Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey all, i recently aquired a cat from a family member who adopted it only to find out that her children were allergic. my problem is the cat was almost certainly abused before it was adopted. she is very shy, hides in my basment and will only come out at night when everyone is asleep to eat. i have tried to interact with her, but when anyone goes near her she starts meowing very loudly and you can tell she is very distressed. so, anyone have any advice on how to help get her more sociable towards people? hiding in the basement without interaction im afraid will only make her more anti social in the long run, but i also dont want to stress her out. i really dont think that living in my basment fearing every movement she hears from us is a healthy environment.

thanks for any advice

Hi There,

I think that the best thing that you can do for this kitty is let her come around on her own. For now, she just wants her own space and she needs a chance to adjust on her own timetable.
The main thing is that she is eating.

Just take things easy and be very patient. If your kitty seems distressed when you invade her space, try just talking to her from a distance. As she gets used to you, she will allow you to come closer. Whether she was abused or not, she has been through an awful lot.

I have brought all kinds of cats into my home, including abused and feral kitties. They have all come around, even the 5 year old totally feral cat I adopted several years ago.

I think eventually this baby will adjust to her new home. Hopefully she will even want to leave the safety of the basement.

Thanks for taking in this girl

Regards,
PHKitkat

One thing I read about socializing shy cats was to sit in a room with the cat, but act like you are focused on something else, reading or using the computer. Every now and then toss a treat in the general direction of the cat, but don't make any eye contact (hard to do!). If you do this for about 15 minutes a day, tossing a treat every five minutes sometimes the cat will start to come around. It's worth a try!
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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

thanks for the info guys, she is healthy besides that so hopefully she will come around soon=)