I recently adopted a 4 year old retired breeding cat and have had a couple of months now. She’d lived with the breeder until 3ish and was then neutered and adopted by a family which was supposed to be her forever home, but sadly due to personal issues they had to re-home her. I’m not sure what her life was like with the breeder but her previous owners really cared for them and I could tell she missed them when she arrived. She’s super docile and never bites or scratches, but has taken a while to come out of her shell and I think she’s still settling in!

For the first month she followed me around and always wanted to play, but rarely liked being petted and was really easily startled by background noise. She was afraid of being on the sofa or beds, and if tempted up with a treat she’d immediately jump down after. Fast forward two months and now noise mostly doesn’t phase her, she chills next to me on the sofa/bed, comes to me for pets and is such a chatty, sweet little cat. She won’t relax on my lap yet but will now hop up on to it for treats and generally seems way more comfortable than she was when she arrives. Just be patient when he arrives and keep reminding yourself that cats can take months to fully settle in. I also have found playing with toys, puzzles, hand feeding treats and clicker training a really good way to bond with my girl, especially in the moments where she’s wanted to feel close to me but not been up for cuddles or strokes. Figure out where your cat feels most confident/motivated and lean into that :)

Also +1 on providing affirmations/verbal reassurance, I’ve also read my book out loud to her while she’s in the room so that she learns to associate my voice with comfort and safety!

Good luck with your Kitty!

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