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So, I just got a cat for the first time in my life. I got it through adoption. I had lots of dogs as pets but never a cat. I thought this would be easy but I really need help.
This cat has been abandoned by her previous owners. I think she's scared because of the unfamiliar environment. In the first hour, I was able to pet her and hold her but, soon, she just ran away underneath my bed. I haven't been able to get her out of there because my bed is very low and I think she's afraid of me. She came out for about 5 mins when I brought her some cat food but she quickly ran back in when she was done. I really don't want to force her to come out.
Basically, can anyone give me some simple advices on how to raise an adopted cat? I really want her to like me. Personally, since this is my first cat, I think I've scared her  . I'm really confused on what to do. I hope I can find some good help here. Thanks!
Edit: PICS!!
+ Show Spoiler +
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I just wanna say that it's great that you adopted an animal. It's a shame that not enough people do it.
Good luck!
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No sudden movements, no loud noises. Basically do whatever you can to not scare her. Other than that just give her time to get used to you and to the new environment. Make sure there's a warm, comfortable place that she can go curl up and feel secure. There's probably nothing wrong with her hiding out under your bed for a while. Leave food and water out for her. She might only come out and eat and drink when you're out or asleep if she's scared, but that's better than nothing. Over time (several days, maybe weeks) she'll get used to you and become more friendly.
edit: Good on you for doing this and good luck. I hope it works out for you.
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On May 25 2010 09:58 Wohmfg wrote:
I just wanna say that it's great that you adopted an animal. It's a shame that not enough people do it.
Good luck!
Thanks! I really hope she will like me, but so far... It doesn't look she will T_T. She's been under the bed for the past 3 hrs. I've tried to accommodate her by bringing her food/water. I even cleaned up my room completely. I'm just worried that she'll never come out of there T_T.
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Its really the same as taking a kitten home away from its mother. She will be frightened at first and the only thing you can give her is time, affection (although don't force affection on it), and supplies. My cat was the same way when we brought her home and it took 2 days for her to grow comfortable enough to be held.
If you treat your new cat with respect and don't force her to do anything she doesn't want to, she will come out eventually and you will begin to form a relationship.
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OMG she came out. The adoption agency person told me not to let her out of the house, so right now, I'm keeping her in my room. Unfortunately, she's sitting by the door wanting to get out. Ugh, this is so frustrating.
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It takes a long time for a cat to get comfortable in its new house, don't take it hiding from you personally. I would suggest to avoid picking up it for a while, and just to be nice to it without coming at it too much. As tarpman said, cat's dig on comfy hidey holes, so it's completely normal. My housemates and I recently came into a cat that has lost it's home, and for weeks it was stanndoffish with a couple people here (there are 4 of us), and even to the people he was friendly with he was aloof somewhat.
Basically patience is a virtue and don't touch him too much till he behaves like he wants you to. Gl with the kitty!
Oh also if you try and force it to hang out anywhere it prolly wont, you gotta let it come to you.
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It will take time. I hope you have a litter box for her later when she does come out. When she is out I would suggest cleaning under your bed due to that she might have used it as her litter box......
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cats are like women basically. don't throw your love at her. let her see that in no way you need her love. lead your life and let her watch. don't react to her. she'll grow comfortable and will eventually see you as trustworthy.
and look into yourself.. do you feel a little insecure when you're trying to approach the cat? maybe because you don't wanna be "rejected", so to speak? fearing that she'll react badly to you? just let her alone and lead your life as if she wasn't there. if you can pull this off, she'll fall in love with you. cats fall heavily in love with their owners.
good luck 
EDIT: the stuff i'm trying to explain is really really subtle. "not reacting to her" doesn't mean to completely not react.. but look into yourself. you do react on the level of feelings. look into yourself, see why you react. and then just stop this and be with the cat.
i can actually make stranger cats approach me by being completely cool and not reacting.. it's so hard to describe, but if your cat actually can teach you this... it's a lesson for life. because cats are like women .. and women are like every other human being ..
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@ tarpman, thank you for your advices! I'll try to make her feel as comfortable as possible. I better play keep the stream volume down (damn loud korean announcers!).
@ dethrawr, ah alright, I'll try my best not to force affection on it. Maybe thats why it was scared. I guess I was trying to forcefully make it like me the instant I adopted her. I'll definitely treat her with great respect! Thanks!
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On May 25 2010 10:08 CatioN wrote:
It will take time. I hope you have a litter box for her later when she does come out. When she is out I would suggest cleaning under your bed due to that she might have used it as her litter box......
This, get a litter box and kitty litter if you haven't already. I'm sure you can find some cat toys at a local pet shop, and maybe pick up some catnip (they go crazy for that shit... insta love).
P.S. Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiics
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I'm not an expert but a cat is way more independant than a dog and you will never be able to impose your will on a cat because he will scratch you or go away. Cats are also way more egoistic, they can spend days without people around whereas most dogs would feel lonely and get depressed or scared.
Your cat is probably quite scared and not used to your house. She wants to be "alone" and that's why she is hiding under your bed. It is 100% normal and she will be shy at first but you just need time. Don't try to catch her, don't yell and don't force her to go out if she wants to hide.
She will eventually get out and if you are nice with her you will be able to stroke your cat
I guess you will need a couple of days or maybe weeks to have a fully confident and friendly cat.
Give it time.
edit: well people have said the same thing :o
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Ares[Effort]
DEMACIA6550 Posts
Good job yoon nim, I proud of you yo! Does it have a gosu accent like yours? lol jk and yea pictures please
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Hey guys, thank you for all the replies and your advices. I'm definitely gonna write them down. This cat is my first pet in YEARS. She was standing by the door as if she wanted to get the hell out of my house but now she's cuddling my legs and everything. All of a sudden she became really friendly! She's rolling around in my room, letting me pet her. I think she's gotten a bit comfortable. I hope I didn't feed her too much. I have a quick question though, am supposed to leave the kitty litter box somewhere secluded? Like away from my sight?
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On May 25 2010 10:06 YoonHo wrote:
OMG she came out. The adoption agency person told me not to let her out of the house, so right now, I'm keeping her in my room. Unfortunately, she's sitting by the door wanting to get out. Ugh, this is so frustrating.
Take notice if she jumps on handles and tries to pull doors with her paw. One of my cats does and I have to place chairs at the doors in the night because she wakes up my family x)
Also don't be discouraged if she bites and scratches you when you simply pet her. My other cat sometimes does this, especially when she lies on my knees but this doesn't mean she doesn't like me because she also often shows some love by jumping on my shoulders and rubbing against my neck 
On May 25 2010 10:17 YoonHo wrote:
Hey guys, thank you for all the replies and your advices. I'm definitely gonna write them down. This cat is my first pet in YEARS. She was standing by the door as if she wanted to get the hell out of my house but now she's cuddling my legs and everything. All of a sudden she became really friendly! She's rolling around in my room, letting me pet her. I think she's gotten a bit comfortable. I hope I didn't feed her too much. I have a quick question though, am supposed to leave the kitty litter box somewhere secluded? Like away from my sight?
It doesn't matter in my case
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Do you know how old she/he is? I own three cats
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haha steve gl with your cat. my family has 2 but we got them as kittens and theyve always had eachother for company. Just keep giving her food and dont make movements toward her that may seem threatening, let the cat come to you once shes comfortable, she will come to trust you eventually. Also do you have a litter box in your room? cuz otherwise the cat might be trying to relieve itself, i donno if its been housetrained or not but this could be a possibility. Agree with the adoption person, if you let the cat roam out of the house right away it will just run away before youve been established in her mind as someone to trust and rely on.
edit: it would be a good idea if the litter box was somewhere she doesnt usually hang around, and you dont either for that matter because it can smell. Just so that she associates that area with shitting and pissing as opposed to the rest of her "territory". My cats litter box is in a closet away from couches/beds and shit where they like to lie around on lol
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Please don't make fun of my bed LOL, I usually put a sheet over it but I was cleaning >.<. YES IT'S GOT FLOWERS ON IT BUT ITS COMFY K?
Edit: pics in the first post now!
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On May 25 2010 10:17 YoonHo wrote:
Hey guys, thank you for all the replies and your advices. I'm definitely gonna write them down. This cat is my first pet in YEARS. She was standing by the door as if she wanted to get the hell out of my house but now she's cuddling my legs and everything. All of a sudden she became really friendly! She's rolling around in my room, letting me pet her. I think she's gotten a bit comfortable. I hope I didn't feed her too much. I have a quick question though, am supposed to leave the kitty litter box somewhere secluded? Like away from my sight?
make sure once you place it somewhere and you put her in it you dont move it unless you show her where it is first, we have ours in the laundry room but im guessing anywhere works, once it gets used to where it is its not a big problem
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On May 25 2010 10:30 arb wrote:Show nested quote +On May 25 2010 10:17 YoonHo wrote:
Hey guys, thank you for all the replies and your advices. I'm definitely gonna write them down. This cat is my first pet in YEARS. She was standing by the door as if she wanted to get the hell out of my house but now she's cuddling my legs and everything. All of a sudden she became really friendly! She's rolling around in my room, letting me pet her. I think she's gotten a bit comfortable. I hope I didn't feed her too much. I have a quick question though, am supposed to leave the kitty litter box somewhere secluded? Like away from my sight? make sure once you place it somewhere and you put her in it you dont move it unless you show her where it is first, we have ours in the laundry room but im guessing anywhere works, once it gets used to where it is its not a big problem
Oh, alright, I already put it in my room and she went into it and walked around it >.< I guess I'll have to leave here.
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eh she doesn't look so shy now :p
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Try lying down on your stomach on the bed/floor and putting your nose up to her, don't blink too much and just touch noses with her, it helps her get acquainted with you. I've never tested it on a new cat but a cat I've had since birth seems to like it, and it worked very well with my pet bunny (bunnies are so cute!)
I don't guarantee results, though.
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KITTY KAT.
Give it kat food, and ur set. Maybe some water if she's good. Don't give it too much food or it will get fat. Nobody likes fat cats. Unless you are going to eat it. Then give it lots of food.
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fuuuu hit quote instead of edit
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Looks like its going really well in such a short time! You are a great person for getting a cat from an adoption agency. You always run the risk of getting an abused/damaged/ill animal, but its really the best way to look after cats (getting put down if people don't get them which makes me sad ).
Once you are comfortable with each other, find the ways your cat likes most to be touched. For my cat, she loves a scratch on the sides of the face, but others I have had have preferred scratching the top of the head. I think you will have a companion in no time.
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I added some new pics, it's in the OP now .
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GIVE HER ![[image loading]](http://www.patch59.com/Coloring/Various/Fish.gif)
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meow meow cat remix :3
YOONHO FIGHTING
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meow I'm going to go hug ur cat next year. Looks so huggable. Don't eat it by then.
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oh my god
looks delicious
not that much meat though, could have chosen better i suppose
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On May 25 2010 10:20 ShoCkeyy wrote:Do you know how old she/he is? I own three cats
Ah, I'll ask her specific age tommorow!!
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I had the same problem when we took in my sisters boyfriends cat (he was active navy and couldnt take her with him to his next deployment). At first though she was exactly as you described, under the bed all the time, very scared of people because she had been abused earlier in life. It takes time for that trust to build back up.
I agree with what most people posted already, just try to make her feel comftorable but don't force anything on her, she will come around sooner or later.
I wish you and your cat the best and I applaud you on adopting, a shame more people don't.
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On May 25 2010 10:47 lowbright wrote:
oh my god
looks delicious
not that much meat though, could have chosen better i suppose
Frank, you are no longer my best friend therefore you cannot make comments like that without getting me offended!
kidding, she's a nice cat alright?!
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You've had many dogs but never a cat as a youngster? Same here! Expect after I had a few roommates..
cats are easygoing animals who doesn't need as much attention as dogs do. Long as its trained and all, you're good. Piece of cake.
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On May 25 2010 10:35 Pokebunny wrote:Try lying down on your stomach on the bed/floor and putting your nose up to her, don't blink too much and just touch noses with her, it helps her get acquainted with you. I've never tested it on a new cat but a cat I've had since birth seems to like it, and it worked very well with my pet bunny (bunnies are so cute!) I don't guarantee results, though.
Yeah, I wouldn't recommend this - one of my cats would hit you in the face if you tried it with him. Very much does not like being looked directly in the eyes.
Also don't worry too much if she never really takes to being picked up and held - some cats just don't, and from the pictures you posted it looks like yours is probably too old to be socialized any more than she already is.
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On May 25 2010 10:58 Bub wrote:
You've had many dogs but never a cat as a youngster? Same here! Expect after I had a few roommates..
cats are easygoing animals who doesn't need as much attention as dogs do. Long as its trained and all, you're good. Piece of cake.
Haha, alright thanks. The adoption people told me she was bathroom trained etc. so I guess it's fine.
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My cats did the same thing, running away and hiding under the couch for the first 4 or 5 days, then eventually they just started not being as scared lol. Now they are just a pain in the ass because they scratch at my bedroom door like 3 or 4 times a night wanting to come in and go out, so I have to get up in the dark and open the door T_T. I recommend getting doors with the flappy things at the bottom so they can go in and out freely hehe. Anyway, gl with them
edit: Kitty is cute btw :3
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No one cares about your bed don't be so paranoid.
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On May 25 2010 11:05 Zurles wrote:
No one cares about your bed don't be so paranoid.
LOL, alright, it was mainly towards my actual friends. They love to make jokes about things like this.
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I have had a cat for 8 years, I'm not an expert though. However, your situation reminds me of mine when I got my cat for 1st time, you just need need to give her a little time to get used to new things/places/people. Patience, it is unlikely your cat doesn't like you or you make her afraid. Judging by my cat, she is always afraid of unfamiliar things.
Also, you may want to show her around your house when she comes out, but you need to start a relationship as well. You're just a stranger now, but this will soon be changed.
Good luck~
* Note: cats are not all the same, so don't take everything at face value.
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On May 25 2010 11:06 YoonHo wrote:Show nested quote +On May 25 2010 11:05 Zurles wrote:
No one cares about your bed don't be so paranoid. LOL, alright, it was mainly towards my actual friends. They love to make jokes about things like this.
o yeah nice bed faggot
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my cat was given to me by a friend who got it by a friend who stole it from his mum(the cats mum) when it was a kitten. so at first it was extremely intimidated by the smallest sounds. But gradually time progressed he is outgoing and friendly cat. so just keep interacting with your cat don't scare it too much.
and if you realize that your cats weight is drastically reduced or you see signs of weight loss.. take no chances and go see a vet, i regret it because my cat died like that because of Kidney Renal failure.
have fun with the catty and watch it chase ratties
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cute cat! i want one too
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when my parents got a cat, it hid underneath our mini staircase thing. i didnt know it was there, so when i jumped down the stairs to go outside to take a quick slash, i scared the shit out of it lol
it got over it though
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Wow, so cute! I want one. :o I don't know anything about cats, but good luck to you, I hope it works out!
On May 25 2010 12:32 JohnColtrane wrote:
when my parents got a cat, it hid underneath our mini staircase thing. i didnt know it was there, so when i jumped down the stairs to go outside to take a quick slash, i scared the shit out of it lol
Quick diversion, what does "to take a quick slash" mean? o.O
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I plan to adopt one in the future too. I always see those cats at Petsmart and just want to take one home lol. I hope everything goes well for you and your cat
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cats can be very different though, some cats just don't socialize with humans alot at all. While some can be really affectionate! i've had both kinds so i know ^_^ give it some time to get used to you and im sure it will be fine, that it's a bit careful for now feels pretty normal.
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Be ready when the mating button is pressed because she will meow like 50 million times a fucking day ...
Had that with both my male and female cats ... Annoying little pricks for that period but awesome creatures for the rest of the year ...
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Cats take a lot longer to befriend than a dog does.
You've just put her into a scary new environment and she doesnt trust anyone, so yeah shes gonna hide and not be very receptive to affection.
Try not to approach the cat, let her approach you. Make no sudden movements and let her do whatever she wants to do (not go outside of course).
It will probs take days or weeks before she will trust you. So until then, give her her space
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urgh from what i can tell if you adopt a grown up cat it might take a looooong time till shes fully comfortable, they can be easily traumatized for life as kittens and they might never fully recover so yea...
p.s not all cats like to do cliche things like being held, sit on laps rub against your legs or whatever, so don't be worried if yours doesn't.
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Well i got 2 cats at home. One lives in the house and the other is outside constantly. They just dont get along . The mother is like a fricking devil and it looks like one too.... like a kitty it had(still has but its not agressive to the family) really bad temper constantly scratching me. She cant stand her son (or any other cat/animal in the house). She is constanly attacking the other cat when he comes into the house and even fighting the dogs(small ones ) if they come into our yard lolol.
Good thing about cats that are clean and dont need too much of your atention. You just need to give em food and water and you are good to go. I dont even got a litterbox at home anymore because she always want to go outside for the toilet :D Well they ocasionally need a bath when someday your cat comes all covered in horseshit LOL.
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My first cat we picked up out of the lawn probably only three weeks old. He spent a week hiding in a hole in our wall. He turned out fine. Don't worry too much if she's shy now.
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catnip and a laser pointer. trust me, THEY LOVE IT. and a feather thing that dangles on a black stick, you can get it at a petco.
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just take a big pinch of catnip and put it on your rug. she'll be in drunken love with you, just don't overexcite her cause she can get freaked out and run away. just be calm and watch tv, pet her a lot
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Aw...she's adorable. I'd get a cat too, but I'm pretty irresponsible and forgetful so...yeah...
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Good for you on adopting an abandoned cat. You are a hero and a scholar =]
All cats, even those who have had easy lives, need time and space to adjust to new surroundings. Just give kitty time and space and it'll be fine. Soon you'll find that it won't leave your side!
There ain't no love like kitty love.
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I had like 5 cats when I was growing up, I love them. They were all stray cats that we just started feeding, and kind of domesticated them. Cats are a lot of fun.
One game that you might enjoy playing with your cat is to grab a string or skinny piece of rope or twine and slide it along the ground like a snake. The cat will jump and claw at it. It's kind of a fun game to play. Or you can wiggle your fingers under the sheets like a snake and move them so the cat chases it and jumps on it (Don't use fingers if your really scared of getting cut). Both fun games to play! Also, be wary of feeding them milk, some cats will have nasty shits if fed milk.
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EPT![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/35rRq.jpg)
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