Caring for an abused cat

i recently took in my care an abused cat, i am a first time cat owner,i have had dogs in the past but have never taken care of a cat let alone an abused one. The first couple of days i had her ( i named her Belle ) she hid every place she could find, i let her be and just left her food out where she could find it. Now she's more used to her surroundings .She still hides when company is around but as soon as they leave she out moving around my apartment. She is more comfortable around my roommate and I , and she loves to be pet ( but still flinches when we go to pet her) and naps in our laps, but she also has started biting and scratching alot. I was wondering if there is anything i could do to change this behavior?? Any advise would be greatly appreciated.:lovestruck:

If she scratches or bites, back off with a quiet NO. Use toys when you play with her to lessen the chances of it happening and to protect your hands. I have a little scrap (well, she is less of a 'scrap' by the day :)) I found in the alley last October and she still lashes out if I pick her up or startle her while she is sleeping, but she is way more accepting than she was. It's likely she was taken from her mother too young and never really had a trusting relationship with a human.
Always let the cat set the pace.
Thanks for giving Belle a new and better life.

Thank you for Belle :cat:

Patience, love, more patience and love ... give her time. Depending on how much abuse she has taken/experienced, she will need time to forget and make new habits, absorb the new, safe experiences.

Many cats leave when there's company coming. They don't like disturbances in their environment. Not like the dogs who come running and want all the attention, greeting the guest first, making sure everyone is paying attention to them. A cat is more reserved (in general) and even a house-cat you've had since it was a kitten will often retreat to another room, or to a corner of the room where you are with the company and watch - judging how safe it will be to come and say hello, or if it's even worth their time!

Belle has already seen that you and your room mate aren't any threat to her, she's noticed you feed her and don't hurt her or try to scare her away. She's even accepting to be petted, which is a good sign. Keep spoiling her, allow some special treats (foods or whatever), she'll become more and more trusting.

When you can, please show us a pic of Belle!

First of all welcome to the wonderfull mad world of cat keeping

Belle sounds as if she is doing great
I assume she bites and scratches when you are petting her Maybe there are certain ways she doesnt like being petted right now Most shy cats are very leery of having thier tummies rubbed until they really reallly get used to you

Make sure also that you engage her in play to get out some of the "aggresive energy" out of her


Also Belle will have good days and bad days and on the bad ones just le her be and have her come to you when she wants.

As far as company after a few visits by the same friends her curiosity will get the better of her and you will probab;y see her peeking out to see wahts up Here's a trick. When she does come out to see. Have your friend totally ignore her Like dogs, stares can be perceived as a threat and after a bit Belle wont be able to figure out why someone is ignoring her beautifull presence and wander over for a sniff.

Patience patience patience Belle will suprprise you in the most unexpected ways and times her acceptence.



Cat talk to sstrange cat look at the cat, then look away and give a great big yawn Look back after 5 seconds or so and very slowly close your eyes like youi see her do when going to sleep. YOur saying OK i have no interst in treating you and you are no threat to me.

Most of all relax and enjoy having a very strong connection to a wold creature IMO cats are a lot more conected to thier instincts than dogs.

Belle is doing great. I went out and bought her a bunch of cat toys, little mice and lots of balls with bells in them. She is constantly chasing them around, it is nice to see her more at home with us. She used to bite and scratch alot but now most of that energy is used on the toys, she still does it a bit but cats will be cats, it is not such a problem anymore. My roommate teases me for spoiling her so much but love will do that to you. Belle has her first "doctors" appointment on Monday and her first shots, hoping it won't be too difficult on her. I will be posting some pictures of her after the weekend, so everyone can see my beautiful Belle, she truly is the Belle of the Ball. Thanks for all the advice,everyone has been really helpful.:lovestruck:

I have a cat like that (except that she doesnt bite).

I've had her for 8 years and she's always been that way! Sometimes you just have to accept that all cats have different personalities and are more comfortable around certain people.

If anything, just give her more time and lots of attention when she does come out.