Rescue cats still very shy!

Numptys_lass

Please can someone help- I rescued two cats exactly a year ago and they are still very wary of me. I am not exactly a nervy type,I am actually very quiet, so they are not exactly scared of me, they will let me stroke them and comb them when they are feeding, also in the last month or so one of them will sniff my fingers when I come downstairs in the morning but no other time. They were in the rescue centre, together, for about 3 years but aren't, as far as I know, related. I don't stress them at all and the Rescue lady said they were shy and that anything I got from them would be a bonus, but I just feel sorry for them! A trip to the Vets' is out of the question (obviously I would if I had to) I want them to enjoy life a bit more!

Sagz_2

Time and love, my cat took 3 years to accept my OH ....... and still legs it if he coughs!

spike7451

Numptys_lass wrote: »

Please can someone help- I rescued two cats exactly a year ago and they are still very wary of me. I am not exactly a nervy type,I am actually very quiet, so they are not exactly scared of me, they will let me stroke them and comb them when they are feeding, also in the last month or so one of them will sniff my fingers when I come downstairs in the morning but no other time. They were in the rescue centre, together, for about 3 years but aren't, as far as I know, related. I don't stress them at all and the Rescue lady said they were shy and that anything I got from them would be a bonus, but I just feel sorry for them! A trip to the Vets' is out of the question (obviously I would if I had to) I want them to enjoy life a bit more!

Well done you for taking on two purrballs!!
Daisy was a bit warry of me for a while but came around eventually,may I suggest you have a read of this thread on Purrs & maybe a few others.
Merv

http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,22273.0.html

925dancer

Get a Feliway plug-in or perhaps a couple depending on the size of your home. These can have a dramatic effect on some more nervous or grumpy cats.

Do you talk to them a lot? Might sound a bit odd but when you live alone there might not be a lot of chatter around the home, I talk to my two all the time and did so when I had fosters too and I think it does make a difference.

Also, if they are food motivated, you could use treats to help build their confidence with you, again I have found it useful with more nervous cats.

Lastly, time is the biggest thing. As lovely as the rescue probably was, if they were in a pen for 3 years there's a lot of lost time socially for them, it will take a lot of time for most cats to overcome those experiences and build their trust and confidence with people.

Good luck!

Numptys_lass

Thankyou all very much for these replies. They're both lovely cats and I just want to do right by them.
I will price a Feliway tomorrow, and I'll reserve a bit of their dry food to try and get them to eat from my hand.
I can take as long as it needs, I suppose they'll dictate, not me!
It makes you wonder what some animals have to go through to make them so skittery

McKneff

Sagz wrote: »

Time and love, my cat took 3 years to accept my OH ....... and still legs it if he coughs!

Ours legs it if someone on the telly coughs.

It takes time, lots of it.