Adopting a nervous cat.

The nervous or timid cat may require a little more patience and time to settle in to a new environment. It can however become a loving pet and companion.

The more nervous the cat, the longer it could take to settle. For this type of cat it is important to provide a safe haven. Make sure you have prepared a room for your new cat to go in. Do not choose the kitchen, as this is usually a busy place with lots of appliances to hide behind.

In your prepared room, provide a covered pen or large box that the cat can initially hide in. Put their carrier in the pen and let them come out in their own time. If you give them a place to feel secure right at the start, then hopefully they will use this instead of disappearing behind the sofa or under the bed, and you will find it easier to make contact with them. Don’t worry if for the first couple of days you don’t see them or they seem to be hardly eating anything. Give them a bit of time to adjust to their new environment. They will probably come out when it is quiet to eat and use their litter tray, so make sure everything they need is fairly close by.

Fear and anxiety can show itself in different ways. Some cats will go rigid and not move, others might hiss and spit and sometimes lash out. Do not try and push your cat too far too soon. Go slowly and let them make the moves towards you.

Start by just spending time in the same room with the cat. Get it used to your voice and smell, and use titbits to try and make contact with the cat. Start by putting them down at first away from you, and let the cat come out in its own time to eat them.

When it feels confident enough to eat the food, gradually move the titbits closer to you so that eventually it will take it from your hand. Try to avoid looking directly at your cat, as in cat language direct eye contact is aggressive.

Slow blinking is seen as a less threatening form of communication, and you will often find that when the cat starts to relax it will blink back at you.

The amount of time it takes to get a nervous cat relaxed in your presence can vary. Try where possible to keep to a regular routine and avoid any environmental changes until your cat has gained more confidence. Food is a good way of bonding with your cat as it associates you with a pleasant experience.

Even a nervous cat likes to play, so try and encourage the cats natural hunting behaviour by playing with it. You can use fishing rod toys or ping pong balls. By stimulating a cats natural behaviour, it will often give the cat more confidence in itself.

Do not try and push your cat into facing new things, because for the timid cat this can be quite frightening. Let your cat decide when it is ready to cope with new experiences.

Time and patience are the biggest assets when taking on this type of cat. We all want to love our pets, but trying to hold them and put them on your lap too soon will only increase their anxiety and fear at being restrained. LET YOUR CAT MAKE THE CHOICE TO COME TO YOU. The ignored cat is often the one that seeks out your company.

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