Whether we’re talking about cats or humans, confidence in anyone or anything is vital. If you are a cat mom/dad, know that a confident cat will ultimately be more comfortable in your given environment. On the other hand, nervous cats may always feel shy and not precisely be THAT welcoming to your guests or maybe other pets that you might have.
You must be thinking, how to make them more confident? Well, nothing is impossible; here are a few ways you can alter your cat’s personality and make them more confident than ever. Although before we move in, do acknowledge that this change can not be sudden. All good things take time, and you will have to be patient.
Let Your Cat Be Comfortable in Your Presence
Comfort must be given when you have a cat as a pet at home. Your cat needs to be content to be living with you. And to instill this contentment, you need to form a bond with them, which can be made and grown by spending time and playing with each other. Letting them know that they can trust you and that they are safe with you will make them open up more and be more confident in the house. Start slow, build their confidence around familiar people first. If you aren’t living alone, then your roommate and yourself maybe; just help them get familiar.
Interact With Your Cat on Their Terms
Don’t over-push your interaction limits with your cats. Cats don’t like exceeding contact with anyone. Staying within a limit is good, but always being touchy and clingy will annoy them, making them fearful and irritated. And you don’t want that, right? Then give them their space, cats prioritize their space a lot, and you need to make sure you give it to them.
Spend Some Quiet Time in the Same Room
While they are playing in a room of the house, make an effort to go in and be there quietly. Just your presence can also add to the bond growing procedure. As mentioned before, cats don’t like interaction much, but they don’t necessarily object to a quiet presence. You can read a book, meditate or even write a journal during this time; just make sure that you are visible to your cat, and don’t forget to be quiet.
Make Some Hiding Spots for Them
When cats are shy, they may want to escape the crazy hustling environment and move to a quieter and more peaceful little place by themselves. This is where the hiding spot comes in. They can seclude themselves for a while until they feel confident to come back out and play. Usually, your cat might make use of this space when you have guests over, which also ultimately brings us to our next point.
Make Sure Your Guests Are Cat-Friendly
For shy and nervous cats, seeing visitors might be very intimidating and overwhelming at first. Therefore, the best way to keep them comfortable is to allocate some hiding spaces for them so that they can escape easily. In addition, tell your guests to give them space and not be clingy; try to catch or hold them the whole time.
Introduce New Things Gradually
Never, never, never rush anything with cats. Whether you move houses or their den in the house to another corner, go very slow to ensure they are comfortable. New things and new people all of a sudden can instill anxiousness and nervousness in them, so be very careful if there’s a significant move in your life because your cats may be affected negatively.
Ensure There Are Enough Resources in the House
If you have a cat, make sure they have all their resources like adequate food and water, toys, hiding places, high spots to escape to, etc., available and accessible to them. A large part of comfort comes when all their needs are appropriately fulfilled.
Try Some Calming Pheromones
Medical hacks always work wonders when usual ones don’t. Drive to the nearest store and get a calming pheromone diffuser if possible. They have a nature that calms down anxiousness in cats. Try placing it in a place where your cats spend most of the time. They usually come in plug versions, so find a socket close to where your cat likes to hang out and just wait for the magic.
Check Their Interaction With Other Pets
If you have more than one pet, be it multiple cats or other animals, it is possible that your cat might feel neglected or uncomfortable in their presence. While there is no way you could neglect either of the pets, you should try giving them equal attention.
If attention isn’t really the issue you see, then there is a possibility that your cat might not go well with your other pets. Some signs of this behavior are constantly fighting and hissing. This might be a vital cause of your cat’s nervousness, so try to calm them down by leaving them by themselves in a quiet spot or taking them for walks on roads where there is less animal contact.
Wrapping Up
You need to be extremely careful when you’re with cats. Keeping their comfort and hostility in mind, make sure you prepare your space in a way that your cats feel content. All these steps mentioned above might make a significant impact in the future, although the catalyst is that you start today.
It isn’t easy to alter into a cat’s personality. Hence, it might take time, but be patient because it will happen. Sometimes nervousness and skittish behavior is in their characteristics, but these steps can make them confident.
