scared cat help

[bengalowner1987]

I have a new cat that is a rescue cat with a history of being very nervous and i feel she has gone very downhill with me.

we have had her a month and last week i needed to apply her flea treatmeant. picked her up which she hated after chasing her around the house and being hissed at going into all her spots to try and get her to come out into the open. My mistake for not shutting the doors but she was freaking out in rooms where you are and the door is closed.

she is fine with my gf, but terrified of me. i dont know what to do with her.

She has her own room but she cant have that to her self forever as its a room we use.

is she going to be always scared of me now ? or is there some way to fix this.

Playing and feeding her so far have not helped the situation as she never had much intrest in playing and will only come out for food cautiously.

Beyond that i cant think of anything i can do to remedy the siuation except feed her and stay out her way.

[elastu]

You could try putting a couple of drops of Bach's Rescue Remedy in the drinking water and changing it twice a day, you could also rub a drop behind each ear. Also try sprinkling valerian in the places the little one goes. Lastly time and patience are the order of the day. It is quite possible that at some time in the past a male has not been to kind.

[Willowgill]

A month is a really short time for a rescue to become acclimatised to a new home and to trust her new carers so you need to be patient with her. Continue with the feeding and playing so that she associates you with pleasant things and try not to chase her round to catch or treat her as that will just stress her out more. If she is trusting your girlfriend that's great as she will be the one who will be able to handle her for now. It sounds as though it is going to be a long process but give it time and you should eventually win in the end. The tips about Bach's Remedy are good and also the Felliway plug in helps. Also when she is settled try talking quietly to her and put a couple of treats by her. Take heart - we have had Daphne over 3 years now and last night was the first time she actually got on my husbands knee and sat down! Mind you she was gone in a few minutes but it was a start