Getting your timid cat adopted into a loving home is possibly the ultimate aim of all your, and your cat’s, hard work.
How will you know when they’re ready to look for their perfect match? Make sure it’s a good match between adopter and cat? Do a home visit and help your adopter understand what to expect? Read on to find out!
Are they ready?
Unless you find a super-duper-special person who doesn’t mind that your kitty still has some ‘work’ to do, it’s generally best to wait until they’ve achieved certain milestones before advertising them for adoption.
Explaining their background to adopters
It’s important that your adopter knows that your kitty has had to learn to trust people and that they’re not an ‘instant cat’. Otherwise, everyone will be disappointed. Get some tips on how to explain your cat’s background and help your adopter know what to expect.
Promote them
Your foster cat isn’t just any cat. They’re a scaredy cat! So you’ll need to write their profile, and have great photos, that highlight their strengths, rather than focusing on their shyness with strangers.
The all-important meet and greet
Meeting a stranger is likely to be stressful for your scaredy cat. Learn how to make it less daunting for them. so that they can show their special self off and enable your adopter to see, and hopefully touch, them.
Home visit and preparing your adopter
Your kitty isn’t just any kitty. They need a very secure home when they first arrive, as well as comfortable hiding places while they settle in. Learn what to look for during the home visit and how to help your adopter settle Kitty in, so that it doesn’t end in tears..
Working cats and barn cats
There may be the occasional scaredy cat who, despite your concerted efforts following the socialisation process on this site, doesn’t become comfortable being touched and being a companion for a lucky person. For these cats, finding them a job as a working cat or barn cat, instead of a companion cat, is an option.
Congratulations! You’re adopting a timid cat
If you are part of the growing number of people who make the great decision to adopt a scaredy cat, learn how to help settle them into your home.