I have two cats. The eldest is a few years old, and lived with me at my parent's house. She doesn't care about anything except cuddles. The only things she doesn't like is the occasional bath I have to give her, and the hoover. Shortly after I moved into my own flat, I got the second, Batman, to keep her company since she was used to a busy house. Batman, just under a year old now, seems to be scared shitless of everything. He hates the hoover, understandably. He hates people. He hates the new washing machine I've just had put in my kitchen. I have no clue what to do with him at this point because no matter what I try, he refuses to go near any of these things. He won't even go in the kitchen right now, even though the washer is off, and he hasn't eaten since early this morning. Is there anything I can do to try and help him overcome these fears, or do I just have to accept it and rearrange my flat around his weird tendencies?
My cat is afraid of pretty much everything that isn't me?
Added 3+ months ago:
He refuses to go near house guests and any time someone comes to my flat, he hides behind the couch. He's a little bit more used to my boyfriend coming round and will instead stay in the window and skirt around the far side of the room to get to the kitchen at dinner time. So far he's been hiding behind the couch all of today because of the washing machine.
Answers (1)
Some cats require a lot longer to get used to things. It's best to have a space where they can go to feel safe. I don't know how big your place is, but with my cat it was the laundry room. You can do like the bathroom, or a hall closet or somewhere he likes to go. If he is afraid of people do not force the cat to like people. When they are around an individual enough they will eventually come out. Make sure not to ever tease this cat. Just like people some cats are shy and scared and don't appreciate certain things. As he grows older he should get used to these things. Try putting the food and water bowl near the edge of the room where the cat will go and slowly every day move it just a smidgen closer to where you want it to go. Try holding the cat and talk softly to it when your close to the washing machine. It's natural for animals to be scared of vacuums.