Precious Paws Rescue Inc.

3768 W. Gulf to Lake Hwy, Lecanto, (Citrus county) FL 34461

Current Website https://www.adoptapet.com/preciouspawsflorida
facebook page https://www.facebook.com/preciouspawsflorida/ underconstuction

A Cat Blog will be coming soon.
Yes cats can talk.
I may even put up some videos of keyboard cats.

Jelly Belly
JellyBelly

Adopting a Kitten
three

Made for each other

They kind of look like each other and have the same expression

Taming a feral or Wallflower adult cat

(every cat is different. Pay attention to every behavior and change of behavior and figure out why and how to proceed from there)
(Have you ever seen a cat that was exactly like another cat? No. That rarely happens)
(Think for yourself. Do your research. Use multiple sources)
This document is not meant to be a hard and fast, step by step Bible.

Different strategies. Kittens can be socialized by handling them and that must be done when they are 2-9 weeks old. After that it becomes much harder.
With adult scaredey-cats, you need to gain their unconditional trust before trying to handle or even approach or pet them. Let them make the decision to approach you when they are ready.
You need to do things differently with cats that do not trust you than you do with cats that already trust you. Don't stare directly into a scaredey-cats eyes. A constant look into the eyes of an animal that does not trust you completely, is received as a challenge or a threat. With an animal the already trusts you, it has the opposite effect.
Try blinking your eyes when looking at a scardey-cat. Think of other ways to demonstrate you are not a threat. Like turning your back or looking down.

Do not try to get scaredey-cats to go where you want by dragging food away from a feeding scaredey-cat. They will think you are taking the food away, that you and it are in competition for the food or that you are trying to eat their food.

Always think about how you would feel about actions by a trusted person or animal compared to how you would feel about that action by an un-trusted person or animal. Before you do that action.

Some things are absolutely necessary:
Patients, patients and patients or do not attempt this.
Never punish. (This cat, in this situation, can do no wrong)
Never feed the cats fear.
The objective is to make the cat feel safe. 100% of the time.
Never become the cats adversary.
Use food as a tool???
Whenever possible play with your cat, entertain it, stimulates it's mind. Talk to it. When it is just you and the cat and the cat will not let you touch it, talking to it is one of it's only possible, positive stimulations but your cat will, most likely, only want you to do that, in this situation 24/7 (-:
Catnip for cats older than one year (fresh catnip is very easy to grow), 40% of cats like Valerian root Besides catnip and Valerian root, cats may enjoy silver-vine, honeysuckle, cat thyme, and certain types of cat grass. Some cats also find the smell of lemongrass, rosemary, and alyssum appealing. Chamomile can be a calming alternative for anxious cats, while cat grass can provide a safe outlet for chewing.
There are other things like cat diffusers that you might want to look into. Try cat videos.

Ultimate goal number one: Establish trust.
Patients above all else.
Intermediate goal: Confine cat to a smaller area that includes yourself. First step: Use the cats behavior to tell you how to proceed. Let the cat have free run of the place. Let them find their favorite hiding places. They almost certainly will eventually find a more convenient hiding place, where they feel safe, closer to the food and hopefully closer to you if you are the only living thing it can have interaction with. (?) This may take a month or two.

Patients! Never block them from their first preferred hiding place before they find the more convenient one. More sensitive cats my have a psychotic episode if you do.

Citrus County Animal Services of Florida
4030 S Airport Rd
Inverness, FL 34450
Phone: 352-746-8400
Website https://www.citrusbocc.com/departments/community_services/animal_services/index.php
Email: Colleen Yarbrough, Director colleen.yarbrough@citrusbocc.gov

SPCA of Hernando County, Florida
14495 Chicaric Rd
Brooksville, FL 34614
Phone 352-596-7000
Website: https://www.hernandocountyspca.com/ Email: luvnshelter@aol.com

My only association with Precious Paws Rescue Inc. is as a volunteer. They have not contributed to or autherized anything on this page.