How can I get a a cat out of hiding?

Question

I adopted a cat a month ago from the shelter. He let me hold him there and then he was fine. After I brought him home he became very shy. He now lives in my computer desk and will only come out once I get into bed and shut all the lights off. If I try to apporach him while he is out he will either run away or growl at me. He will now let me pet him when he is in my computer desk(his hiding spot), and I spend a good amount of time doing that. I also put treats right in front of him outside his hiding spot and he will not come out no matter what I do. I also tried moving his food directly next to my bed but he wouldnt eat it. How can I get him to come out of hiding and be more friendly?

Answer 1

Have you heard the term "feral cat"? It's when cats are raised outside away from people when they are small. They never learn that people are great friends.
These cats are rescued and taken to shelters. At the shelter they are billed as "shy" or "quiet" or "slow to warm up". In reality they become sort of shell shocked and freeze, which is taken as friendliness.
These cats rarely make good pets. Anything is possible, of course, but I knew a lady who had one of these cats living behind her couch for 15 years!!! She never saw it. The only way she knew she had a cat is that it ate the food and used the litter box.
Bribe him with food. Be patient. That's really all you can do.
Consider making him an outdoor cat. Get a cat proof fence and a dog house, and you will have a very happy kitty.
Take him back to the shelter. It seems heartless, but the adoption fee you paid includes free "go backs". Get the pet you want. You deserve it.
Also, you need to complain to the shelter. Every once in a while someone will pass off a feral cat as a pet because they don't want to see it put down. This is wrong. Granted it could be an accident, but they still need to know what happened.
Good luck to you.


EDIT
Don't listen to Josie. That's a good way to wind up in the emergency room for stitches. Cats don't mess around when they don't like something. Please don't force him.

Answer 2

DO NOT take away his hiding spot like some of these people are saying. You are doing all the right things. Keep doing what you are doing. Sometimes it takes more then a month for a cat to get use to you. How old is your cat? The older it is the longer it will take him to get use to you. Just be patient and keep doing what you are doing. A friend of mine gave me her 1 year old cat about 2 months ago, and she is still shy around me. She (the cat) just started jumping up on me and is letting me pet her. She don't stay for very long though.

Answer 3

I too am dealing with a shy shelter kitty, plus I have a resident kitten who is being a bit snobby in accepting the new kitten. Give him time and DO NOT take away his hiding spot. He is comfortable in the desk and knows he is safe there. Try using a fishing pole toy/any toy to play with him (if you can), to just try and bond. He will slowly start trusting you and will take baby steps towards healing his own suspicions. You just need to be very very patient. I hope this helps.

Answer 4

It can take cats months to get adjusted to new things.

We have a 2 year old cat and just got a new kitten 4 months ago thinking the cat would get a new playmate. We were completely wrong. The new kitten made the cat act very distant from us and he acted completely different (was very moody and would never play anymore). He just barely started acting like his old self, and it's taken him the entire 4 months to get over us getting another cat. I know this is a completely different situation, but it shows how long it takes cats to get readjusted after changes.

If he does not change, you can also bring him back to the vet like another person posted. It does sound heartless, but neither you nor the cat will be happy if you keep him around.

Good luck.

Answer 5

You'll need to be very patient with kitty. It sounds as if he's not only skittish, but might have been abused or taunted cruelly. Keep doing what you're doing, show lots of patience and love, and he'll eventually calm down.

I've had a cat that is now 12 years old, and I've had him since 6 weeks and he's still skittish. We have another cat that we adopted at 6 months, and she is now five and nothing fazes her. Some cats just need extra special attention.

Don't take his hiding spot away, though!! That's his safe area and he needs that right now. Think about how much he's probably been through in his short life.

And that is so awesome you adopted him! +1 for your karma. :)

Answer 6

The cat sounds like it has been through a lot already and truly feels safe in your computer desk , just give your cat some time , one way to get your cat to come out is put some food out where it can see it and leave it there for about an hour , if it does not come out take the food away and try it again later , the cat will get hungry enough and realize it needs to come out , but remember don't just leave the food out because it will continue the same behavior.

Answer 7

He should adjust with time. Think about being confined to a cage for months (or however long he was in there), and then having a whole big house to explore!! Must be scary for him...

See if you can find something portable that he likes "hiding" in, like a box or cat carrier, and put it close to your computer desk. (One of my cats LOVES the cat carrier. He sleeps in there, so I leave it out all the time.) Then you can slowly move the box or carrier to a more "sociable" area, just a little at a time.

I wouldn't suggest bribing him with food. You want him to associate coming out of hiding with the reward of affection, not food. So when he does make a little progress, make sure to give him lots of love or play with him with a favorite toy.

It will take time, but with a little patience, you should have a loving, sociable cat.

Answer 8

He is becoming feral, if he wasn't already when you adopted him. You need to close off the opening to the computer desk and make him stay out by you. I don' t know what your home looks like, but I would close the doors to all of the rooms except those that house his pan and food. The only way you can get him to be more friendly is to pick him up and hold him, while talking in soothing tones and friendly scratching and petting. He won't like it at first and he may get a bit nasty, but don't let him get the best of you. Once he finds out that you aren't going to hurt him and that you are the source of kindness and love, he will come around. It's going to take time.

Answer 9

sturdy solutions the following. My cat hides in each of the places that were named. She also likes to cover in plastic or paper bags from the food market, She even runs at our ft at the same time as contained in the plastic bag. she will be able to climb in any open field and make it hers.If someone leaves the closet door open somewhat, she pushes in and climbs contained in the laundry basket and sleeps atop the garments. On warm days, she likes to cover contained in the bathtub,

Answer 10

Unfortunately there is really nothing else you can do. You are doing a great job already. He is still getting used to his new home. Give it a little time and eventually he will come out on his own. Keep giving him attention in his hiding spot. He feels comfortable there. Eventually he will start to feel comfortable in other spots around the house. When I moved with my cat, she would hide a lot also, and I already had her a year. Cat's don't adapt to change very well. They just need time and love.