10 Tips to INSTANTLY Calm ANY Cat

There are a few techniques, which aren’t rocket-science but will enable you to calm almost any cat, in almost any situation.

It doesn’t matter what breed they are or if they have a particularly aggressive personality. The tips below just work.

Whatever the reason, you want your cat to trust you. The tricks and tips I describe below will send signals to your cat that tell it you are not a threat.

You will be showing it that you mean it no harm. Your cat should relax a little and you should see the results of this immediately.

How To Calm A Cat

It’s not really that complex. All you need to do is behave as a cat would towards an aggressive cat if it didn’t want to appear as a threat.

We’re applying natural cat behavior to the situation. The first two steps we describe are known as the SLOBLY technique when used in combination. This stands for SLOw BLink and Yawn.

1) Blink Slowly Towards a Cat

If you only take one thing away from this post, this point should be the one. It’s amazing how many cat-lovers that I know have never heard of this technique!

We love this particular technique so much. It is the one thing that helps all owners bond with their cats too.

You will notice if you watch out for it carefully, that when you look at your cat, it may blink slowly and possibly then look away.

This is your cat telling you that you shouldn’t see them as a threat in any way. If you have a cat, go and try this now.

So, what you want to do is quite simple really.

When a nervous cat looks at you it will try to determine whether you are a threat or not.

If it has any doubt, it will assume you are a threat. What you need to do is convince it that you are not. So, when a cat stares at you, do the following:

1. Slowly close your eyes whilst still facing it and keep them closed for about 2 seconds.

2. Open your eyes as slowly as you closed them.

3. Wait a couple of seconds and divert your attention to something else, but do all of this slowly with no sudden movements.

Repeat these steps every single time your cat looks at you and remember to keep things nice and slow.

A closeup of a grey cat blinking slowly.

As I said above, if you’re going to take just one thing from this article or just don’t have time to read anymore, just take this one point on-board.

I have been using this technique with my own cats for years and also with other cats. When you do it you can almost see them becoming less stressed and anxious right in front of you!

2) Yawning When Looking At Your Cat

If an aggressive cat is staring-down another cat, you will never see it yawn.

By yawning in front of your cat (I bet you’re yawning right now, just thinking about it), you are demonstrating your lack of threat.

Watch your cat’s reaction when you do this. It will focus entirely on you as you do it. Combine this with a slow-blink and occasionally looking away.

As you yawn, close your eyes which will help your cause. Try not to make a loud noise like some people do when they yawn! Make it a nice silent one.

3) Don’t Stare – Occasionally Look Away

Never stare at a cat that’s feeling stressed and anxious. This feeds nicely into the last point actually. Look at them, yes, but don’t stare at them.

If the cat is looking at you, by all means, look at it back, but do occasionally look away. Again, keep everything really controlled and slow and make no sudden movements.

What this is demonstrating to your cat is that your focus is not directly on it. You are showing it that you are not considering attacking it and you aren’t particularly interested in bothering it.

4) Roll Onto Your Back

When a cat rolls onto its back, it is not an invitation for you to tickle it! That may be what it looks like but don’t be fooled!

Look at one of our cats, Harry, in the next photo.

A red tabby Maine Coon kitten displaying it belly.

I mean, just look at him! With his little paws tucked in you would think that this is a certain invite for you to give him a little cheeky tickle. But don’t be fooled!

If you fall into their trap (which I bet you already have done) then your hands will be grabbed by their paws in a matter of nanoseconds and you will not come out of it without some damage!

What a cat is actually doing here acting in a submissive manner in front of you. Often they will do this as you approach and it is a sign that they trust you and don’t see you as a threat in any way.

So, that’s great – but what does this have to do with you calming them down? You probably wouldn’t see this behavior on a cat you’re trying to relax anyway – so mimic their behavior!

Don’t try and do it too close to your cat but relatively near them (they obviously have to see you otherwise you’re going to look pretty stupid) slowly roll onto your back and impersonate Harry in the picture above!

Yes, you’re going to feel silly but what you’re doing is showing that you’re no threat to them. This really works so if you can get over how you might look, do give it a go!

5) Let Them Come To You

Don’t try and force the issue with a cat. Give them space and don’t crowd them. They will feel intimidated if they keep getting approached by people.

You will be able to do this eventually but not at the outset if they are very anxious. Always let a cat make the first move.

Just get down on their level, follow the ideas I’ve mentioned above, and don’t pay them much attention. The idea behind this is that they will become more comfortable with you over time.

So, just sit on the floor, minding your own business for a bit. Then, after a while, get up and just get on with stuff. Repeat and eventually, you will find they become more comfortable in your presence.

This is because they no longer will be able to associate you with any kind of threat as they will have become more accustomed to you.

6) Don’t Follow Them

If cats don’t want to do something, don’t try and force them. Don’t pick them up and plonk them somewhere if you don’t think they want to be there.

If you’re having fun with them and they wander off, don’t follow them! If they want to leave then there’s a reason for it.

If for whatever reason, they want to go somewhere that they’ll feel more secure they need to know that they can do that, alone.

Remember, a cat is allowed to follow you (which, if you have a Maine Coon you will be well aware of) but you aren’t allowed to follow them! Rules are rules.

7) Remain Calm

Cats can become nervous easily and although some are more nervous than others, generally they don’t feel comfortable with people who make a lot of noise.

This is the reason why they are usually not so comfortable with kids! Cats don’t like unpredictable movements combined with noise and well, this kinda describes children perfectly, right?

When near a nervous cat, you should always remain calm – no sudden movements and no loud noises. This is why training children is so important.

A tabby cat sitting down and having its face tickled.

Teach your children about your cat’s feelings and needs and how they should behave around them. A child will often forget (or ignore you) and run around anyway but over time, hopefully, they’ll get the message!

It won’t be easy and it won’t always work but if you can communicate the importance of this to your kids, especially if a cat is nervous – it will really help them out!

8) Bribe Them With Treats

I don’t mean bribe your kids 🙂 Although that does sometimes work! I mean occasionally you can improve the bond between yourself and your cat if you have a little incentive.

Keep some treats handy and if you’re sitting nearby and the nervous cat doesn’t seem too keen on approaching, try enticing them with some treats.

Put some on the floor near them and if they seem interested and willing, try and get them to take one from your hands.

We like Feline Greenies Dental Treats because they are a natural formula with added vitamins, minerals, and taurine to offer complete nutrition, plus dental care.

They’re conveniently available on Amazon. You can see more details and the current price by clicking this link.

9) Give Them Somewhere To Go

A nervous cat will want to be able to escape sometimes and climbing somewhere high is often appealing to them. Being up high and able to see what’s going on below gives cats a sense of safety.

One of the best things you can do is buy a cat tree. This will allow your nervous cat to adopt the high ground where it will feel safe and also provide it with places to hide.

We love the Go Pet Club cat tree. It comes in several different heights and is really sturdy with perches, boxes, and plenty of scratching posts.

It’s conveniently available on Amazon. See the size options and current prices by clicking this link.

10) Use Diffusers

A cat bases many of its feelings of security on the scents it detects in its home. Unfamiliar scents or those of other animals can prove a real hindrance to your cat’s progress when it comes to settling in.

There are several pheromone diffusers that aim to mimic a cat’s own scent to help it feel at home.

I’ve had mixed results with this method but I’ve heard so many good things about its use that I’ve decided to include it here.

The scent emitted from diffusers can make your cat feel more calm and relaxed.

It can be great in environments where other animals may have been – or indeed to use before a new kitten or cat enters your home for the first time.

Feliway makes a vet-recommended 30-day starter kit. It’s particularly effective in multi-cat households and is conveniently available on Amazon. See the full details and current price at this link.

A tabby kitten that looks like it's smiling.

Conclusion

I’ve had cats in my life for around 40 years now and 25 of these have been with magnificent Maine Coons.

Our latest Maine Coon definitely responded well to these techniques when she joined us at age 16 months.

There are numerous reasons why your cat may feel particularly anxious but usually, it’s related to their environment or their history.

Maybe you’ve moved house or changed things around (cats don’t really like change), maybe another cat (or dog) has been in and has left their scent around their home.

There could be numerous reasons why your cat doesn’t seem as comfortable as it should.

Or, alternatively, it might just be an aggressive cat. Perhaps it wasn’t handled and socialized properly as a kitten or it is a nervous rescue cat with an unknown history. Sometimes it’s hard to really know.

These tips really do work. I know – I’ve been using them the best part of my life! I love cats and I have always enjoyed discovering more about their psyche.

I want to understand why some of them are more nervous than others. I love the process you go through when a cat initially doesn’t trust you and you persevere to slowly start to see some results.

Any of the above tips will have an impact but I usually combine a few of them at the same time. For instance, slow blinking followed by a big yawn and then look away for a bit before doing it again.

Here are some of my favorite products for cats

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. I hope you found it helpful whether you own a cat or are considering it. I thought I’d share a few of the cat products I love which you might find really useful too.

The following are Amazon affiliate links, and if you decide to use them, I’ll earn a small commission from Amazon at no cost at all to you.

An indoor cat tree: This is an excellent item to satisfy a cat’s urge to climb and scratch. There are several sizes to choose from so you can pick the right height for your home. Our cats love this Amazon Basics tree with multi-levels, scratching posts, and a little hideaway.

Fred and Oscar in their Amazon Basics cat tree

Drinking fountain: Cats love to drink from flowing water. Many don’t seem to drink enough so a fountain is a good way to get them interested. This Orsda Fountain is quiet, has a large capacity, and looks stylish too.

Scratcher Lounger: The more cat-scratching posts you have the better. Many cats like to claw horizontally which is why we chose the PetFusion Ultimate cat scratcher. It has seen quite a bit of action from 4 Maine Coons but still looks great.