Poor Makis... Please Help!

[cristy]

I agree with Diana. PLEASE don't let Grandma scare him like that!!! I don't have any advice on the "scaredy-cat" front, since I've never really dealt with any super shy cats. I do think that normal house sounds shouldn't be avoided, but extra noises are not the answer!

I'll say a prayer that things work out quickly for this little guy and your Grandma!

[mamaducky]

Hi again --

Just wondering; "Makis" sounds like a Greek name -- is it?

If that's the case, no WONDER he's being difficult..!

Hugs,
Diana
Owned by 3 Cats
Married to a Greek Guy

[Gato'smum]

yes, it is. My grandma lived in Cyprus for several years. I don't remember what 'Makis' means, but I do know that the name of her other cat, Nessa, mans "forest nymph".

[moosmom]

Your Grandma needs to have company over more often so Makis can get used to everyday noises. Poor baby. He sounds feral, but that isn't necessarily the case. Lil A was feral but since coming to live with me, she's still scared and will run and hide when someone comes over, but she's come so far since then.

Feliway is a good product. They sell an herbal calmer that I use on my cats. Just a couple of drops in water will do it.

Tell Grandma to lay off scaring him. It'll only make things worse.

[Sundance]

Oh, no, don't let Grandma generate loud noises! That's the last thing Makis needs right now. My similar experience was with a feral cat who had been wandering around outside for at least 3 years. Someone in the neighborhood was feeding her and the other cats in the colony, but I would see her sitting under our bird feeders waiting for birds and chipmunks. She also tapped on the sliding glass door at night, trying to attract the attention of my kitties inside.

She was very skittish, and ran away any time I approached the window. After seeing one of the other ferals lying dead on the side of the road, we decided to try to capture her. It took almost 3 months to trap her. She was smart and fast. We finally caught her when the temperature was below zero, so she must have been really cold and hungry. The next day, she went to the vet to be checked out. She was about 5 years old and pretty healthy, except for her teeth. Unfortunately, she spent the first two weeks with us stuffed behind a filing cabinet, as flat against the wall as she could get. I would sit on the floor and slide my hand back there while I talked quietly to her. She never made a sound, but I could feel her pressing her face against my hand, so I thought there was hope that she would eventually come out. She did, but she ran under a sofa bed, and spent the next 3 months under it. She had her own litterbox and food/water dishes, so we just kept the room shut off from the other kitties, and spent as much time as we could with her. We pulled the sofa out from the wall a bit so I could see behind it. Usually all I could see was the tip of her tail, but the more I sat and talked to her, the more she would crawl towards my end of the sofa. We started leaving the door open at night, and one morning, she was no longer under the sofa. Nope, during the night, she had crossed the hall and planted herself under our waterbed. She was a little more vulnerable there, because the other kitties could see her, but I would spend hours lying on the floor with my hand stretched under the bed, talking softly, and gradually, she would move towards me and press her head on my hand. She started coming out from under the bed to see me when the bedroom door was shut, the house was quiet, and no other kitties were around. At night, she would venture forth to explore, and sometimes another kitty would chase her back. It took lots of patience, but one night, we saw a streak fly through the living room, so we knew she was beginning to trust us. She had found the dry food we kept on the laundry room counter and she wanted it enough to go after it while we were awake.

Altogether, it took about 7 months before she came into the living room to sit and watch us, but it was well worth the wait. She still struggles if I pick her up, but if it's on her terms, she'll sit with me for hours. She loves nothing better than Mommy taking a nap so she can curl up against me. She sleeps on the waterbed at night with the other kitties, and she wants to be wherever we are. She is one of the most affectionate kitties we have. However, the sound of thunder, hot air balloons, and fireworks drive her right back under the bed until the noise is over. Most household noises don't bother her at all, including the washer, dryer and vacuum cleaner. She retreats back under the bed if a stranger visits, or if the doorbell rings, but as soon as she hears the door close behind them, she's sitting in the living room again waiting for us.

Please tell Grandma to have patience with Makis. It's so rewarding when a cat decides to trust you! Also, Feliway has worked for our kitties. We adopted an older male cat, and he terrorized our other male for a couple of months, chasing him under the bed at all hours. The Feliway helped calm them both down. I also tried Cat Faeries Flower Essences, both Multi-Cat Household and Territorial Rescue. I think they also helped. We have 7 happy cats and they all get along great now!

Good luck to your Grandma and Makis! Since he sounds timid and not mean, there's a good chance he will come around.

Regards,
Sundance

[Gato'smum]

My Grandma wasn't going to try and scare Makis; she just wanted to let him get used to everday noises. I know that what I said made her sound mean, but it was my fault .

[mamaducky]

Oh, come on now. We just KNOW your sweet little Grandma was going to chase Makis around her basement with a chain saw, wearing a hockey mask like something out of a horror movie!

Poor Grandma -- no, I don't think any of us thought she was some wicked old lady. She is obviously a compassionate and patient person, first for having rescued Makis to begin with, and then for dealing with his unusually timid behavior for three years. If it were me, I'd be at the end of my rope trying to figure out a solution to the poor kitty's problem, just as she no doubt is.

I know that if I, for one, sounded a little emphatic in my response, it was just because I knew that she'd regret exposing him to loud sounds just for the sake of it -- and wanted you to tell her not to try it as soon as you could. As previous posters have said, the normal household noises (probably not including a chainsaw ) should absolutely go on as usual.

Has Makis been to the vet recently?

Hugs,
Diana