MaggieLou

I'm hoping someone can give me some advice. We have a year old cat that we got when she was about 4 months old. Her mother and littermates were all feral. We took her sister and her. The sister has tamed up mostly but Mischief is still skittish and won't come to us. She will take treats from my hand occasionally though. Any thoughts on how to help tame her? She is very skittish and will take off if you get close to her. I've seen some medications in the pet store to help calm cats. Do any of these work/help and if so please share the names? They are indoor cats and I don't let them outside. TIA

tessagin

Patience, patience, patience. Just continue what you're doing and let her come to you. Even cats who are not feral, can be very independent. I had a cat "Jetta" was very independent. You couldn't just go pick her up. She was that way for the 4 years I had her. She got outside twice and had to litters. We eventually gave her to a lady who had a huge house and lost her own cat. She took Jetta and Lea (who we thought was Leo at first). She just let them be themselves. As long as Mischief is using the litter box, that would be my only concern. She should eventually join in play with you and her sister.

nativetexan

the more you can handle her, the better. we took in a mama and her two girls. one stayed in the garage while the others came in the house to eat. I figured the timid one would come around in her own good time. Mistake! Now, six years later she's much, much better. Still a timid cat though. Her mama had a second litter in our house (her boyfriend visited her before we could get her to stay inside) and one of that litter was very timid. Even though those were handled as soon as mama would let us. Lots of talking to kitty, petting and calmness around her. I pet my Rosie every day many times a day. I pick her up behind her front paws and pat her tummy, leaving her back feet on the floor. Then I do that and pick her up cupping her back feet. take her to the door to look out, talking to her all the while.kiss her ears and let her down gently. This all takes time. But do not give up. That essential bonding is missing since you couldn't get to handle her earlier. Rosie lets me pet her while eating now too. Good luck. Oh and Rosie was named Buddy first because we thought she was a he. The Vet informed me she was female so she became Buddie Rose. Big for a girl and mama wouldn't have anything to do with her really. . I did try some calming stuff at Petco but it had no effect on them. Mama is a nervous cat but loves to be petted. I take her and her tiny dtr outside on leashes. They love that!!

bearisgray

I think some cats are just plain timid/shy.

As someone else said, if the cat is eating, drinking, using the litter box, and not being vicious - if it lets you pet it now and then, I think things are going well.

Some people prefer not to be touched. Maybe some cats prefer minimal handling?

MaggieLou

pretty cats, nativetexan.

MaggieLou

Part of the problem is she isn't always using the litter box. I have two litterboxes for them and cleaned regularly.

bearisgray

Maybe set out another litter box?

We had one cat that urinated in one box and defecated in another one.

MaggieLou

I already have two litter boxes. I don't really have room for another one. I don't think Mischief is using but one. I think Fluffy uses both depending on her mood.

Prism99

You could try the Feliway plug-in diffusers. They tend to have a calming effect on cats (and can help with the litterbox issue, especially if you keep one near the litterbox). They can get pricey because the range is small, but we found it helped our cats with a house move. Here is a link to one on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Feliway-Plug-I...dp/B000WHUOEI/

MaggieLou

Thanks for the link. I'll have to try it. The reviews were mostly positive. It seems most people used the spray instead of the diffuser. I don't have an outlet close to the litter box so the spray might work better.