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Cats/Taming a Scaredy Cat

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Expert: - 6/2/2009


Question
Hi:
I have 2 cats, Hershey (male cat 6 y/o) and Capri (female 5 y/o).  How do I get Capri to calm down and not be such a scaredy cat (ferral).  Both are rescue cats.  Hershey is the alpha, although sometimes they get along quite well.  I just do not know how to get Capri to relax and not be so jumpy.  The home environment is for the most part very quiet - no children. We cannot even pick her up to pet her, let alone try to capture her to take her to the vet.  Any suggestions???  Thanks, Donna

Answer
Donna,

Like people, cats have individual personalities, even in the same litter.

What I found works with tentative cats is not to approach them.  Let Capri work out her place in the household on her own terms.  Do not pick her up or approach her.  Let her come to you.  If she asks for affection pet her, if not, leave her alone.  In fact ignoring her might have the effect of making her more demanding of your attention.  To be effective, this approach must be carried out by every member of the household all the time, every time.

If she begins to warm up, make it worth her while, have a treat ready for her. If she thinks approaching you and getting attention is her idea, she will tend to be more forthcoming.  If she gets rewarded for such positive behaviors, even better!!!!!  If you make an ordeal out of capture and putting her in a carrier, everything is set back.  In fact she may look at your approaching her as a fun game of chase and manipulate you into chasing her by being just out of reach!?!?!?!?

So, I would try ignoring her except to place food and water and clean litter pans.  

Do not worry about Capri and Hershey as they have to figure out how they want to inter-relate.  Leave them to do that non their terms and accept whatever way they come to resolving how they want to relate.  Two things are sure: (1) Any human interference is counter-productive, and (2) We humans have no understanding of how cats decide how they want to inter-relate!

Best regards... Norm.  

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Norman Auspitz

Expertise

I can answer most non-veterinary questions about cats. My particular expertise is pedigree cats, breeding and showing. However, I am versed in feline behavior, cat breeds and their characteristics, general feline husbandry, and the like.

Experience

I judged for the Canadian Cat Association from 1975 until 1982. I am currently an approved allbreed judge for the Cat Fanciers'' Association (the world''s largets cat registry), and have been judging for them since 1991. I have been breeding pedigreed cats since 1971 and have been exhibiting pedigreed cats in shows since 1970. I obtained my first pedigreed cat in 1970 and have never looked back. In 1971, I obtained my first Abyssinian which has become my primary breed. In addition, I have bred Manx and Persians. Currently, besides the Abyssinians, I am also breeding Maine Coons.


Organizations
Cat Fanciers'' Association, inc. (CFA) and the Manx, Maine Coon, and Abyssinian breed councils. I am currently Abyssinian breed council secretary.

Publications
Cat Fancy Magazine, The Abyssinian Chapter in The Cat Fanciers'' Association Complete Cat Book, and Articles for various editions of The Cat Fanciers'' Association Yearbook

Education/Credentials
I received a B.S. from Drexel University in 1968, a M.Math from University of Waterloo, in 1970, a Ph.D. from University of Waterloo in 1975, and a MBA from McMaster University in 1980. I received my approved allbreed judging status in the Cat Fanciers'' Association in 1999.

Awards and Honors
We have produced a number of Cat Fanciers'' Association (CFA) National winning Abyssinian and Maine Coons. We have produced a number of Abyssinian and Maine Coon Distinguished Merit females (an award for a top producing cat), including the first Distinguished Merit Abyssinian in the red (sorrel) color. I am the CFA Abyssinian breed council secretary and belong and/or hold office in a number of cat clubs. I am also a member of the CFA Judges Association.

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