# My Kitty Family members



## magscat (May 13, 2009)

This is my monster cat Kale. He's a big ole floppy teddy bear though. He turns in to a furry bag of jelly when you pick him up.









This is Kevin. He's the youngest and is a total weirdo. If cats can have ADD then he's a prime example. Strangely though, we were able to teach him to sit, come, and fetch. Go figure??









This is "Kat". She was the lone survivor from a hoarding situation. We're still working on getting her coat looking nice. I've never washed as much dirt off of a dog as I have off this cat. It took 3 washes to find out what color she is. We've never heard her meow but she purrs like a mountain lion 24/7.









My special girl, Skittles. She was rescued from a teenager who cut off her tail, tied her in a pillow case, and beat her. He's in an institution now and she barely leaves a corner in my kitchen. Not sure if she'll ever trust us but even if she doesn't she'll always have a safe home from now on. If any one has any suggestions on how I can win her over I'd love to hear them.


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## love.my.cats (Jan 29, 2009)

:luv Love the photos.

Well done for rescuing Skittles and giving her a safe home. How long has she been with you for? Hopefully she'll learn that she is not going to be hurt while in your care and will begin to trust you.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

What beautiful cats!


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## magscat (May 13, 2009)

love.my.cats said:


> :luv Love the photos.
> 
> Well done for rescuing Skittles and giving her a safe home. How long has she been with you for? Hopefully she'll learn that she is not going to be hurt while in your care and will begin to trust you.


We've had her for 6months. She was actually going to be euthanized at one of the shelters I volunteer at b/c she was there for too long. She does like to be petted but she's so scared she won't leave her corner and she looks at you like she's waiting for you to use the other hand to hit her.  I'll accept her no matter what but I just wish we could help her get past what she's been through.


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## Leazie (Apr 14, 2007)

You have a lovely family. Heidi or some of the others that do fosters might be able to help you abotu Skittles. You might want to start a thread in Cat Chat so that it gets more traffic.


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## kirstylou (Mar 10, 2010)

Lovely kitties! I especially like Kale 
It's nice to hear that Skittles is in such a good home now  my guess is that it will just take her a good while to adjust to your kindness. How long was she with the teenager for? Poor kitty. atback


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

What a terrible story about Skittles, but it's so great you've taken her in and are being patient with her. Poor kitty.


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## Shadi (Feb 28, 2010)

magscat said:


> My special girl, Skittles.* She was rescued from a teenager* who cut off her tail, tied her in a pillow case, and beat her. He's in an institution now and she barely leaves a corner in my kitchen. Not sure if she'll ever trust us but even if she doesn't she'll always have a safe home from now on. If any one has any suggestions on how I can win her over I'd love to hear them.



I wish I could've layed my hand on that retard


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## magscat (May 13, 2009)

Skittles is thought to be about 6yrs old but I don't know if she spent all 6 of those yrs with that family.


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

I know you have other cats but I'd spend as much time near Skittles moving slowly, non-threateningly and doing things like blinking at her so she relaxes.


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## magscat (May 13, 2009)

Blinking at her? Why does that relax them? I spend alot of time in the kitchen and her "spot" is practically under foot. I've gotten good at maneuvering around her though and she gets little tid-bits of what I'm cooking. She likes the food but she still won't leave the corner.


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

magscat said:


> Blinking at her? Why does that relax them? I spend alot of time in the kitchen and her "spot" is practically under foot. I've gotten good at maneuvering around her though and she gets little tid-bits of what I'm cooking. She likes the food but she still won't leave the corner.



Ohhhh. You need to learn the cat blink. 

Yes, slowly blinking, sort of half closed eyes tells them you're not in predatory mode, not a threat.

http://blog.pennlive.com/pets/2008/01/blinking.html


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## magscat (May 13, 2009)

Cool! Learn something new everyday!


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## love.my.cats (Jan 29, 2009)

I'm not too sure how effective Feliway would be in this particular situation but if it was me, I'd probably give it a go. It's not cheap but if it does make a difference, it'd definitely be worth it. You can get either a spray or a plug in. A plug in in the room that she's always in may help in making her feel more relaxed.


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## jusjim (Jun 30, 2009)

magscat said:


> My special girl, Skittles. She was rescued from a teenager who cut off her tail, tied her in a pillow case, and beat her. He's in an institution now and she barely leaves a corner in my kitchen. Not sure if she'll ever trust us but even if she doesn't she'll always have a safe home from now on. If any one has any suggestions on how I can win her over I'd love to hear them.


Poor little girl.

I don't know if any of the following will be of use to you. 

I suspect Zenobi came from an abusive situation. Not nearly as bad a one as poor Skittles. We've been together ten months now and she still gets anxiety attacks and sometimes seems to be crying in her sleep. Her anxiety attacks come after she's used her litterbox, which leads me to suspect that she was being punished for spilling litter. However I think she sees the punishment as having been for doing what was necessary. 

What I did, finally, was to stop talking to her when she showed fear as I came to the conclusion that no matter how soft my voice, she may have thought she was being scolded. Then when I was petting her I kept telling her how pretty she was and what a good Zenobi she was etc. I used the same words over and over in the hope (and I believe it worked) that she would associate those sounds with being petted and feeling good. Now I just clean the litterbox and without looking at her, say, "Pretty, pretty, pretty Zenobi." Keeping it simple makes it easier for her to understand. That seems to work too. I use it when she is whimpering in her sleep and she normally stops. Then I make a habit of saying goodnight to her. I've no idea if that has any meaning for her. I live alone. So when I come home I'll call out to her telling her I'm home. When she was first here, she'd come downstairs to greet me in a nervous way. Later she'd wait at the top of the stairs. Mostly now she just goes on sleeping. :lol: 

Then there's the no petting greeting, just a light touch. I'll do it when I come in if she's awake. I put my hand forward, knuckles first. She sniffs, usually licks, then she lowers her head ever so slightly and I lightly run the knuckles over her forehead.

The one last thing that I started because she was so nervous at first was to give a little 'air kiss' from afar if I saw her looking at me. That was a pursing of the lips and my chin would rise a little. You can perhaps imagine my surprise when she started to lift her chin a bit and put her tongue out. At first I wondered what she was up to until I realised she was returning the greeting.

I don't know if any of that will trigger any ideas as to how you can help poor Skittles. In my view of the world, I think that she is very much aware that she no longer has a tail. I'm not sure what the function of a cat's tail is. Balance? I'm afraid that she'll always be aware of her loss. For instance, even if she starts to forget, she'll see the others grooming their tails and remember. Cats, in my experience seem to be proud of their tails.


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## tanyuh (Jun 7, 2003)

How in the world does one think it's okay to _cut off a cat's tail_? I'd end up in prison if I had a moment to spend with that kid... I guess Sigma could've headed down the same path - he was missing chunks of fur on his back and his tail when I found him (i.e., when he founand the vet said that someone had cut if off. 

I really feel for you and Skittles. I'm so glad to hear that she'll be with you in safety forever. She's a beautiful cat. How old is she?


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## magscat (May 13, 2009)

She's estimated to be about 6yrs. I won't ever understand people like that and I don't want to. I'm scared if I understood it I could empathize with some one like that and a person who has no empathy deserves none in kind.


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

There's a few things I'd like to know, but I have some suggestions too.

Does she hiss/strike at you when you're close? How does she react to the petting and blinkies mentioned before?
If you try to pick her up how does she react?

If this were me dealing with a shy kitty (which I have to an extent...just not this bad) I would gradually push her comfort zone. Slowly and carefully, and always with positives, but push her boundaries.

1. (If she's ok being picked up skip this, if not read on.) Teach her that being picked up is ok. Start by just sliding one hand under her and gently pushing up as you offer food from your other hand. If she's ok with this she gets the yummy food. Once that's easy put food on the floor in front of her, then lift her with both hands about an inch of the floor, put her down and let her get the food. Continue slowly until she's completely comfortable being picked up.

2. Push her comfort zone by extending the 'safety area'. If she's under a shelf put two together to make the spot bigger, if she likes a rug add a second, ect. 'accidentally' drop food just outside of her 'safety zone' and ignore it (other than to fend the other pets away, lol). Get her moving voluntarily further and further away from her spot.

3. Make more 'safe' spots. Combine the first two into making a few other zones for her to feel safe in. I used a sleeping bag for one kitty, a box for another. Set up an area similar to what makes her feel safe in the kitchen and put yummy food there. Carry her to it, then entice her to eat the food pet her, encourage her that this place is good. Keep the visits short at first but gradually longer.

Start with those and see how it goes. With a shy animal you're looking for very small positives steps. Don't force her to go too fast, and always try to build her confidence.


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## magscat (May 13, 2009)

She doesn't appreciate being picked up but she doesn't get ugly about it. She's not aggressive at all and she does like to be petted but only if you go to her and you can still see the fear in her eyes. She had a break through this morning while I was cooking breakfast. I was making bacon (I only make it on the hubby's b-day) and she stood up in her bed and meowed really loudly at me. (Scared me for a second there) When I looked down at her she raised a foot like "gimmie some". I know cats DO NOT need bacon...but come on! That's the most voluntary interaction I've gotten out of her in 6 months. I had to give her a teeny tiny piece (and I did pick the fat off of it).


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## tanyuh (Jun 7, 2003)

Hehe, you softie  One teeny bit of bacon will be fine, I'm so glad she did that! Progress!


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## magscat (May 13, 2009)

YAY another break through for Skittles. When I got up this morning She wasn't in the kitchen. I freaked out thinking something might be wrong so I'm all over the house looking for her.Too bad I didn't think to look on top of the cat tree in the living room first. I searched for an hour before I spotted the tips of her ears. Sadly though she's back in the kitchen now.


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

That's great. I think she'll learn trust and end up being a love bug.

Like Jim said i always let my kitties see my hand in the picture near them before I start petting (well, unless they come bounding up on the couch and face rub/head but me). If Skittles know's you're about to pet there's less surprise and less of a fear reaction.


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## tanyuh (Jun 7, 2003)

Haha, great! I'm glad to hear that she's starting to explore her surroundings! That will hopefully get her confidence up. Poor kitty really deserves to see what wonderful friends us humans can make - we're not all horrible.


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## magscat (May 13, 2009)

*Sighs* I found the proverbial key to Skittles heart...it's pork  Why does she have to love the one food I hate to keep in the house. Hubby came in with a ham sandwich and she just about climbed his leg for it. Some one please tell me there's some pork flavored kitty treat out there b/c I can not be bribing this cat with bacon bits!


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## tanyuh (Jun 7, 2003)

Hehehe, wow. I hope you can find something! I guess they don't make beggin' strips for cats, eh?


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

Maybe off-the-wall, but what about something like turkey ham? It tastes for all the world like ham, but it's really turkey. You can buy it in big chunks in the meat section of the store.


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## tanyuh (Jun 7, 2003)

I think that would work! Just be cautious about smoked meat - I believe it is terrible for cats.


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## Cat24 (Mar 18, 2010)

tanyuh said:


> I think that would work! Just be cautious about smoked meat - I believe it is terrible for cats.


I think tasteations just came out with an "all natural" pork/ham treat...I bought the chicken just for a change for my girl, only other thing I can think of would be to pick up a small bit of meat from the deli section of the grocery store to use as bribery, at least it's a little better than bacon bits, lol....


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## magscat (May 13, 2009)

I'll give these ideas a try. Now that she's starting to come around just a little I really want to keep the ball rolling so to speak.


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

We're taking credit for this. 


How about play. Play therapy is really important in bonding with a cat. Just a string, no hands and very gently to encourage trust.


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## magscat (May 13, 2009)

We've tried strings, mice, catnip, balls, feathers, even the laser pointer! It's like she doesn't know how to play. She just looks at you like you're retarded and then completely ignores you. With my other cats God forbid you run the laser pointer up the wall. They'll be knocking pictures off left and right and leaving claw marks clean up to the ceiling. Even my fat lazy dachshund will go after a darn laser dot!


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

My mildly chubby Raggie Fay has a very subdued approach to play. She prefers to do it from a lying position. I can eventually get her to get up and run around but I have to start close with a feather. She'll reach out and grab it. If my more energetic and faster cat is around she sometimes loses interest. 

Play with her if you can. It's a very big part of cat bonding. You'll see it in her attitude.

I'm glad she's improving.


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## tanyuh (Jun 7, 2003)

Yes, play therapy! Good call, Dave.

Good luck with Skittles! Keep us updated!


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## BroganMc (Feb 28, 2010)

Poor Skittles. Sadly some kids are just raised wrong from the cradle.

I have a sneaking suspicion Skittles has explored outside the kitchen before when humans are not around. The trick is to get her used to having humans around and learning that her humans are not torture monsters.

As for toys, you might want to try something that does not involve a human for a bit. Or else play with the toy yourself or better yet with the other kitties in the house in front of her. The more she observes that this activity is fun and not rewarded with torture, the more she'll trust.

But for now, I'd stick with the pork bribes. The surest way to get any animal to trust and like you seems to be through the stomach. We fed a stray dog cheese and bread once. (Well actually my older siblings did. I was just a baby at the time.) That dog decided he really liked us then and moved in. Stayed with us for 16 years until he died and was forever following us kids around no matter where we went. Of course we happily slipped him some good bits from our suppers as well. That dog was well fed and loved.


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

Your play interaction with Skittles is important. It shows you can be trusted and cats love to play, maybe even more than being petted. I think my Fay may have been mistreated by the son of her former owner. At first she was freightened by Da Bird. It was too big for her. Now she loves it.

I stared with a feather. Just in front of her. Very gently, non-threatening. Don't move it toward her, prey wouldn't move toward a cat. Slowly across in front of her.


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