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Personally, I'm not big on getting a companion cat for a current cat under these circumstances. The current cat needs to bond with the OP, not another cat at this point. The cat needs to get his needs met including friendship from the OP. Getting a another cat buddy now will only make the cat less likely to want to bond with it's new owner.
Also, we need to keep in mind this is not a feral cat. If it was a feral cat, there is no way it would have ever allowed you close enough to even attempt to pick it up, and it would have done far more damage to you. This cat is 6 months old, not six weeks. At six months, it's old enough to reproduce. This is a cat that very likely was previously homed and then adopted by the OP. It may not be the best adoption agency but there's no changing that now. The cat needs to adjust and trust a new human which can happen quickly but they all have their own personalities. One mustn't assume the cat was abused. The cat is cautious because it's in a new place with a new person. At six months, it may have only known one or two people in it's existence. Many cats that were previously loved would act the same way if taken to an unknown location with a stranger.
Last edited by marino760; 12-08-2019 at 08:47 PM..
Personally, I'm not big on getting a companion cat for a current cat under these circumstances. The current cat needs to bond with the OP, not another cat at this point. The cat needs to get his needs met including friendship from the OP. Getting a another cat buddy now will only make the cat less likely to want to bond with it's new owner.
Also, we need to keep in mind this is not a feral cat. This is a cat that previously was homed and then adopted by the OP. The cat needs to adjust and trust a new human which can happen quickly. One mustn't assume the cat was abused. The cat is cautious because it's in a new place with a new person. Many cats that were previously loved would act the same way if taken to an unknown location with a stranger.
Personally, I'm not big on getting a companion cat for a current cat under these circumstances. The current cat needs to bond with the OP, not another cat at this point. The cat needs to get his needs met including friendship from the OP. Getting a another cat buddy now will only make the cat less likely to want to bond with it's new owner.
Also, we need to keep in mind this is not a feral cat. If it was a feral cat, there is no way it would have ever allowed you close enough to even attempt to pick it up, and it would have done far more damage to you. This cat is 6 months old, not six weeks. At six months, it's old enough to reproduce. This is a cat that very likely was previously homed and then adopted by the OP. It may not be the best adoption agency but there's no changing that now. The cat needs to adjust and trust a new human which can happen quickly but they all have their own personalities. One mustn't assume the cat was abused. The cat is cautious because it's in a new place with a new person. At six months, it may have only known one or two people in it's existence. Many cats that were previously loved would act the same way if taken to an unknown location with a stranger.
I didn't post pictures of the damage he did to my hands a couple of weeks ago. He clawed under my nail on my pointer finger and part of that nail was barely hanging on. I finally pulled that off and it's just now above the quick.
I had a big gash on my thumb that is just closing up. The first couple of days were bad and my fingers hurt badly when I typed. I have never seen a cat fight like that for something fairly innocent, but then again, most of my other cats have been raised by me or had obvious socialization. The only one I can remember that was feral wasn't even weaned yet, and it was much easier to socialize a young kitten than a six month old cat.
This cat, and most of the other cats at the event, supposedly came from an apartment complex rescue. My guess is that they were all outdoor cats - some may have been somewhat socialized, but it's clear this one wasn't.
Next Monday will be a month. While he is doing better and playing some, I would never have adopted him had I known he was going to hide in a hole for weeks on end. It's easy to forget that he's there, and honestly, it's impossible to really bond with an animal you almost never see, much less interact with. I don't want anything bad to happen to him and am doing what I can to help him, but there's no bond there yet.
I adopted a cat who was a stray in a mobile home park I was doing home care visits in one day. The man threatened to "shoot her" if she was still there in the morning. I was pretty upset. She ended up just jumping in my car. Full of fleas, underfed, skinny, poor coat, etc.
She stayed indoors and under the Deacon's Bench for probably a year. She ate and went in the litter box and right back under the bench. Safe zone far from activity. She never let me pet her for maybe 2 yrs. I just let her be at her own pace. She finally let her guard down and became very social. During the time of acclimation to us, the other cat took her under his wing, so to speak, and maybe that helped her. She let him groom her once in a while before hissing, but more contact w/ the cat than us during that time.
I didn't post pictures of the damage he did to my hands a couple of weeks ago. He clawed under my nail on my pointer finger and part of that nail was barely hanging on. I finally pulled that off and it's just now above the quick.
I had a big gash on my thumb that is just closing up. The first couple of days were bad and my fingers hurt badly when I typed. I have never seen a cat fight like that for something fairly innocent, but then again, most of my other cats have been raised by me or had obvious socialization. The only one I can remember that was feral wasn't even weaned yet, and it was much easier to socialize a young kitten than a six month old cat.
This cat, and most of the other cats at the event, supposedly came from an apartment complex rescue. My guess is that they were all outdoor cats - some may have been somewhat socialized, but it's clear this one wasn't.
Next Monday will be a month. While he is doing better and playing some, I would never have adopted him had I known he was going to hide in a hole for weeks on end. It's easy to forget that he's there, and honestly, it's impossible to really bond with an animal you almost never see, much less interact with. I don't want anything bad to happen to him and am doing what I can to help him, but there's no bond there yet.
It sounds like you expect4d a pre-fab cuddle bug and keep comparing him with others you had in the past.
You have never seen a cat fight like that for something fairly innocent. ??? You baited and he took the bait but you were not fast enough?
He has been through so much in his young life - caught, locked up, paraded around, locked up again, being chased around. What bond do expect to build in a few weeks under those circumstances? He knows you do not want him. So be honest.
It sounds like you expect4d a pre-fab cuddle bug and keep comparing him with others you had in the past.
You have never seen a cat fight like that for something fairly innocent. ??? You baited and he took the bait but you were not fast enough?
He has been through so much in his young life - caught, locked up, paraded around, locked up again, being chased around. What bond do expect to build in a few weeks under those circumstances? He knows you do not want him. So be honest.
Kinda that. I mean, it sounds like he is easing his way in and becoming more comfortable with his environment. I understand it is not as quickly as you would hope, but li'l dude hasn't done anything wrong. You may want to adjust your expectations a little bit and love the cat you got.
It sounds like you expect4d a pre-fab cuddle bug and keep comparing him with others you had in the past.
You have never seen a cat fight like that for something fairly innocent. ??? You baited and he took the bait but you were not fast enough?
He has been through so much in his young life - caught, locked up, paraded around, locked up again, being chased around. What bond do expect to build in a few weeks under those circumstances? He knows you do not want him. So be honest.
Not saying I'm perfect here, but I woke up to go to the restroom in the middle of the night, saw him on the vanity, and picked him up to get him out of the bedroom. I wasn't thinking he would totally go off like that.
I didn't expect a pre-fab cuddle bug that would be in my lap all the time, but wasn't expecting a month of hiding under my kitchen cabinets either. I have not seen him (without having to get in the floor and take a picture/video of him in the hole) in over two weeks now. He has dragged a couple more toys back in there and he does appear to be making some minor progress on playing.
I want him to come out, interact, and start socializing. The "eat, poop, hide in a hole" thing is getting old.
If he was under a bed or somewhere that I could physically get to him, I wouldn't be so frustrated. It's not like I just get him to go into the next room and then slowly introduce myself to him. I feel like there is nearly no progress, and until I can get to him, I can't do a thing about any of it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nanny Goat
I adopted a cat who was a stray in a mobile home park I was doing home care visits in one day. The man threatened to "shoot her" if she was still there in the morning. I was pretty upset. She ended up just jumping in my car. Full of fleas, underfed, skinny, poor coat, etc.
She stayed indoors and under the Deacon's Bench for probably a year. She ate and went in the litter box and right back under the bench. Safe zone far from activity. She never let me pet her for maybe 2 yrs. I just let her be at her own pace. She finally let her guard down and became very social. During the time of acclimation to us, the other cat took her under his wing, so to speak, and maybe that helped her. She let him groom her once in a while before hissing, but more contact w/ the cat than us during that time.
It just takes time w/ some of them.
He's not hurting anything by being there. With that said, I'm not home a lot. Last week was rough. I worked until 9 two nights. I didn't get home until about 9 Friday night, and was gone most of the day Saturday and Sunday.
Last edited by Serious Conversation; 12-10-2019 at 12:17 PM..
Can you sit by him and read out loud so he gets used to you being close and your voice?
I talk to him when I'm making dinner and throughout the evening. I'm not sure if he could even see sitting outside the hole in the floor.
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