Owners of rescue animals know what it's like to have a skittish pet in the house. Many animals who are adopted from shelters or the street went through a period of abandonment and, often, abuse. These animals carry the memories of mistreatment throughout their lives and their behavior reflects this. Some animals become aggressive toward strangers while others become overly passive. One of the most common behaviors seen in rescue animals is their skittish behavior. Helping an adopted cat to get past her skittishness must involve tremendous reserves of time and patience.
Instructions
1. Keep the cat's routine and surroundings as consistent as possible. Cats often react badly to change, so try to maintain the surroundings as uniformly as possible.
2. Keep the environment as quiet as possible. If the home becomes noisy or active at certain times of the day (i.e. when the kids come home from school), try to find a quiet room where the cat is not exposed to too much excitement, at least at those times.
3. Give the cat plenty of touch therapy--lots of cuddling and petting.
4. Consider aromatherapy for the cat. Cats enjoy flowery scents. Feliway has also proved successful in treating skittish cats.
5. Discuss the possibility of medication with the veterinarian. While owners and veterinarians don't like to medicate a cat, relaxants or sedatives such as Buspirone can help calm the cat while it learns new behaviors.
Tags: rescue animals