This shy kitty… wait a meow-ment! Can cats even be shy? According to Dr. Landsberg and Dr. Horwitx, veterinarians and researchers, it’s true that cats have individual personalities. 

Therefore, it is possible that there are some cats who are shy or insecure in certain situations, while there are also those independent and confident cats who don’t need anyone, except when it’s breakfast/dinner time.

I would agree on this one because as a parent to 7 different cats, I can tell how different they are and how their personalities differ as well.

Jovi, The Shy Cat Who Was Hiding His Face

In most cases, shyness in cats is related to fear. So, what actually happened to this shy kitty and what did she need to become a cuddle bug? Let’s go find out!

“If a cat could cry, that’s what it felt like this cat was doing,” said Lyanne.

Lyanne starts the story about an emotional journey with her foster male tabby cat Jovi. She found him in the Animal Care Centers, NYC. 

This poor kitty didn’t attract much attention with his joyful behavior. Quite the contrary, it seems that this boy was the saddest cat of all the cats in the shelter.

“He was just buried in the back of his kennel.”

This kitty was so shy or frightened that he tucked himself at the back of the kennel with his face down. What was surprising is that no one was able to see his face. This kitty was definitely heartbroken. But, not for too long… just until Lyanne came. 

Lyanne saw this beautiful boy and her heart was breaking into pieces. She immediately said: “I have to foster this cat.”

However, not everything went as she planned. She brought Jovi home in the carrier, but his behavior didn’t change at all. He would just tuck himself into the carrier or a blanket to avoid any eye contact. 

Lyanne added: “I literally had never seen his face.”

Luckily, Lyanne was patient and decided to give Jovi a chance to have a good life. The big step happened when Lyanne slowly unwrapped the towel. Jovi immediately snuggled in her lap and continued hiding his face.

He still didn’t feel comfortable enough to show his face but it was good that he snuggled into Lyanne’s lap. That actually meant that he felt safe near her and that her voice was very comforting. Lyanne says that she really felt that.

“The feeling that I was getting from him was that he was just relieved.”

Jovi was completely shut down and depressed at the shelter. However, things started getting better as soon as he found a new home. He just needed to be loved, that’s all.

Lyanne really made sure that he received the best and warmest welcome. She kept him in a small office so he could get used to the new space and feel secure. Obviously, Jovi relaxed very quickly. 

He didn’t hide his face anymore, but instead, whenever Lyanne would enter the office he would immediately jump in her lap and snuggle there for hours. 

Lyanne decided it was time to let him explore the rest of his new home, but it looked like Jovi’s shyness still held him back. Either he wasn’t interested or he was afraid of anything new, so he decided to wait a few days before his exploring adventure. 

“Day eight or nine, he just walked out the door. We couldn’t believe it, and he was nervous. We were just thrilled that he chose to explore at all,“ described Lyanne.

However, what Jovi didn’t know was that Lyanne had another furry surprise for him, but she decided to take things slowly. Lyanne also has another tabby male cat, Toshi, that looks almost the same as Jovi.

She would leave the door slightly open for them to see and smell each other. Lyanne said that she had had foster cats before but that Toshi was never really friendly toward them. He was more of a bully.

However, it looks like Toshi’s relationship with Jovi is something completely different. 

“When we finally did let Toshi in to meet Jovi, we were shocked at how nice he was to him. And so, Toshi and Jovi spent hours together, right next to each other, watching the birds on the bird feeder.”

It’s possible that Jovi suffered some kind of emotional trauma or something similar which caused him to be extremely shy or scared. Luckily for Lyanne, when he received a taste of her love, everything changed. He had found his happy place.

Jovi became a very nice, cute, lovely, and cuddly cat boy who would hardly leave your lap. Unfortunately, he had to leave Lyanne and Toshi and head to his real fur-ever home to Omar and his new furry brother. 

This time, things weren’t as bad as they were at the shelter, and Jovi quickly adapted to his new life. I believe it’s all thanks to Lyanne because she was the one who showed Jovi that great things can still happen.