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Atticus was settling in wonderfully now. He was playing with toys although he seemed vaguely confused by the notion of them. He would meow at us until we picked him up and gave him a snuggle. He was a happy, healthy cat at last but he was still afraid of beds and couches.

Where to start

Putting Atticus on a fabric surface would immediately stress him out and he would go hide under the kitchen chairs so we couldn’t put him on the scary couch or bed. Even with coaxing and treats the best we could get Atticus to do was put his front paws on the couch and he’d still have his ears flat to his skull.

I decided a different tactic was needed. I have a stupidly large desk, there is lots of room between the monitor and edge of the desk. The other two cats regularly take advantage of this to get desk snuggles. This would be the staging area for training Atticus.

On Top of the Desk, On Top of the World

Every day I would call Atticus over, pick him up and put him on my desk. At first, he was very nervous but not frightened. Atticus would stay for one or two pets then leave. After a week Atticus would stay on my desk for 5-10 minutes and relax while on it. Two weeks later and I was able to summon him onto the top my desk by saying “come on up bud”.

All through this, I would softly tell him he was a brave boy and doing really good. Of course, the cat won’t understand such words, but they will associate the sounds and cadence with the positive reinforcement from the pets and safety. That was crucial for the next steps.

The Bed and Beyond

Atticus had found an off the ground surface to feel safe on. He was also willing to accept coaxing in order to jump onto it. The time had come to apply this new behavior to the bed. Putting him on the bed still resulted in him running off but he no longer hid under the kitchen chairs. This was a big step it meant he wasn’t afraid he would get in trouble, he just didn’t feel safe there yet.

Every night before bed we would pick up Atticus and put him on the bed. Sometimes he would stay for one or two pets and a “who’s a brave boy” but he would always run off in the end. After about two weeks of this, the magic happened. We got home late and forgot to put Atticus on the bed, as we were lying down we heard a plaintiff mew and looked down to see Atticus’ little back face peering at us from the foot of the bed. I told him “you’re a brave boy come up bud” and he hopped up on the bed for the first time. He wouldn’t move beyond the foot of the bed and left after a few minutes but that was all that was needed. The terror was defeated, it would only take time now.

The End is also the Beginning.

It’s been 4 years now with Atticus as part of our family. He’s incredibly gentle, snuggly, and his favorite game is to be chased down the hall. The best part is how far up the bed he will now come. Look at this brave boy three-quarter of the way up the bed.