How can I get the cat to come out of hiding?
Asked by
AshLeigh (
16340
)
January 12th, 2013
from iPhone
I have a trunk of sorts in my room. The top was opened, and when the cat jumped up the lid fell onto her foot, and she was hanging there with her food trapped until I could get it off of her.
After I got her free she ran into the closet, and won’t come out. I’m worried her foot could be badly injured, and I’d like to check on it.
How can I get her to come out on her own? I don’t want to drag her out, because she’s really scared, and I don’t want to hurt her any worse than she already is. :(
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15 Answers
Do you have some canned cat food (or even regular canned tuna) around?
The smell along with your soothing voice might do the trick.
Obviously she’s traumatized and cats are notorious hiders when they’re injured, sick or frightened. It’s an instinct thing going back to their time in the wild (as a species) where showing vulnerability could mean being attacked or killed.
Just give her some time and if talking soothingly doesn’t work immediately, leave her be for a bit. Close the door to the room so at least you know she hasn’t hidden elsewhere in the house after you’ve left her alone.
Leave a portion of the food on a plain white flat plate near the closet so it’s easy to tell if she has come put to eat any of it.
Give her an hour or two to calm down and have the carrier open and ready to put her in for a trip to the vet to assess if any serious damage was done.
Poor kitty. Hope it’s just that she’s just scared and that her foot is ok. Sending good thoughts your way.
I lured her out with tuna, and she’s cuddling with her kittens now.
She was limping, and having a hard time standing up after she layed down. She did let me touch it, however. A chunk of fur was ripped out. (poor baby)
I checked for anything that felt unusual, but I don’t know a lot about this kind of thing. :(
Going to see how she feels in the morning, and ask my mom what to do.
When my cat hides, I just let him “be” till he’s ready to come out. Rattling a pouch of dry treats sometimes lures him out. Isn’t it amazing how a cat always seems to find a new hiding place, even in a small apartment?
Just leave the cat alone and he (or she) will go back to the usual routine very shortly, usually within a day.
A visit to the vet wouldn’t hurt.
I hope she recovers quickly
Best bet would be to just give the kitten or cat some time before he/she recovers. It can take a while for a cat to get acclimated to a new environment. He or she’ll come out and start exploring again when he or she’s comfortable.
You should make sure there are no broken bones. A trip to the vet for an X-Ray is really the only way to know for sure.
Glad the tuna worked :)
Time+tuna usually does the trick for frightened cats in hiding. Nothing beats the smell of canned tuna as a magnet to attract kitties.
One does not “get” a cat out of hiding. It’s up to the cat.
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Get a CAT scan done on her tomorrow. Seriously though, I hope she’s OK.
@AshLeigh: Can we have an update on the cat?
JCA
The Update Lady
She is fine. She didn’t walk on it for a few days, but she’s back to normal. :) Evil as ever.
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