Morning All, Rescue cat... still hiding after two weeks, what to do?

When I adopted my cat, it took him approx. 2 and a half weeks before he could trust me. Some cat-lover friends of mine told me some mistakes I made when appraoching my cat... They told me,

- try to approach at ground level, a 5 -6 ft human from a 1 foot perspective can be quite overwhelming...

- NEVER stare them straight it the eye, its a signal of agression. Instead catch their attention and blink ever so slowly and look away ( i read that is a sign of cat affection just very recently, I got this tip a coupla years ago ), its a good sign if kitty blinks back.

- ( i didnt use it myself but my neighbor swears by it ) Its a spray called Feliway, its supposed to have some "cat's detectable only " scent, that helps the cat relax and feel at home and not intimadated by other scents ( like Human, Dog, Snake etc )

I hope all works out well for you, coz when my kitty settled down, it was all worth it. He is an indoors cat ( I dont let him out cause traffic here is crazy ) and when I come home from my performances late at night sometimes, its always heart warming to see two little ears all perked up behind the glass door waiting for me. I got me a Burmese cat and I tell you, he is chattier than Oprah...... Good luck

P/S: Oh sorry, personally I think you should keep her indoors, until she has "claimed" your home as her territory ( hehehe... they always feel that WE are the squatters and they are just doingus a favor cause they like us hehe )

Your Vet is nuts! If the cat was used to being outside you need to "slowly" help her make the adjustment to her inside surroundings. A cat's instinct when they are scared is to hide.

A feral cat set up would probably have been the best thing to start with - you can go on the Alley Cat Allies or Neighborhoodcats.org websites to socializing feral kittens and cats. Keeping her in one room is really best for a while, preferably in a big dog crate with a litter box and a carrier or Small box for her to hide in so she can slowly adjust to her new surroundings. At the very least in one room and then slowly let her out each day for a short time supervised and then back into the room. It has to a slow process and then the dog is another issue. Another good animal website is Dumb Friends League. Good luck, but if you want this new relationship to work and everyone feel comfortable then you have to be patient and do it the right way.

I would keep her in longer, after all she's been traumatized and letting her out would only give her more trauma. The first thing she would probably do is seek a safe hiding place and perhaps even become Ferrel. There's no telling exactly how long it may take her to adjust to her new surroundings. And if it isn't a problem, maybe it would be best just to make her an indoor cat. There's a lot less chance of her getting any diseases or harmed by being outside if she's just kept indoors. In time she'll warm up and get used to her surroundings, for now just be patient and try to coax her out with treats and lots of love.

Any cat brought home from a rescue should quickly become an 'indoor cat' ONLY. There is a reason they ended up in a rescue/shelter and it usually revolves around the fact that they got outside and couldn't handle it. If you know for a fact that this is NOT why they ended up in the shelter then feel free to take your chances. I however would not risk it.

First let her get used to her house. It will take a while. Cats are not as curious as they are portrayed to be, especially when they are scarred. She will come around. Buy some interesting toys, tasty treats, and irresistible wet food around to entice her. She will come around when she is ready. Forcing her will only make things worse...don't forget that a scarred cat is not afraid to use claws and teeth.

It's normal for cats to hidewhen thier environment has changed. Try putting your dog in another room, then get a can of sardines and sit it somewhere where the cat can smell it, but has to come out of hiding to eat it. Most cats can't resist sardines. Make sure you sit where the sardines are so that when she comes to eat, she will have to come near YOU. Don't reach out to pet her or say anything. Just sit quietly and let her eat.After a couple of times doing this, start talking to her in a slow calm voice while she eats......after a couple of times doing THAT, slowly reach out to pet her etc ......It's all about trust! She will come around eventually when she realizes that she is safe.

definetley keep her, give her a chance, she might have been through a lot outside, just love her and give her time