Gently Introducing A Nervous Kitty Who Was Neglected And Scared In Her Previous Home To A New Cat (Thread)
There's are many differences between buying a cat versus rescuing one, and one of the main ones is that, often times, you don't the history of said rescue cat. You may think that's not important, but it can be, especially if said cat is a bit… more difficult. Some rescue cats are just shy, and they need help coming out of their boxes and relaxing around their human. Some cats are just afraid and need patience from their humans - these cats are not aloof, they just need time. And other cats… other cats have an unpleasant history.
These cats might take a long time to finally show affection, and that's the case with this cat right here. In this case, the owners of the cat knew its history and knew that they were in for a challenge, but they were not prepared for how big of a challenge it would be. Still, there is a happy ending here, so hold on tight.
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1
"A rescued cat feeling safe."
"Having been terrorized by an older cat and not cared for in her previous home, I think she got a much needed break.
She is such a kind soul." -
2
"Small update from a previous post."
"Our little 'rescuee' is doing great. There are still small arguments between her (Nabi) and our other cat (Baghi) but all in all they accept each other."
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3
"Having been bullied by another male cat in her previous home, she felt uneasy near him. She seemed like she anticipated an attack every time she saw him.
We kept them completely seperated for about 2 weeks and tried to introduce each scent to the other.
They weren't bothered by the scent at all but seeing each other was difficult." -
4
"This was our poor attempt at introducing them by sight. It didn't really work as she just jumped over the babygate when we walked over. Fun times."
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5
"About 2 months in after adopting her. They finally ate almost face to face but as soon the food was gone arguments happened. Things started to get better but it still wasn't the progress we were hoping for."
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6
"We eventually lost patience and listened to bad advice. We prepared a spray bottle with water and just let them loose, removing all barriers. For a few days it seemed like they're getting along. He was usually the one to start fights so he was the one getting sprayed most of the time. She didn't mind the spray bottle and turned into a bully after a few days. She attacked while he used the litter and he thought he wasn't allowed to fight back. After she jumped on him and litteraly riding on his back while she was scratching him as he tried to run away from her, he had some kind of break-down. He was breathing heavily and didn't respond or react to anything for an hour. We seperated them and spent the night with him."
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7
"My girlfriend wanted to look for a new home for Nabi and we put all attempts at introducing them on hold. It eventually turned into a completely new beginning at introducing them but without the spray bottle."
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8
"Meanwhile, she grew really attached to me. Me and my girlfriend have seperate bedrooms as my workschedule is kinda chaotic. My bedroom was her sacred place. But me being her 'guardian' came with a downside..."
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9
"She peed in my bed quite often. It mainly happened when i was out for work and doing over-time. I had to buy a new matress and got a waterproof cover."
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10
"The peeing stopped when we added new stuff to explore, climb, scratch and chill for the cats."
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11
"This is her having an allergic reaction. Her mouth swells so much she can't close it, drooling constantly. We went do different vets but we still don't know what causes it."
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12
"This was the first time having her on my lap. She doesn't like being picked up or being on someones lap, but when she has a cuddly day she likes to sleep on my lap."
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13
"The event that made us decide to see things through. She still has her reservations but with enough patience and attention we'll make them a home they both deserve and feel at ease in."
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14
"We didn't have to seperate them for about a month now. As i said, they still argue from time to time but it's harmless and usually gets resolved by talking to them. I, for one, am really happy how things turned out and pround how both accepted the other.
Sorry for the long post, but maybe someone's out there having trouble with introducing cats. Be patient and show all the love you have. It'll eventually work!"For a weekly dose of animal-themed community challenges - Subscribe to our Newsletter!
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