Introduction
Adopting an abused cat can take a lot of time, patience, gentleness, and effort from a new owner, but it can be an extremely rewarding experience.
Positives and Negatives of Adopting an Abused Cat
There is no doubt that abused cats often develop psychological problems from their traumatic experiences. As a result, abused cats can be extremely fearful, sometimes aggressive, non-trusting, and possessive over their new space. In severe cases, abused cats may have obsessive compulsive disorders or they may soil areas in the home outside of the litter box.
Abused cat should only be adopted into certain types of homes. Multi-pet homes, and households with young children, do not make good homes for abused cats. Instead, these cats do best in quieter households where they can be given the space and quiet they need to heal.
While abused cats can have behavioral problems, these problems can be treated with behavioral modification techniques and daily medications such as anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medications. For some cats they need to be on medications for the remainder of their life, but other cats can be weaned off of the medicines once they start to make mental and behavioral improvements.
With all the difficulties and challenges of adopting an abused cat, many people wonder if they should begin this type of journey, but abused cats also have a great capacity to love and trust again if they are given the chance. Many abused cats settle into a new home with relatively few problems; once they know they can trust and love again they can form strong and deep bonds which many people find especially rewarding, and to share this type of relationship with an animal that has been abused can be a humbling an awesome experience.