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Made My Cat Scared of Me – (Now What? Need Help?)

If your cat is scared of you, or you are trying to confirm if it truly is, you may be wondering what signs you should look out for and what you can do to regain its trust.

Will a cat ever forgive you?

In most cases, a cat will forgive you. They do not tend to hold big grudges. However, this is assuming is a genuine accident, for example, a one-off mistake. But, ongoing abuse is a completely different situation that will not be forgiven overnight.

So, now you know if a cat will forgive you. But, do cats understand verbal apologies? How can you say sorry to your cat? How can you rebuild your relationship? Keep reading for these answers, and so much more.

What can make a cat scared of you?

There are two main reasons that your cat may fear you: A one-off accident, or some deep-rooted psychological issues that may have manifested. Let me explain:

One-0ff accident

A classic example of this is if you stepped on your cat’s paw or tail by accident. I remember doing this, by accident, as a child with my family cat. I felt so guilty and sorry. But, with time, I was forgiven. The hissing sound my cat made was unforgettable.

Psychological Issues (from its past)

These types of issues are harder to understand. And, in most cases, it stems from bad experiences from their past. There may just be one small thing that you did that triggered a bad memory.

If your cat is scared of you (click here to see if it just wants to play), sometimes you just know what it is, other times, it’s not so obvious. So, hopefully, this has clarified some of the main reasons this happens.

How can you get your cat to forgive you?

To get your cat to forgive you you can try one, or all of these tactics:

01. Give it some time

As they say “time is the biggest healer”, and this is also true with cats. The best thing you can do is to give it some time. The length of time depends on what upset your cat. E.g. Stepped on its tail once, by accident? It may not be that long at all.

Your cat has come from an abusive home? Then you are likely to be waiting for quite a while.

02. Give him some space

As well as time, this includes space. Think about it, you can’t really give your cat some time out without letting him have some space, right?

03. Treats

Another tactic is to offer your cat some treats (Click here to see the reviews, on Amazon #Ad). This is, ideally, after you have done the previous two first. This is just a method to offer an apology and make it clear you want to spend time with your cat again.

It is tempting to jump in and try and explain that you are sorry to your cat. But, if you have tried this before, I am sure you will agree this rarely works. But, this should have helped you understand what you can do.

Do cats know I’m sorry?

Cats do not understand when you say “I am sorry”. This verbal exchange is only valid from human to human. For cats, it means nothing. Therefore, you need to find other ways to show that you are sorry, and this will not be verbal.

It seems logical to say “I am sorry” to your cat, and plead for forgiveness. But, you should now understand that, in most cases, this is really a waste of your time.

How do I say sorry to my cat?

To say you are sorry to your cat you need to avoid saying “I am sorry”, give it some time to get over the issue. Once this time has passed, offer your arms to your cat, in the attempt to show you want a hug. Let her come to you.

The important thing is to be gentle only using light petting. But, this is assuming that your cat has voluntarily come to you.

But, what if your cat rejects your apology?

There is a chance that your cat rejects your advances. This is natural and can happen. Remember, they have a choice, right? If this happens you just need to give it more time.

As discussed earlier, cats do not understand verbal apologies. And, now you should understand what you need to do to explain that you are sorry to your cat.

How do you fix a relationship with a cat?

To fix a relationship with your cat you need to take time. It requires repeated acts of kindness to rebuild trust. The important thing is this, make sure you do not do anything to break this trust again, especially in the short-term while you are rebuilding your relationship.

Fixing a relationship is more involved than a quick apology. So, hopefully, this should have explained what you can do to get this fixed as soon as possible.

Do cats forgive abuse?

Abuse of cats is more than a one-off accident and is not easily forgiven, if ever. It causes long-term emotional trauma that is not easily undone. Whilst it is possible to be forgiven, it will take some considerable time and patience to overcome.

If you have adopted a cat or bought one with an unknown history you may have wondered if any abuse in its past will be forgiven and forgotten. So, now you should understand this a bit more.

What do I do if I accidentally hurt my cat?

The first thing to do, after accidentally hurting your cat, is to give it some time, assess how your cat reacts. But, make it clear that you are truly sorry. You can use treats (Click here to see the price, on Amazon #Ad) to help to show you are sorry. But, be patient and let it come to you.

If you have seen your cat running away or hiding from you after an accident, such as you closing its paw in a door, etc it is obvious that you will wonder what you can do get past this. This section has given you some pointers to get past this.

Why would my cat suddenly be afraid of me?

There are several reasons why your cat may suddenly be afraid of you. Such as the following:

01. Illness

The first issue could be an illness. This is mainly applicable to younger cats that may not have experienced this particular illness before. It can make them get defensive, paranoid, and hide from you. The reality is, it is more of a coping mechanism, rather than fear of you.

02. One-off accident

As discussed earlier, a one-off accident is one of the more common issues. This can be done around the home, such as dropping an object on your cat, stepping on their tail, etc.

03. Triggered an abusive memory

This one is harder to detect. A cat that has been abused may get nervous or scared (Do they fart when this happens? Click here) when you do some random action. The reality is, it may seem completely innocent in your mind.

For example, let’s say you raise your hand to pet them, they could remember being hurt by a human in the past, are you with me?

What should you do if your cat won’t forgive you?

Once you have tried it all, such as treats, given it space and time, etc. You need to consider getting an expert involved. This may be a behavioral expert that can understand your cat’s actions and help you work through this.

If you have tried it all and your cat is still not responding you may have wondered what you can do next. So, now you should understand what you need to do.