In the area of eye contact, I learned this on feral_cats: the slow blink. Like narrowed eyes, this is a sign of friendship if you can do it with some subtlety. Blink very slowly, make very brief eye contact, blink again and this time look slightly away from her, blink again and make brief eye contact. For some reason the averted gaze part connects with a lot of cats. Oh, and another thing is to make sure the food comes and goes with you. Don't leave it even if she doesn't eat while you're there. You=food, and food=good, so therefore, eventually, you=good. Diane R.
________________________________ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jennifer Phaewryn O'Gwynn Sent: Friday, December 29, 2006 4:08 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: OT - Help, aggressive cat Welcome to the world of Owner Surrenders! What one says is certainly usually NOT what one gets! It's common for a "sweet kitty with no problems" to actually arrive to you as "kitty from hell about to gouge out your eyeballs in a fit of rage". That being said, you do sometimes get a cat in that really was a good cat in it's own home, and is just so totally freaked out by the change and new surroundings and strangers that it will just freak out and seem completely feral. My suggestion is to keep her as you are, in a smaller room, and give her lots of hiding places, like boxes nested inside each other, baskets, and a kennel with an open door (or the door removed). When you are in with her, move very slowly; NEVER make eye contact, always keep your shoulders angled away from her, never face her straight on, as that is threatening body language. When you HAVE to look at her, squint your eyes, but keep your face relaxed, as narrowed eyes are a sign of friendliness in cats. Don't try to approach her or touch her. Sit down on the other side of the room and don't face her, but sit in there quietly while she eats, just so she gets used to your presence. Move slowly, be quiet while you are in her room. She may come around. Or maybe not, and the owner might have completely made up the fact that she is tame, just so you would take her. It happens. Phaewryn Donations Needed for Whitey's emergency Vet Care! http://ucat.us/Whitey.html DONATE VIA PAYPAL: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_xclick&business=seething%40vt link%2enet&item_name=DONATION%20to%20Whitey%20Veterinary%20Bill%20Fund 12/24/06 Whitey Pictures: http://ucat.us/Whitey/WhiteyNewPics.html Whitey Models on Ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/Cleos-Catnip-ORGANIC-2-ounces-cat-nip-KITTY-YUMMY_W0 QQitemZ140067996154QQihZ004QQ This electronic mail transmission and any attachments are confidential and may be privileged. They should be read or retained only by the intended recipient. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the transmission from your system. In addition, in order to comply with Treasury Circular 230, we are required to inform you that unless we have specifically stated to the contrary in writing, any advice we provide in this email or any attachment concerning federal tax issues or submissions is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, to avoid federal tax penalties.
