can anyone advise? really worried about this rescue cat

[SomethingVicardThisWayComes]

we are currently "mum" to 3 kittens found in a cupboard at a rented house.

im really worried about the oldest one - she is thought to be around 7 months old and very traumatised.
She wont engage at all. The two younger ones are fine and seem none the worse for wear..they play and eat and run riot.

but this older one - she is making me so sad.....she keeps getting into a tiny gap next to the washing machine and hiding behind the kick boards in the kitchen.
she then wont come out - not for food, water, litter tray - nothing. ive tried to plug the gap but she just rakes out whatever i try to plug it with and gets in anyway.

she was found in an airing cupboard and seems to have spent much of her life in there - she just wants to hide somewhere dark, safe.
ive had to take the kick boards off every night to get her out and when i hold her she just hides her little face in my clothes.

im so sad for her and worried about her - i have a noisy busy house with other cats and 2 dogs,
ive phoned all the rescues and RSPCA and they cant take any of them because they had cat flu when i got them here, im treating them for it.

we were going to keep the little ginger tom cat but he is attached at the hip to the tiny little black kitten so i think we may need to keep them together?

but the older one is worrying me - she is black and white - very dainty and sweet but so so traumatised.

i dont know how to coax her out from the under the cupboards - i darent just take the kick boards off because the other kittens will get in there and ill never find them - they are younger and tinier.

she wont come out to play, ive tried toys, food, water, treats, she wont engage at all.

what can i do?

[thecatneuterer]

You are already doing the best thing for her. She has a much better chance of calming down in a home, even a busy one, than she would in a rescue centre.

You just need to give her time. Put food down and ignore her. Don't try to coax her to do anything, let her do it in her own time. It might only take a few days, it might take a couple of weeks, but she will start to gain confidence.

It might even be months before she's fully relaxed, but she will get there eventually.

if she wants to hid under the kitchen units that's fine really. If you have a spare room you can keep her in that might be better still, but it's not essential.

You're doing a lovely thing by taking care of them all.

[wantacatplease]

Aww

[wantacatplease]

Posted too soon...poor little soul I was going to say. I wonder if Feliway would help in this instance? Or is it not for very traumatised cats?

[Fluffycloudland77]

It might well help actually, plus time. But it is pricey & op now has three cats to neuter at her own expense which is going to be pricey.

[bonzo77]

I'd go with ignoring her. She'll come out for what she needs when you are asleep. Bonzocat was like this and she's settled now. It's taken 4 years (!) but she sits on random guests laps and lets the children stroke her. She'll still hide in inaccessible places if stressed though (top of kitchen units is a favourite).

[hiddenhome]

Try a Feliway Diffuser. It may take a long time for her to adjust. Give it time and patience and she'll come round in her own way.

I got my Feliway Diffuser via Amazon and it was a lot cheaper than Pets At Home.

[LucyLemonade]

I adopted a poor little cat like this from a rescue centre. She was just being ignored by prospective adopters as she just hid herself away as she was so frightened, but I saw her potential.

She's been with me for almost 6 months. Initially I put her in a room on her own and then moved her into my bedroom. I just let her hide away - put food and water near where she was hiding and litter tray nearby too. She came out when I wasn't there

She is now, after 6 months, coming on leaps and bounds. I can stroke her briefly and she comes out of her hidey hole when I enter the room. She is also fine with my dog and other cats.

Just let her hide. Don't try and prize her out. She'll come out to eat when you're not around. I know its not easy in a busy household, but it will be much kinder than sending her to a sanctuary where she'll be traumatised all over again.

You're so kind to be giving them all a chance. Scaredy cat just needs lots of time.

[SomethingVicardThisWayComes]

Thank you. I rang a kitty charity today to ask advice, they said that in their experience timid cats come on faster if you restrict them and prevent them hiding. They said to put her in a pen to get used to being out in the open but they did day that it's Controversial, but they said she would stand a better chance of rehoming if she could learn to live in the real world. I have penned her in a large enclosure but given her a box and made one end dark by covering it over. she doesn't appear stressed. given the choice I know she would hide. I'm going to keep ginger tom but just foster the others. The cat charity is local and they do everything, vacs, neutering, flea and worm and microchip for £85. I will keep ginger and do all that myself but the 2 girls I will ask them to try to re home. ...If they don't get homes I will take them back. I already have 2 other cats. 5 will be a bit much....I won't see them homeless but if the charity can find lovely homes I'd let the girls go. I'll see. dh thinks well end up keeping them all.

[LucyLemonade]

You're doing a great job.

[KatieKaye]

I rehomed an adult male cat who behaved exactly like this, going behind the back boards of kitchen cupboards etc. it took time, but I would gently get him out, hold him and talk to him etc. Eventually he totally bonded to me and was the most affectionate cat I ever had. It just took time and patience and a lot of love. I think he was just traumatised and small dark spaces made him feel secure.

[isseywithcats]

i would go with asking around to see if anyone can lend you a medium sized dog cage, put lots of fluffy blankets in one end and litter tray at the other end so theres room for food bowl and water bowl in the center and cover the blanket end with a towel that way she will feel safe at one end and has somehwere to burrow into but comfy, then each day when you put the food in let her eat and then spend a few minutes just cuddling her, i foster feral kittens and this is how i get them used to people i wear either a big fluffy jumper or dressing gown for them to burrow into, some time and patience and im sure she will get more confident

[Scarletohello]

How's kitty doing now OP?