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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

Please help, new cat seems traumatised!!!

72 replies

Daisycat22 · 04/05/2014 12:04

So, I brought home my new cat on Friday from a rescue centre and things have not gone so well since!

He is a young cat who was found wandering and taken to the cat rescue centre (so no history know). He had been there just over a week when I saw him and really liked him.

When I met him he was a little hesitant but let my son and I stroke him and he seemed OK with this.

So I bring him home Friday and basically I haven't seen him since!....He is in one room with all his toys, litter box and food and he has just been hiding behind the sofa since he got here. I've generally left him alone but he seems to be absolutely terrified!.....he is wedged right in the narrowest end of the sofa facing the wall and just stays in that position all day. He comes out at night to eat (very little) and that's it!!

He has not made a sound, but seems rigid with fear and his breathing is very fast like he's panicking.

I'm wandering if he is feral and never been in a home before (he's under a year old)....I've had lots of cats in the past and never experienced this level of fear before.....any advice??

OP posts:

LoopyLa · 12/05/2014 20:32

Yes I've been on my phone & reading on my kindle. I'm so impatient They've been in the cattery since oct/nov last year so a big house will be an adjustment for them I know - but I just want to cuddle them & tell them they'll always be loved!

cozietoesie · 12/05/2014 20:34

Awwww. Patience!

cozietoesie · 13/05/2014 09:41

How did it go yesterday evening, Daisy ?

LoopyLa · 14/05/2014 14:47

Hey Daisy, how's your puss cat?

My two seem to be ok. Girl cat is more confident and we've been allowed to stroke her. She doesn't scarper when I walk into the room now & had a good appetite.

Boy cat is still very very wary. He's been crouched in the corner of the window sill & been a bit hissy with me. However, we had a bit of progress today. He ate his breakfast just after I left the room (rather than eaten it hours later) & actually had a bit of a snooze, even though I was still in the room. He's still on the window sill but hey, if he's relaxed enough to snooze, I took that as a good sign?!!

Feliway got plugged in yesterday so hopefully that will help soon.

cozietoesie · 14/05/2014 16:03

I think that that sounds very promising, Loopy. Who knows but that he became used to sitting in a high side place at the cattery as he was there for a bit ?

Any progress, Daisy ?

Original poster

Daisycat22 · 14/05/2014 17:05

LoopyLa - That sounds great, it's understandable that they are a bit nervous at first.....at least you are getting to see your cats!

Well nothing new is happening really, it's nearly 2 weeks since he's been here and we're no nearer to him coming out. Last night I tried playing with him behind the sofa and enticing him with treats but he just seems like a nervous wreck if I even look at him!

I'm really believing that he'll never come out when I'm around...and why should he?, he gets fed and has toys to play with all night and when I'm out in the day so it seems he doesn't mind hiding behind the sofa when I'm there just waiting for me to vacate the premises!

I'm getting totally fed up with it all now .....I spoke to the lady I got him from and she is really shocked that he's still like this!

OP posts:

cozietoesie · 14/05/2014 17:27

Don't go to play with him, Daisy. He might see that as aggression. It's certainly a demonstration to him that you're edgy.

(He came out twice when you were ignoring him calmly, right?)

When these chaps roll over they tend to do it all of a sudden in my experience. Just keep up the good progress you were making. Stay patient and come on here to yell at us.

cozietoesie · 14/05/2014 17:28

PS - are you playing music or something to act as white noise ?

Original poster

Daisycat22 · 14/05/2014 17:38

cozietoesie...I only played with him yesterday as I've been ignoring him all this time and I thought he might engage a little with me

When I'm here the TV or music is playing (not loudly) when I go out I turn it all off. I did initially leave music on when I went to work (for the 1st week) but haven't this week.

I'm just so disappointed with how this is going, I had visions of him sitting with me on the sofa, meowing for attention, sleeping on my bed etc. .....I'm just getting a big fat nothing!!!...(sorry to moan )

OP posts:

cozietoesie · 14/05/2014 17:45

Feel free to moan!

I felt a bit 'off' when Seniorboy hid for a month (or whatever it was) when he first came to live here but I ended up thinking - 'Oh well. He'll come round in his own time.' Which he did - and now he's lying, snoring gently, at my feet. (And until he started becoming a little unwell, would be sitting downstairs waiting for me whenever I came home. (Disapprovingly, because I hadn't been there to service him 24/7.)

Some cats are just stubborn characters.

Just a thought, though - maybe now is the time to think about giving him some more house to roam in ?

Original poster

Daisycat22 · 14/05/2014 17:50

Do you think that will help things along?.....when I go to bed tonight I could leave the door open so he can explore everywhere

OP posts:

cozietoesie · 14/05/2014 17:57

I think it would do no harm - just put Great Aunt Ermintrude's gift vase away for a little/remove any roast chicken from the kitchen work surface in case he explores. I was just thinking that you've kept him in that room for a good bit and he doesn't really know what's outside the door which may be increasing his apprehension.

(And you may have a cat there who would like to sleep with/near his people: all of my cats would have taken it very badly indeed if they weren't allowed to - a real resignation issue in fact. It helps to get them on the same routine as the rest of the household.)

Original poster

Daisycat22 · 14/05/2014 18:11

OK, thanks for that suggestion, it didn't occur to me to let him explore yet

I'll make everything as cat friendly as I can and let him loose!

I'll report back tomorrow with any updates!

OP posts:

PestoSunnyissimos · 14/05/2014 19:43

Good luck Daisy

I felt exactly the same as you when we got PestoCat last Autumn, quite despondent and disheartened, but after a month he managed to find some confidence as his curiosity go the better of him. He still doesn't like too much fussing, but he loves sleeping at the foot of my bed at night

LoopyLa · 14/05/2014 21:09

Good luck Daisy let us know how it goes!

PigletJohn · 14/05/2014 23:40

...if he has a cardboard box, you could put it in a different room for him to retreat to when exploring.

PigletJohn · 15/05/2014 00:09

off-topic, here's a hero cat.

Original poster

Daisycat22 · 16/05/2014 10:00

I think a little progress is being made!

The last 2 evenings he has been coming out around 7-8pm and sitting at the side of the sofa. Initially if he spotted my son or I he would dart back behind the sofa but a few times I have crouched low and kept my distance and maintained eye contact with him (not staring but blinking slowly).

He hasn't run and I think he's realised that we're not going to hurt him so he's stayed to look at us!

Last night he even came out while I was in the kitchen and used his tray and had some food.

I let him have free reign last night (except the bathroom and my sons room). He came into my room last night and had a little look around until he saw me in bed then ran! and this morning he was back behind the sofa (I guess that will always be his safe spot)
So I think we're slowly getting somewhere (fingers crossed!!)

OP posts:

cozietoesie · 16/05/2014 10:06

I suspect he's finally cracked and that progress will now be pretty rapid. Doesn't it feel good?

LoopyLa · 16/05/2014 13:19

I think my two find outside the room quite scary, bless them. I left the door open this morning while I was downstairs and they were both hiding in their room. It seems like they're more confident (albeit only a little) when I'm around I think?
And I feel like I cocked up with boycat. He let me give him a quick stroke yesterday morning but when I tried in the afternoon, he hissed at me. And hissed earlier when I unintentionally got too close He seems more relaxed around me when I'm ignoring him? Maybe I'm trying too hard?

LoopyLa · 16/05/2014 13:20

That sounds quite promising Daisy! Wish these kitties knew we wanted to stroke them til our arms fell off

LoopyLa · 19/05/2014 20:34

How was the wkend with your kitty cat Daisy?

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