Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This may be a bit long-winded, but I need to let you know where I'm coming from.

About six months ago I was given a cat by a person who was essentially going to throw him out onto the street. As soon as I heard that I told him to give me the cat because I didn't want that happening to an innocent animal. Problem is, I knew NOTHING about cats. Nothing about their care, nothing about their behavior, nothing about nothing.

Everything started pretty much ok, but he had a penchant for clawing my couch and chairs despite me buying him a kitty treehouse and several posts. Now knowing nothing about the way a cat's mind works, my solution was to hop up, give a yell and chase him off the couch or chair. Now that seemed to work just fine until I realized that anytime I made an unexpected turn toward him or simply getting up quickly out of my chair sent him scampering away in fear as if I was about to hurt him (which is TOTALLY not the case).

I am wondering if there is any way to break him of this because of several reasons. First, I don't want him to be scared of me because he has no reason to be. Second, I've already received some comments from family and friends along the lines of "What's wrong with the cat? You beat him or something?" Frankly, the fact that the cat is in fear bothers me far more than what anyone says, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me at all.

Now my boy is a very loving, playful, and active cat and doesn't exhibit any fear of me outside of this one specific behavior ---when I surprise him or get up out of my chair quickly with him near.

In addition, I don't know much about how he was treated in his previous home. All I know is the person that gave him to me did not like him at all and hated having him in the house.

Please help. I have come to care about this rotten little monster (kidding) and hate to see him act in this way; especially since it might have been brought on by something I was doing due to my ignorance.

And not to sound like a jerk, but don't bother posting if you're going to chew me out. I feel bad enough already.

>>Now my boy is a very loving, playful, and active cat and doesn't exhibit any fear of me outside of this one specific behavior ---when I surprise him or get up out of my chair quickly with him near.
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>> In addition, I don't know much about how he was treated in his previous home. All I know is the person that gave him to me did not like him at all and hated having him in the house.
>>>

I'm not an expert on this, but it sounds like your cat's behavior has something to do with his former home. He might have been mistreated. The cat would have have sensed he wasn't wanted.
I think that you need to be patient and give your cat time to adjust. Try to avoid sudden movements if possible.
As far as clawing the couch, maybe you could try a different kind of scratcher for the cat. My cats have no use for a carpeted scratching post; they both prefer the flat cardboard kind. It will take some experimenting to find out what your cat likes. Also, try spraying water whenever you find the cat doing something wrong. Most cats don't like being sprayed.
It's great that you are able to give the cat a good home. Good luck.

Ellen

Hi There,

Thanks for taking in this kitty. You have done a very good thing.

As far as the cat being skittish, all you can do is be patient, and as the other poster stated, try to not make any sudden movements around him. I once had a cat that had obviously been abused in the past, as he cowered whenever I had an arm raised for some reason. Even just scratching my head scared him at first. It took this boy a few months to realize that I wasn't going to hurt him and he ended up being a wonderful, very loving, trusting pet.

Perhaps you can tell your friends and family that your kitty had a difficult past living in a home where he wasn't wanted, and he might have been abused. Over time he will realize that you will never hurt him and he will hopefully calm down.

Please try not to feel bad or responsible. We were all new cat owners at one time, and didn't understand them at first. The important thing is that you rescued this cat from a very bad situation and care deeply for him. Things will work out fine

Regards,
PHKitkat

Try the water bottle trick for the couch clawing. Its the cheapest and easiest way to deter him. But if you have more problems, repost and we'll give you some more ideas.

A couple of things about cats - they don't like direct eye contact - its a dominance thing. My husband, Big Scary Man, can move the cats just with a look. If when you scare your kitty, he moves off and grooms himself, that's compulsive grooming. He is just rattled and trying to regain face. If he is hiding in terror under the bed, you've got a little more work ahead of you. Long, slow, lazy blinks when you look at him show you are content and like him. Watching him sideways, or moving up to his side rather then head on is also less threatening.

When you pick him up for lap time, let him face away from you. They always want to see an escape route. I've known a few cats who generally liked a little rough lovin' but for now, be slow and gentle when you pet or scratch him until he decides you are a-okay. Talk in a soothing voice. (this will also lower your blood pressure BTW)

And a little smelly tuna can mend almost any relationship. Give him a little space but talk to him while he eats. Eventually you can stroke him a few times just to say hello. The idea is to teach furball that all good things come from you. Once that is established, if you're not a slow easy going guy by nature, you'll be able to revert back to you usual self and the cat will learn its okay.

One of my cats started out in life as a barn cat. I couldn't touch her for six months, everything terrified her. Now she handles everything but visitors and the vacuum in stride - including be whaled on by my 9 month old daughter!