Befriending a New Cat

Image Credits: Pixabay

Cats are sweet creatures. They are also nervous when they meet new people. It is one of the few joys of life to make friends with a new cat- be it a stray or owned by a friend. You should allow the cat to come to you. The cat must feel comfortable around you.

Food is a must

The best way to make friends with a new cat is to give it food. The only exception to this advice is if the cat is already well-fed as it belongs to someone you know. Do give a stray cat food. This will help you to gain its trust. Take a bowl and fill it with dry food. Place it near the cat and move away. Allow the cat to finish its meal. Do not approach it as soon as the food gets over.

Talk to the cat but do not approach it. Keep your voice quiet and calm. Sit a little far away and continue to talk to it while it eats. Do it every day and inch closer to the cat with every succeeding day. Once you approach the cat close enough to touch it and the cat does not run away, offer your knuckles. Allow the cat to approach you. Coming too fast will overwhelm the kitty and scare it away. Take the knuckle towards the cat. Permit it to approach you. It will rub itself against your hand. The cat will also smell you. The kitty sniffs you to decide as to whether it wants to make you as its friend.

Stroke and blink

It is now time for you to stroke the cat. Give the feline a lengthy pet from the top of the head to the end of its tail. Do not repeat the action. See whether the cat remains where it was and if it wants to be petted again. Wait for a few minutes and repeat the action. Pat it the same way two to three times. By now the cat is comfortable with your presence. When you see the cat again, do not approach it. Instead, give it a long blink. Use your best soft eyes. When the now-familiar cat looks toward you, give it a slow and long blink. Keep your eyes a little longer than your normal blink. However, it should not be too long, or the cat may think you have fallen asleep. In case the cat now thinks of you as a friend, it will slowly blink back towards you. If you have adopted a new cat, then you should prepare its litter box. Select a room to keep the litter box. The ideal place is the bathroom. Set the litter box up with about two inches litter. Put it near the corner. The cat should feel comfortable using the litter box.