by Maureen Leung

Created on: October 05, 2009

Bonding with a new cat is a good experience. I got a new cat, Salma, from Pet Smart a week ago. She is only five months old, and she was not very active. Instead, Salma was very shy even though she was also very attached to humans. She let me massaged her on my way home until when she first entered into the loft. At first, she was looking and walking slowly around the loft. I wanted to pick Salma up, but whenever I tried to pick her up, she would run under the coffee table or under the bed where I could not reach her. I was kind of frustrated, but I did not force her to come out. Instead, I just put some food and water for her.

I let Salma alone for two days since she did not want to be touch. I guessed because she was still adjusting her surroundings, but at least, she did eat. After two days, she started to hang around me and let me hold her instead of running away. I patted and massaged her, and to my surprise, Salma loved my pat and massage. I continued to pat and massage her until she got tired or I got tired. Besides patting and massaging, Salma also started to play with me, such as trying to grab my hand and lick it, playing with me feet while I also used my feet to massage her little stomach and head, and trying to grab and bite the string away from my hand.

Salma is very playful now; especially when I recently got her some toys, such as little soccer balls and a little chicken that contains catnips, from Pet Smart. At night, she runs around the loft and on the bed like she is hunting something. In the morning, Salma is kind of hyper, but she usually follows me around wherever I go. When I ask her what she wants from me, her cute little face is telling me that she wants to eat, that it is time to feed her. After she eats, she will still follow me around like she wants to play or wants me to hold her.

Salma thinks I am her best friend now, or at least, her nurturer. I also think that she is my best friend even though she cannot talk like human beings, just meow. Salma is also part of the family, and I believe she knows it too since she has an attitude like she owns the loft and everything else.

In conclusion, bonding with Salmna is not that difficult. She just needs some time to adjust to her new surroundings. Through my experience with her, I think this is one of the ways to bond with a new cat.

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