Any tips on what to do about terrified new cat.

[Lunde]

We appear to have acquired a new cat. It wasn't really of our choosing but we have noticed him in our garden on and off since around Christmas - but in the past two weeks he seems to have been in our garden all of the time. I am not in the uk and the weather has been terrible - snow and a thick sheet of ice underneath and not above zero.

The has been eating bird food - I have seen him grab fat balls and run off with them and last week we saw him take a stale bread roll to eat. We are very rural. There is only 1 other farming family within ½ a mile and the farmer (who knows if anyone sneezes within 2 miles) has seen the cat around but has no clue who owns it. There are no posters up in the nearest shop (4 miles away) and he is not listed as missing on any cat shelter site. Unfortunately some people seem to dump their unwanted or sick cats in the forest about 1 mile from out house - while they generally survive summer/autumn - when winter hits they starve.

We have been worried about him as it has been minus 10-15C at night. But he was too scared to come to us although he happily wolfed down dried cat food and ham thrown from the ground floor window - coming within a metre or so to get it.

To cut a long story very short - we borrowed a cat trap from a shelter 40 miles away and 15 hours later he was caught. We managed to get him to the vet the same day.

• not chipped or ear marked
• about 2 years
• vet didn't think him feral (and at our house he knows how to use litter tray)
• in fairly good condition - unlikely to have been out many months
• very scared.

Yesterday obviously traumatised him. We have 3 other cats but we have a small room we can isolate him in. Yesterday I could stroke his head but today he is wedged between the litter box and radiator - but as the food disappears he obviously comes out now and again.

I am torn over the best thing to do. the cat shelter can take him on Sunday although they are rammed at the moment. Plus we have 3 other cats to consider ...

I'd like to make it work for him if possible but I need some tips to help him come out of his shell and be more sociable

He just needs time. Sit in the room with him and talk quietly, I used to read aloud to frightened foster cats. Don’t make eye contact or try to touch him. Let him come out when he’s ready.

Leave him to acclimatise.
Mine spent nearly 3 weeks hiding under the kitchen unit, only coming out at night. It was another two months before she stopped fleeing every time we walked near her. She now sleeps on me, sits on our laps, runs to greet us when we come in and meows until we pet her if we are walking about.

Play classical music in his room.

Spend time in there but do not attempt to pet him.

When putting his food down and letting him eat make sure you sit on the opposite side of the room and talk in a calm quiet voice so he can get used to you and know you’re not a threat.

Time really is the only healer here.

Don’t give up.

Just be very quiet around him like PO have said- don’t rush him.
If you can afford him and your other cats don’t mind, keep him.
Some people with stables or barns let “ feral” cats live there with food and a warm place to sleep.

Sounds pretty normal behaviour and good advice on here.

I know you said it cold where you are but an outdoor insulated house might be a good idea for him if he wants to be outside. And continue to feed him.

Might sound odd but when I got my rescue cat last year and she was hiding from me in the spare room, I just sat down and read her stories from a children's book :) to get her used to my voice and presence.

The following day she started coming out and came to sleep on my bed at night!

Give him time to become used to you.

It takes time, one of mine hid under the sofa for about 3 weeks. She would only come out when we were out of the room or when I was sat in there but with my back turned. She eventually would come out when we were around but any loud noise or sudden move and she would scuttle back to safety. After a few weeks she got more confident and eventually followed me round the house like a shadow. She was never a confident cat and didn't like strangers or new situations but she was a gorgeous girl. I lost her last year and still miss her very much 😟

The cat needs time to decompress so just carry on with him/her in the room and sit in there as much as you can.

Well done for having a heart and looking out for him

Oh poor kitty. You're doing the right things,give him time & space.

Posted too soon. I'd be inclined to give him time to decompress before taking him to the shelter.

I'd be even more inclined to keep him!

As others have said, he needs time. Make sure the room is warm and dark and ideally give him a box or something to hide in. Something not much bigger than he is so he can feel snug and secure.

When you can, go in and sit on the floor but not too close to him (I know you said the room is small but the best you can). Let him get used to your smell and your quiet voice without trying to touch him.

It might take days or weeks but he will come around.

Exactly what everyone else has said. Give him a safe space, talk quietly and gently, but don't look at him or touch him. I never saw one of my new cats for about three weeks, she wouldn't come anywhere near us.
She was eating, drinking and using the litter tray so I knew she was fine.

Congratulations on the new cat! 🐈 Time, love, patience, food, warmth - sounds lovely he’s fallen on his paws.

Give him time.

Buy some good treats and you can offer them on the floor of the room he's in. Put treats closer and closer to the door, then in a couple of weeks leave them in the doorway.

Has he been neutered? That should be done.

Thank you for all of your advice. I am trying out many of the suggestions of talking to him and sitting with him. At the moment I am keeping him separated from the other 3 cats.

Yesterday was a miserable day for him as the previous day had been traumatic - captured in a cat trap at 5am and then plonked in a cat basket and driven 10 miles to the vet at 3pm. Then at the vet he was subjected to an examination and we had him neutered, vaccinated and chipped at the same time. So I think he felt very sorry for himself.

I had seen minor signs of improvement today. He is eating really well (loves the very expensive cat food). He knows how to use the litter tray and didn't freak out when DH changed the litter (the cat was wedged behind) but just watched cautiously. I put a couple of cat sleeping boxes in (a box with a hole) - but at the moment he prefers the space between the box and the warm radiator. Today he is peeping out at me - not coming out but a little curious. I have put a new kick toy out although I am unsure he knows what to do with toys (we had another foundling cat who actually used to eat them!)

Will see how the next week or two pans out. I would not be happy with him living outside as where we live (not UK) there can be predators in winter. The farmer's cat was killed by a lynx a few years ago and last year a wolf was spotted 200m from our house.

How are things going @Lunde ?

It is still very slow going with newly rescued cat - been about 9 days now. Still in his own small room as don't want a conflict with our other 3 cats.

He mostly hides in a cat sleeping box/house but is sometimes lying on the window sill. He seems somewhat nocturnal which makes things harder. He is eating very well.

Haven't managed to touch him yet. But I pop in and out and talk to him regularly. Today he was making soft mewing sounds - the first sound other than hissing I have heard - don't know if it's a positive thing ....

One bit of odd behaviour - a couple of nights ago he slept in his litter tray! Maybe a safety thing? But litter everywhere. Would it be better to take the top off?

One of ours slept in a litter tray the first night - spent the whole first weekend in it but settled in very well eventually. Definitely seemed to be a safety thing so wouldnt worry too much. Eating very well is an excellent sign! You are doing a good thing.

Cats are nocturnal same as their prey! I'd say mewing is a good sign too.

I hope so - I think he was surviving by hunting at night so it probably feels safe but harder to make contact when he is curled up in his box when I go in to chat to him.

Yes I assumed it was a safety thing - just very messy as he seems to come out with litter on his coat. Will try a different type of litter to see if better.

UPDATE Just wanted to thank those that contributed to this thread from almost exactly a year ago.

Terrified cat who at one time lived behind or in his litter tray gradually became cuddly lap cat and has made himself completely at home!

Ah that's so lovely to hear! Please supply a photo.

Photos finally uploaded above