Expert: Ali - 12/1/2009

Question
hi, i was wondering whether you would be so kind and help me.  my partner and I have adopted 2 18month old Bengal cats. We have had them for around 4 weeks now.

They seem to always hide under the sofa and come out to eat, play and have a little poo when we are not around. Sometimes they would come out and wonder the house but then hide under the sofa until bedtime when were are asleep.


we hear them play under the sofa but never where we can see them. We offer them treats to tempt them out which does works sometimes, one does eat out of our hands the other just looks the other way. When they come close we slowly stroke them but they get scared and run under the sofa and don't come out for ages.

I have bought a Feliway plug in which has helped slightly but not the best results we expected for.

do we block the hiding place? is there any other ideas you may have that will help the cats be comfortable with us?

My partner and I would love to hear from your views and expertise.

Ferzana :-D

Answer
Ferzana,

I wouldn't suggest blocking hiding places, these cats are clearly very frightened and they need to be able to retreat to an area where they feel safe. I suspect that these kitties may not have come from the best cattery, in fact you may want to contact the RSPCA if you purchased them from a breeder so that they can investigate conditions in that cattery. Bengals are known for being very social cats so this behavior is extremely out of character for the breed. My recommendation at this point would be to consider putting two Bach flower remedies in their drinking water; Rescue Remedy and Mimulus. Rescue Remedy is meant to calm and reassure, Mimulus is to help calm specific fears. I would recommend a dose of 8-10 drops of each remedy per day in the water bowl and it's important to be sure that you change the water and clean the bowl each morning before adding that day's dose to their dish. In a relatively short period of time you should begin seeing these kitties relax somewhat.

In the meantime in terms of things you specifically can do to help increase the cats' comfort levels around you would be to start off by allowing these cats to come to you. Have a seat on the floor where the cats can see you but you can't reach them. Avoid speaking to, touching or making eye contact with them, I generally recommend reading a book, doing a crossword puzzle or immersing yourself into some activity that takes your focus off of the cats. To help speed the process of these cats coming out of hiding along I'd recommend that you place a plate with tuna packed in water just out of your arm's reach. Most cats really enjoy tuna and they'll start to come out more quickly than they otherwise would. It's going to take time, patience, consistency and persistance to get these cats back on track, but if you're willing to allow these guys to dictate the pace at which they're able to get to know you and learn to trust you the rewards are incredible. As the days progress with you spending as much time as possible on the floor but focused on something else with an extra special treat just out of arm's reach you'll notice that the cats will initially come out, wolf down the tuna and scramble back to their hiding place, as time passes they'll become more curious and spend more time out in the environment rather than hiding under furniture. Slowly they will begin to get closer to you and eventually your crossword will be interrupted by a furry being inserting him/herself between you and your puzzle. I'm more than willing to offer guidance and tips along the way, but I think it's important to realize that above all getting these cats rehabilitated and comfortable with you will take time and patience. If you have any further cat related questions or concerns, please fee free to contact me again and I will do my absolute best to help you out. In the meantime don't be shy with the updates, I'd really like to hear how these fur kids progress!