Since you adopted them, have you had a hard time bonding with your cat? Or, on the contrary, the latter has suddenly changed their behavior for some time and is now trying by all means to avoid you? What if it was because it was afraid of you? If this is the case, it is better to immediately readjust your way of being in order to reassure your hairball and avoid permanently damaging your relationship!
If your cat shows one or more of the signs below, try to be gentler and more considerate with him. For example, never scold them or make sudden gestures in their presence. And above all, don’t force them to be touched, let them come to you, even if it takes time. The goal is to gradually (re)gain their confidence.
1. It flees when you approach
If as soon as you approach them, your cat runs away, this is not a good sign. Indeed, it indicates that it is afraid of you, or at least of what you might do. For example, it may fear being picked up. And it knows that the only way to escape this ordeal is to flee.
2. It hides
When you get home, do you always spend a good 10 minutes looking for your cat? It is not normal. If your cat was completely comfortable with you, it should be more likely to greet you at the door. If it’s hiding, it doesn’t want to see you or is afraid of what you might do to them.
3. It lowers their ears back when you touch them
Every time you approach them, your feline tenses up and presses their ears against their head? Does it even sometimes have their hair on end and their pupils dilated? Not only are you scaring them, but it is also likely to attack you. The wisest thing to do is to turn back and leave them alone.
4. It vocalizes
If, when you are a few feet away from your cat, the latter begins to growl, spit or emit shrill cries, it means that it is warning you that it prefers that you stay away. Do not try to understand and turn around. Indeed, your cat considers you a threat, so it is important to show them that it has nothing to fear from you.
5. It rolls into a ball
A frightened cat tends to make itself as small as possible. Most often, it curls up into a ball, wrapping its tail around its body to create a barrier between itself and what it sees as danger.
In any case, know that our feline friends prefer to avoid conflicts. Thus, they emit many signals (body posture, vocalizations) to avoid confrontation. And it’s when these signals are ignored that cats attack. Indeed, fighting is not the first response to a situation of fear, it is a last resort.
