter tray and I was sobbing my eyes out taking her to the vet as I thought I’d caused her pain and totally traumatized her forever and traumatized her relationship with me and her litter tray.
BUT - despite numerous vet visits, days of her hiding and my sometimes feeling bad, desperate and incredibly guilty - AND considering if I should even just let her be a barn cat, the small steps foward increased (and she had no issues with the litter tray ). After 4 months she slept on my bed the first time (but didnt allow herself to be touched there), after 5 months she crawled onto my lap, after 7 months I could finally pick her up and carry her around, at 8 months she accepted a light harness and we went out into the garden together and after 1.5 years she accompanied us to a little holiday cottage and roamed the lovely garden freely with me. So tiny steps became big steps and here we are now 2 years later and she‘s here now cuddling with me under my blanket just as though she had been normally socialized from a young age (although she remains extremely wary of strangers).
I realized very soon that I had to drop expectations of things happening at a certain time and should rather work with what she was able to give me and where she was.

I knew when I met her she was my soul cat and we had a long and windy road but I wouldn‘t have missed a second of it.
So hang in there! She‘ll come around!

 

[Furballsmom]

seriously think she would be better off just being an outdoor cat, being fed and cared for, but not interacting with humans.

I agree with eurocat. In the meantime, if you do consider letting her outside, can you build an outdoor enclosure for her safety?

 

[solar122]

Thank you! Sounds like you know exactly what I am dealing with! I do get discouraged and think I’m not helping her at all sometimes. I am thinking of getting and animal communicator to help me understand what’s happening. Have you ever done that?

 

[solar122]

I agree with eurocat. In the meantime, if you do consider letting her outside, can you build an outdoor enclosure for her safety?

I would not let her out here, I would never see her again. I was thinking maybe of finding a cat sanctuary, but I’m not quite giving up yet. I am going to try an animal communicator to see if they can help us. Have you ever used one?

 

[Furballsmom]

I have not used a cat communicator.

 

[Hellenww]

To me she looks very sad not angry or annoyed.

You probably know more about her than you think. She is high energy and loves to play. Does she have favorite games/toys? Will she play independently with anything?

Playing with you shows a degree of trust. Even a calm cuddly cat can go into major self defense mode with medical treatment. Most vets will have tech appts available for nail trimming on upto date patients. If you can safely get her into the carrier it will make playtime happier for both of you.

Does she have a favorite treat? It won't make her cuddly but giving her one at a time will enforce the idea that all good things come from you.

When she's relaxed/sleeping does she stay in the room with you or go hide? This is also a measure of trust. Only accepting pets first thing in the morning is a common thing with "untouchable" cats. Our Sqeeker was that way and I've read the same issue from other members here. There are very few that stayed that untouchable forever. Some cat prefer a lap with a blanket or even a blanket on a chair or couch. Cats love to be warm so keeping your home cool could encourage her to seek you out for body heat. If she does, it's likely to start when your in bed.

2yr is a very young adult. Our Yoshi had kitten level energy until he was 8yrs. I kept toys in every room and turned most activities into a game. Making the bed became catch the creature under the blankets or escape the cover. An empty laundry basket (use the small ones) upright toss a noisey toy in, the same with upside down, Yoshi wasn't easily scared so I could also place it over him. He could easily toss it off and bat it around a little.

Spring things and ping pong balls move fast on a floor. The spring things will end up under the refridgerator so I suggest a claw grabber. I don't have to see under, just hold the button and push it to the back, and let go every few inches. danteshuman talks about Hexbugs. I just ordered one for my 20mt Luna-tic.

I have a love of the high energy wild children. They keep life exciting. I wish you luck with finding thing for her to release all that energy.

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

 

[Eurocat]

Hi - how are things going?
Just watched this on you tube and thought of your situation - Maybe you‘ll find it interesting.
This lady is amazing:
All the best )

 

[Eurocat]

Oops looks like I can‘t link it..
Check out youtube: Cat Rescue, Tiffany Dodd

 

[Eurocat]

Oops - I mean her latest video…“A desperately dangerous situation“