Behaviourist Sarah Whitehead explains that forcing affection on a cat does not always have the desired effect

LUCKY had really fallen on his feet. Having been rescued from a rehoming centre at the age of three, he had at last found comfort and security in a home of his own. Lucky's new owners were thrilled with their new pet. Determined that he would settle down as quickly as possible, they bought him a new bed, feeding dishes and collar.

However, within only a few days of bringing Lucky home, they realised that all was not well. Right from the start, Lucky seemed extremely nervous. The family's previous cats had always enjoyed a good cuddle on their laps, and had not objected to being picked up or stroked. Lucky was completely different. Indeed, he spent the first few days hiding in the bottom of one of their wardrobes in the bedroom, only leaving his secure hole to eat and go to the toilet. Unfortunately, as the litter tray was in the kitchen, this meant that he was urinating and soiling under their bed.

Several weeks went by and Lucky's behaviour did not change. Although he was venturing further out at night, his behaviour during the day was fearful and defensive. He could not be picked up, loathed being stroked and would growl and hiss as soon as anyone in the household approached him. Lucky's new owners were devastated. They felt cheated that their new pet could seem so ungrateful and were distraught that they could not make close contact with him as they had done with their other cats.

On my first visit to see Lucky, his owners had almost decided that he would have to go back to the centre. Their efforts in cleaning up after him and the lack of affection between them had worn their patience thin. Poor Lucky was in an even worse state of stress and anxiety. His secure place in the wardrobe had been blocked off and he spent his time divided between the cupboard under the sink and a gap under the kitchen table. He had stopped grooming and looked to be in a very sorry condition.

Lucky's owners spent considerable time describing how kind they had been to Lucky since bringing him home. They had checked on him almost constantly, bringing him dishes of food and water, talking to him and trying to stroke him to give him reassurance. Since they were a retired couple, they were able to give him almost continual attention and had attempted to encourage him out from his hidy hole at every opportunity. They had been hopeful that their attentions would be reciprocated and had increased their efforts on seeing how anxious Lucky was. Unfortunately, while all these actions had been carried out with Lucky's very best interests at heart, they had had the opposite effect!

Cats can find direct approaches to be extremely threatening. Since their abilities to communicate in close proximity are limited compared to that of the dog or the human, owners often do not recognise that their cat is attempting to tell them to move away. Subtle signals, such as narrowing the eyes and actually turning the face away from a nervous cat can help to reassure him or her that the human is not a threat. Waiting for the cat to make the first move is even better!

It took much time and even more diplomacy to describe to Lucky's owners just how important it is for the cat to approach in any new interactions with people. Lucky needed environmental security, time and a chance to settle down, despite the fact that he had already been in his new hone for several weeks. First, we built him a new bolt-hole. This was simply an old cardboard box turned upside down with an entrance and exit at either end. This was placed in a quiet place in the couple's spare room. His litter tray was placed well away from this and his feeding area was positioned up on a high surface. We also placed a comfy sofa on the other side of the room and placed some artificial fur fabric on it, to be as attractive and cosy as possible.

This sofa was primarily to focus new human behaviour! Three or four times a day, Lucky's owners came quietly into the room, and sat on the sofa to read a book or have a nap. They were asked to ignore Lucky, and to avoid all approaches towards him. Indeed, if he did venture out, they were insructed to carry on reading rather than looking at him or trying to encourage him in any way.

Thankfully, Lucky's owners were prepared to give the programme a try. They both needed a great deal of support in testing out the new regime, but gradually, the results began to show. Lucky began to associate his owners' arrival with being fed, and started to wait on his shelf when they came into the room. He also began to come closer to them while they sat on the sofa, and would sit in the middle of the carpet and wash himself, keeping one wary eye on them at all times. Fortunately, Lucky also discovered the comforts of fur fabric on the sofa. This began to be his night-time resting place, which worked beautifully to mingle his scent with that of his owners when they sat there during the day. Indeed, only two and a half weeks after starting the behavioural programme, Lucky's owners reported that he had suddenly come to sit next to them on the sofa and had stayed there for an hour while they listened to the radio. This was the break-through that we needed. Over the next weeks and months, Lucky's confidence continued to grow until he even learned to play in his owners' presence.

Lucky will never be a cat that wears his heart on his sleeve, and his owners have come to accept that this is just part of his personality. While they may not have a lap cat, they have got a highly rewarding and often amusing pet who often shows them affection in his own way.