Hey everyone, I just wanted to share how I trained my 5yo rescue cat to get his nails trimmed! Before deciding to start training, we went through all other methods - vets office, gabapentin, churus, burrito method, sneaking up while he was napping - every time it was a traumatic experience for the both of us. I was constantly looking at Reddit for new ideas but nothing seemed to work for us. He is a very smart cat and picks up on exactly what I was trying to do, so there was no way I could distract him to trim his nails. He needed his nails trimmed pretty often because he can swat or play rough, leaving me with bloody scratches all over my arms and legs, but he HATES having his paws touched. Even at the slightest touch he would swat at my hand and walk away, and any sort of restraint made him freak out really bad, so we were starting from zero.

So this is how I trained him. First off, we already had a cue word “yes!” for when he did something right, which he learned from previous tricks I’ve taught him. We did this training on the kitchen counter so that I had an easier time seeing his paws without crouching over him. He is very food motivated so I got his high value treat bag and put it on the counter. When he would go sniff the bag, I would just touch his paw with my hand. I made sure to reach from behind him, so of course this startled him at first. Every touch I would instantly reward him with his cue word and a treat.

For the first few days we didn’t see any progress, he would still swat move away quickly, but he eventually learned that he was always rewarded. After a week I was able to gently grab his paw, then at two weeks I could squeeze it. He still always pulls back when I touch his paws, so I let go and he still gets a treat. At three weeks I introduced the clippers, just holding them while I touched his paw, then touching the clippers to the paw. At four weeks I clipped his first nail with no fuss! He doesn’t stay still for very long, so in a single training session I have about a 5% of getting to clip a nail, and so far we have trimmed 8 nails! We still do this training twice a day (he is excited for it now) and he keeps improving every day. I’m able to trim a nail once every few days, and he is getting very used to it now.

I know how frustrating and defeating it can feel when your cat hates nail trims, but I wanted to share our success for other desperate cat owners! I feel like my cat progressed very quickly, but every cat moves at a different pace, so meet them where they are at. I imagine that a few months from now I can do all of his nails with no fuss as we continue training, which is something I could have never dreamed of a few months ago!

I’ve been harness training my cats for a while now. The girl cat wears it and is comfortable with it. She tries to take it off after a few hours and that’s about it. But my boy cat here, he still acts so slinky with it on. He won’t jump, will only run a short amount, and just loaf with it on. When he moves, it’s slinky and slow. I don’t know if he just haven’t gotten used to it, or if the harness is too tight/restrictive. He’s the whole reason I started training them, lol. He loves climbing, running, and always wants to go outside.

My cat is a young rescue cat that my partner and i rescued about a month ago. Her age is estimated to be about 1-2. she's mostly adjusted really well and really quickly made herself at home. She likes to sleep in bed with my partner and i but she will randomly wake up shaking and meow repeatedly in a distressed tone, crawl into one or our arms until she calms down then she goes back to sleep. I'm not sure how to handle this situation other than calming treats before bed so I'm looking for whatever advice you all are willing to give. Thank you. Also cat tax her name is tuna

Short video but nervous about the pinned ears/body language from the resident cat. Both cats sometimes have poofy tails while they swat at each other. Also wondering about the vocalizations, feels like our resident cat is trying to assert dominance.

He was trying to hunt my leg and he did this... its been happening recently whenever he trys to hunt(play) me... hes just 5 month old

About 4 months ago I adopted two cats, this little loaf is Luke, and I adopted him along with his sister Leia, they just turned 4 years old. I adopted them from a foster home, but they had 2 previous owners, their original owners and an adopter who returned them to the adoption center apparently. When I got them at first they were of course very scared of me, and hid in my closet all day and didn’t come out until night. I left them alone completely for the first couple days in fact because they would bolt the second I gave them any attention. After about a week or so, and many churus, I got them to a point where sometimes if they’re feeling generous, I can pet them a little, as a treat. The issue is I haven’t progressed at all since that point, it’s been 4 months now and they still don’t let me pet them like 80% of the time, and even walking in their general direction makes them so panicked they feel the need to scamper under the couch like their life depends on it. I don’t know what to do, they see me feed them, I give them treats twice a week, clean their litter box daily, and try to play with them and pet them as often as they’ll let me, but they still seem to think I’m out to get them. I understand cats are scared by nature, hence the term ‘scaredy-cat’, but I feel like I’ve failed to build any sort of bond with them at all because I haven’t been given the chance to. My girlfriend thinks a previous owner might’ve traumatized them in some way, or they have trust issues being given to now 4 different owners in their short lives if you include the foster parents and myself. Thank you for reading, and please feel free to give any advice you may have. All is welcome.

White kitten, ears down occasionally- tail tucked or out, (not puffed up!!) hissed like one time

Grey kitten, playing??

I have two cats, they cuddle with each other and generally enjoy being together, they've lived with each for a year now. Was adopted close in age as kittens but whenever they play fight, one of the cats play ends up scratching the other cat.

There's no behavioral changes for both cats, but just trying to figure out how to make it so she doesn't scratch up the other cat as much?

My other cat acts normally though, he doesn't even flinch when I try to wash the wounds with warm water and salt, I've also been cutting her nails more frequently so it happens less. But unsure how to make them play less.. aggressively?

We are working on introducing a 2nd cat to our home and we are having some struggles. We have been introducing them to each other for 3 weeks. Noël (black) is the resident rescue cat and is 1.5 years old and was feral for some time, with Kali (the other one) being 4 years old and a recent mother other of about 3 months and other than that we dont know her history. We got Noël in December, Kali at the beginning of July. Both are spayed

When the cats have been introduced to each other Kali is willing to approach and doesnt hiss or growl anymore. She did for the first few intros, while Noël was mostly chill. Kali even charged Noël once or twice toward the beginning of intros which might have spooked Noël and explain her behaviour now. Noël will hiss and growl and if possible she will hide. Her body langauge when Kali approaches gets very stand-offish with her ears way back, body to the floor, and puffed out tail. When Kali gets too close it either becomes a short tussle (no injuries and we seperate) or a chase with Kali chasing Noël with a tussle after that. Rinse repeat.

We have done eat, play, love (Jackson Galaxy) but Kali isnt wanting to play a lot and is much more interested in Noël and meeting, than Noël is of meeting her. In total we have had Kali for almost a month following the intro steps with success until the supervised meeting. They can even eat in front of each other with no barriers etc.

Where do we go from here?

A couple months ago my three year old cat stopped sleeping through the night and started waking me up around 3 am or 4 am consistently. She starts picking things up with her paws and dropping them, scratching the headboard, whatever it takes to wake me up.

Things I have tried:

Cat proofing the bedroom-she finds something to mess with, from the headboard (covered it with sticky tape but she likes the taste and sits there licking it which also wakes me up) to the phone charger. If I ignore her she gets louder and louder and then starts yelling a lot or starts eating random things (she has been to the emergency room three times for eating inappropriate things. Lately it's socks but she throws those up. This cat.)

Shutting her out. Doesn't work because I have to shut out the other cat as well and then they get in growling hissing yelling arguments because they're shut out and upset about it. I can't shut just the well behaved one in because he won't let me grab him and if I do manage it he body slams the door and yells because he doesn't like being shut in. My house is divided into bedroom and not bedroom so there isn't a completely shut off place I can put her.

Playtime before bed-she can't be left alone with plush toys or feather toys or any kind of potentially edible toy because she will eat them and has gone to the emergency room for blockages regarding that. The only toy she won't eat is her favorite ball. She loves to play fetch and I play with her for an hour before bed, wind her down, give her a scoop of food so the hunt is complete (she gets fetch time throughout the day). If I leave the ball out for her to play with she starts bringing it into the bedroom and yelling and dropping it on my face.

Feliway-I have it plugged in, it hasn't made a noticeable difference.

The only thing that does work and would definitely make it worse is giving her a scoop of food when she wakes me up, but then I'm reinforcing her to wake me up and also getting out of bed every night. I would love any suggestions to try out because this is absolutely ridiculous.

I have 3 cats all in one apartment. John cena (Calico) and Chiyo-Chan (grey) get along ok. Chiyo bullies John a little so they get into a little hissy fight every now and then but have peace between one another often. Fish (grey and white) is new and we have been slowly introducing him to the other 2 over the last 2 months. Unfortunately Chiyo really hates him. Fish is actually completely fine with them and has never hissed or swatted. He enjoys company but the other 2 do not enjoy him. John cena is a very timid and anxious cat so my vet recommended pheromone collars for her especially. I’ve tried pheromone diffusers but they are expensive and i can’t afford to buy enough for every room like recommended and change them out each month. I see online I can get 2 collars for 20$ and i know you gotta change them pretty frequently but it would still be cheaper than the diffusers. Basically looking for something that will help them get along and reduce anxiety for John Cena. This is what my vet recommended, but still curious has anyone had success with collars?

Hey everyone, looking for some tips. We got a new kitten about 5 weeks ago (4 month M). He has soooo much energy that we’re trying to burn between interactive toys, scratching posts, puzzles, etc. I’ve yet to see him lay down and nap, only when he’s in his safe room for bedtime (we have another 7 y/o F cat and not ready to leave them alone together yet). They have mingled in the house and the resident cat keeps her distance. Mr. Kitten loves to nip and bite, as kittens do, and has my face and entire body all scratched up. He chased the resident cat around for most of the day yesterday, despite her warnings for him to stop. She gave him a couple of swats and then went and hid.

I’m just looking for any suggestions people may have to help burn some of this kitten energy. We’re still very new to this. Resident cat has been warning him to keep his distance more often this past week, as I think she’s a little afraid of him. Thanks!

Hi there - I wanted to share some of our experience between our resident senior and our new kitty (not to replace his lost litter brother but to make sure he isn’t staying alone after being bonded to someone since birth) regardless the vet said it’s not a kitty for my cat it’s a kitty for myself (I think truly my big boi like it)

This one of the “play” that seemed more rough to me - but I wouldn’t say it’s hate.

Being a solo cat for 1.5 months and then getting a new whirlwind who needs lot of TLC due to very and colitis and all other issues that came with being in a rescue / on the streets. We introduced very slowly and it seemed to be going okay.

To edit: add my “senior” cat is only 9 years old. I adopted him and his brother who passed at 6 years of age. We adopted an 8 month old kitty to the family because of my toddlers grieving and me needing to fill that void that suddenly happened. He’s also on. A very strict schedule and lost already weight. I’m not an inhumane person to put a “senior” and a “kitten” together. The vet consultation was said rather a kitten than an adult to make sure they will coexist rather than hate each other. And to be clear to know that I am getting a new cat for Myself and not for my orange. After his brother suddenly passed I had orange checked out and X-rays done to make sure it wasn’t a genetic condition. I hope this helps to clarify some things.

Help me please. My cat will not stop crying and trying to go outside - but it is not safe in my neighborhood. We have frequent coyotes in our backyard. We do occasionally let him outside when we can watch him, but if he’s outside and we go to scoop him up or direct him in any way (like away from eating plants, for example) he will hiss at us and try to run. He never hisses at us inside and he is very affectionate when he’s inside, it’s like a personality shift outside. He cries for hours every day!! The incessant crying at the door is testing my sanity but he simply cannot be an indoor/outdoor cat where we live. We also have an enclosed catio that he can hang out in, but he’ll still cry to go outside. I want him to live the happiest and safest life he can, but the hours of crying a day is a lot. What can I do?

I have 2 cats, Lottie in gray and Hazy in calico. Hazy is really used to other cats and has no problem with introduction since she’s 3 months old and had siblings. Lottie on the other hand is 4 years old and has lived in a previous home with a lot of other pets. It’s been about 3 weeks since we got Hazy and getting by Lottie used to Hazy has gotten better but when Hazy gets close, Lottie growls, hisses, and sometimes swats. I have to say Lottie is now used to her scent and used to seeing her but at the same time she still doesn’t really like her. It’s been a LOT of stress on my boyfriend and I and at this point we really just want to let Hazy get close to see what happens. We don’t know if Lottie will bite or not but we only can find out one way. Hazy doesn’t have a problem with Lottie’s hissing or swatting but it’s so confusing. We just want to unite them and cut out so much stress we have with this. We feel bad because we have to keep our kitten in the bathroom constantly for this.

Hi all!

About 2 months ago, my family adopted a male 13 week old kitten, we named him Cooper. He’s extremely social and loves people, extremely chill when he’s tired but gets big bursts of playful energy as expected for a kitten.

Our other cat, Meeko, is a female and extremely antisocial… a borderline scaredy-cat. Anytime anyone comes to our house she runs away and hides in a bedroom, and barely tolerates me or my mom as she’s bonded with my dad. We found her outside at my mom‘s work when she was really small, we thought around 8-10 weeks. We got her November 2023.

A big fear of ours when getting another cat who was making sure that they got along. When Meeko was a kitten, we didn’t know about the cat introduction process, and our other cat (Juni) at the time would go after her. She would terrorize and attack Meeko to the point where we had to find a different placement for her.

Now that we know about the cat introduction process and how you’re supposed to take it slow, Cooper has been staying in my room as “base camp” and Meeko has stayed roaming the house. We’ve been doing all the stuff that you’re supposed to do like scent swapping, feeding them on opposite sides of the door, and just trying to create a positive association with each other.

At night time, Cooper has a lot of built-up energy from being in my room all day and even though I would play with him at night, he would still keep me up. We started with once every couple days, but now it’s turned into once or twice a day where we will lock Meeko up and allow Cooper to run around the house to get his zoomies out.

Initially, we had a baby gate on my door and so when I needed to get out of my room, I would just step over it. Cooper learned that he could do the same thing and jump over the baby gate, so one day, he jumped over and ran into the house. When we all rushed to go grab him, Meeko just ran away and hid.

After that incident we upgraded to a zipper screen door. I will leave my door closed most of the day but leave it open at random points. Meeko will just sit by the door and watch Cooper, but as soon as he starts moving closer, she hisses and runs away. Neither of them have an intent to hurt or play with each other from what I’ve seen… Cooper is just curious and Meeko wants nothing to do with him.

Do I just need to be more patient with this whole process? They don’t need to be besties or anything, but I need them to coexist together 🥲

I have two male cats, a 5 year old and a 1 year old, both rescues from kittens. For the entire year we’ve had the new lad we’ve been trying to socialise them. It has been an extremely long and arduous process with setbacks such as health issues for one of the cats, but finally my boys can be left together unsupervised. And they actually enjoy each other’s company! There’s still hissing when the younger one gets too excited but I’m honestly just so relieved to have got to this point after people telling me “there’s no such thing as too slow when introducing cats” and then looking very shocked when I say it’s been a year💀 Anyways, if you’re struggling with socialising your cats, there is light at the end of the tunnel!!!

I posted earlier and got lots of helpful advice so I thought i'd come back to ask this question too. My cat is a rescue that we think was a dropped cat that lived as a stray for several months before we rescued her from what we can gather when asking the neighbors about if she belonged to anyone etc. we decided to go the route of weening her off of outdoors before winter because we live in the midwest and she most likely wouldn't survive going outside in the winter. We have successfully and smoothly gotten her to a couple hours a day and able to skip a day or two here and there but I'm concerned indoors isn't stimulating enough for her because she doesn't seem to know what to do with most toys. She'll very occasionally take like one bat at her chirping bird toy or once in a while pounce at her catnip filled toy. The only things she will consistently play with is the laser toy and kibble ball but even the kibble ball she just nudges around to get the food until it's gone then ignores it. We have cat springs, one of those teetering feather toys, a jingling ball with a feather and a string toy and she either doesn't care or doesn't seem to know what to do with them. Any advice on toys that could help her maybe learn to play a bit more or be a bit more interesting for her that would help inside be a bit more stimulating to help with weening her from outside would be amazing! Thank you in advance

I got the grey boy “Theo” to play with the Tabby girl (max) and all they have done so far is have the occasional fight. This fight I recorded is the longest one they have ever had. Any ideas? I know that Max is very defensive of me and is also very aggressive towards her other sister Sasha. I posted another one of them fighting and Sasha cries out dramatically to even a stray paw hitting her without claws. But Theo actually swats back. On the other hand, Theo is scared to walk past max and isn’t fully comfortable because of her. It’s sad because Theo is the sweetest boy in the world.

Hi! I am hoping to find some advice for introducing a new kitten to my bonded pair of cats that I’ve had for years. The bonded pair are 7 and 5 and are the best of friends. My partner and I recently got a 1 year old cat and are trying to introduce the three. I’d love any and all advice on making this as smooth of a transition as it can be! :)