The Mad Cat

by Andrea
(Lincoln NE)

Hello have recently got a 3yr old cat from my brother. So far we have had her for 5days. My boyfriend and I have a 3yrs dog also. The first few days she seem to be acting alright. She was kind of scared but letting us pet her and hold her. She seemed to be opened to getting to know our dog at first, but soon she turned into a mad cat. She has been hiding in our closet for 2 1/2 days and not eating alot however I have noticed that at night she comes out. Now,whenever I or my boyfriend tries to go to her in the closet and pet her or try to show her love she freaks out and bits. A few days ago my boyfriend and I got into a big fight and i am wondering if there is a connection to how she is behaving. I don't know what to do. Somewhere, something went wrong with the introductions and not sure how to start over. If this behavior because of the yelling match how do i reconnect with her and show her that we are here to protect and love her not hurt her? Please Help. Thank you.

Reply
Hi
yes i suspect that the combination of your row and her new home has really frightened her. Cats will act aggressively when they are frightened.

Your best option is to start over. use the confinement introduction method give her a few days on her own in a room without the dog, visit her regularly but do not attempt to approach her, let her come to you. then after a few days start to introduce the dog. Please see these pages for more on this techniques and also on how to bond with a new cat.

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/introducing-cats.html

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/new-cat.html

kate

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