Scaredy cat

metaoblivia

I posted her pic in the pets thread, but yesterday I got a new cat from the animal shelter. She is about 5 months old and she is joining me and my other cat, Gryphon. She was spayed yesterday morning and I brought her home that evening.

She loves to be petted and just purrs and purrs when I do that and snuggles in my lap, but otherwise she is very scared. And that was part of her profile at the shelter, so I knew that going in - it's not just a new place issue, it's been an ongoing issue with her.

I got her a cat hut and she seems to like it because it's like a little cave that she can sit in and feel safe while still watching my other cat and me. But during the night, she left and found her way under the refrigerator. I don't want her under the refrigerator, but the process to get her out terrifies her. So once I did get her out, I moved her cat hut, a bed, a litter box and food and water into the walk in closet so she would have a small space with no places to get herself stuck in. I want to slowly break her in, but also be able to have access to her so I can pet her and have social time with her once a day.

All that background to ask, have any of you ever worked with a scared cat before and what were some of the methods you used? I think the closet will work for the time being, but ultimately I'd like for her to feel comfortable in the apartment.

Oh, and my other cat Gryphon has been very good. He's the opposite of her - very social, very confident, not really a lap cat, but wants to be with you. He's sniffed her a few times, but not hissed, not growled, no aggression at all.

Thanks!

taytobreath

The poor thing must have had issues with humans or other cats previous to you taking her in. Give it time and she will regain her trust in humans, cats are like elephants when it comes to somebody or something hurting them, it takes along time for them to forget.

taytobreath

Reread your post, well done for taking in a rescue cat, the cat needs time and patience and trust. That will take a few months. Its worth it in the end though.

metaoblivia

Thank you! I will admit that purebred cats are beautiful, but I simply can't justify having one of them when there are so many good, beautiful cats in shelters.

She is still in the closet and still favors her hut, but we had some good petting time where she purred so much and got so excited she fell out a few times. Here are some pics - she's just so gorgeous!

morgana

Oh what an absolute cutie! Give her all the time she needs, you have provided her with a safe spot, the rest is now up to her. Keep up the cuddling and petting, you are doing absolutely right. Our rescue cat is now a devil for petting and always purring, overall it took about a year for her to be as she is now. Initial progress took about a week or two.

metaoblivia

Just to update, it's been a week since I brought Calliope home, and wow has she blossomed!

She fell in love with my other cat, Gryphon, and they play all the time now. It's adorable to watch. She'll even come up to me for love and pets when he comes up to me because she has to do everything he does. But she still has a tendency to run and hide when I approach or if she thinks I'm approaching. But she doesn't do it all the time.

I've included some pictures. My only other concern - and it's not even a concern, just something I've noticed - she's about 6 months, Gryphon is about 10 months - she's so small, especially her legs. They seem short in comparison to other cats I've had. And her paws are super tiny. When Gryphon was her age, he's wasn't quite as big as he is now, but we knew he would be big because his legs were long and his paws were huge. Calliope, on the other hand, is very low to the ground.

anniehoo

metaoblivia wrote: »

My only other concern - and it's not even a concern, just something I've noticed - she's about 6 months, Gryphon is about 10 months - she's so small, especially her legs.

DSHs (domestic shorthairs) really do come in all shapes and sizes. It's amazing to see the difference sometimes in ones the same age. I wouldn't be worried at all about paw size or leg length in cats at 6mths old yet. If she's flying about that's all that matters right now.

I am absolutely delighted to see both are getting on great, you must be chuffed too. They're both at the perfect age to not be too set in their ways about a new introduction.

Keep the pics coming.

Oh....hmmmmm.....how do you pronounce her name?? :P I'm saying "Cally-o-pee" and Gryphon is "Griff-en" lol. This stuff is very important when reading threads

wrote:

Calliope, on the other hand, is very low to the ground.

metaoblivia

anniehoo wrote: »

Oh....hmmmmm.....how do you pronounce her name?? :P I'm saying "Cally-o-pee" and Gryphon is "Griff-en" lol. This stuff is very important when reading threads

Haha, true! Gryphon is right - just a fancy spelling of Griffin, really. Calliope is pronounced Ca-LYE-o-pee, accent on the "Lye" with a long "o" as well. So far her nicknames include Cali, Cali-pea and Cali-cat.

SillyMangoX

Oh another little tortie trouble!! She's just beautiful! I have a massive soft spot for torties

anniehoo

SillyMangoX wrote: »

Oh another little tortie trouble!! She's just beautiful! I have a massive soft spot for torties

You'd know more than I would on this but what is the difference between Calico and Tortie?

SillyMangoX

anniehoo wrote: »

You'd know more than I would on this but what is the difference between Calico and Tortie?

Calico is the American term for a tortie and white! Tortie is actually black with the red flecks going through, but most just say tortie for the ones with white too! Like I call Peach a tortie but when I register her for shows she's classic black tortie with white.

metaoblivia

SillyMangoX wrote: »

Calico is the American term for a tortie and white! Tortie is actually black with the red flecks going through, but most just say tortie for the ones with white too! Like I call Peach a tortie but when I register her for shows she's classic black tortie with white.

Yes, calico is an American term. To me, there are torties, torties and whites, and calicos. One of my cats back in Florida was what I would call a tortie and white. She was a tuxedo cat, with some white on her paws and chest, but the rest of her coat was black with random flecks of red throughout. By contrast, a calico is a mostly white cat with clearly defined spots of red and black, like Calliope.

boomerang

metaoblivia wrote: »

Yes, calico is an American term. To me, there are torties, torties and whites, and calicos.

Same here.

SillyMangoX

I just go by the cat show terms, they have tortie and white with calico in brackets so I count them as the same thing :P Never seen a tortie tuxedo before though, she sounds lovely!

boomerang

We'd call that a tortieco!

SillyMangoX

I just googled tortieco as I've never seen one before, and now I want one badly!! :P

metaoblivia

This is my tortie and white/tortico back in Florida:

metaoblivia

I took Calliope to the vet yesterday, and she said she believes Calliope is just a small kitty. She says she doesn't think she'll get much bigger.

Calliope is in just about perfect health. She did need worming medicine (ew, ew, ew!), but aside from that, she was negative on all of the test, her spaying scar is healing fine, her bloodwork was good, etc.

So she got her shots and has to go back in 2 weeks for her final shots and one more round of worming medicine.

When she got home, she decided it was time to cuddle with big brother!

aonb

wow, it was so lovely to read this thread - fantastic to see how quickly your rescue kitten (god shes CUTE!) settled in, so marvellous that your existing cat accepted her so completely and quickly - lots of