Bond With Your
New Cat In 5 Easy, Pampering Steps...
by Susan Nelson
Hopkins
 Wow, you really prepared for
the newest addition to your family. Just look at all those toys, the
snuggly bed and fancy dishes, and that great adventure-enticing
activity-scratch-post-jungle-gym contraption you bought just for
her.
Be prepared...if you think
she will be impressed, don't hold your breath! To her way of
thinking, she's been dumped into a strange, frightening place.
There's danger everywhere! She has to hide... NOW! (And if she is
a kitten, multiple the fear factor by 10!)
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Poor little thing. Your
instinct is to hold her and reassure her. Surprisingly, HER instinct
is to hide-and-survive... she will not benefit from your
well-meant snuggle. The kindest way to ease her adjustment into your
home, and you into her heart, is to bond with her... pamper her
insecurities away. Just follow these 5 simple steps:
1. Give your new
cat a private space...
A separate room is ideal,
but even a small space protected by a make-shift divider is
adequate.
Place all the necessities
there, including her food and water dishes, a cuddly bed, and a
litter box. If you have enough space, set up that new jungle gym...
or at least a scratch post.
When you bring her home,
leave her in the
carrier and take her immediately to her private
space. Leave the carrier door open so she can explore when she
gathers up the courage.
If you don't bring her home
in a carrier, then any box will work. Just make sure it's
comfortable.
Talk softly when you enter
"her" space to feed her, change her litter, or just check on her.
She will be extremely sensitive to sounds while she works through
her fear, so your soft voice will become her anchor.
Now is NOT the time to
introduce her to the rest of your family! Remember, she's in a
hide-and-survive mood.
Pampering this mood away is
the most important step in bonding with your new friend.
2. Give your new
cat special treats...
Include a spoonful of tuna
or shrimp with her regular food.
When she becomes brave
enough to eat in your presence, praise her softly. If she comes up
to you, touch her gently on the back or behind her ears.
Whatever you do, do NOT
grab her or attempt to pick her up! This only justifies the latent,
instinctive fear.
Pampering away her
capture-fear builds great trust between you and your little
sweetheart.
3. Bring toys to
your new cat...
Use this as another excuse
to enter "her" space. Speak softly and introduce the new toy.
Perhaps, even show her how it works. When she has grown to where she
will come up to you, try playing with her and the new toy. This
works wonders!
If store-bought toys don't
entice her, try simple household items. Tie a sock to a cardboard
toilet paper roll, or to a string. A squished aluminum foil ball can
be chased all over the place... so can a crumpled piece of paper.
Every cat's all-time favorite is the common brown paper bag.
Catnip toys may or may not
be effective... especially on kittens. But it wouldn't hurt to try them
out.
Pampering her with playtime
develops companioning in her life.
4. Start grooming
your new cat...
Once she accepts you,
initiate grooming. Gently brush her back with a soft brush as she
comes up to you.
Most cats enjoy this
sensation... even kittens. When she comes back for more, you're on
the home stretch! Now is the time to stroke her with the brush,
talking softly while you praise her (even reciting the latest sports
results in a soft voice works).
Pampering her with grooming
develops a pleasurable activity for her... and you're the source.
5. Introduce your
new cat to your family and home...
Your new friend is now ready
to expand her environment to the rest of your home. She will
naturally be cautious at first, but she has the courage to face
it... you have taught her that she's not alone in her new world.
It's also time to introduce
her to the rest of your family. She will definitely be curious, and
when everyone follows the same steps that you already have... well,
it won't be long before your little sweetheart will become Queen of
Her World, and all those that dwell therein!
Pampering her with time and
affection by you and your family reinforces her sense of belonging
in your home.
(For more, see
Crucial Kitty
Comforts.)
Most of these steps may not
be necessary if your new feline friend has a mild, easy-going
temperament. If so... count yourself extremely fortunate.
Your world is now her
world... and the way there was through pampered affection and trust.
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