Two very nervous new cats!

[Sunshine49]

I've recently adopted two young rescue cats who will be coming to live with me later this week, and am very much looking forward to giving them a new home!

I decided to take these two as they have been at the centre for quite a bit longer than most of the other cats. Apparently this is because they were previously living as strays and are very nervous around people.

When I was at the centre, the male cat was quite excitable and let me stroke him a couple of times. He also really enjoyed playing with a wand toy that I was holding.

The other cat (his sister) was lovely but much more shy, and shrank back when I tried to stroke her (although she did bat my held-out hand with her paw a few times, which I took to be a step in the right direction!)

The centre said while her brother could be ok, she might never be the sort of cat that can be picked up and cuddled - and that it may take months for her to even sit on the sofa with us (although obviously they don't know that for sure).

They also said that once the cats arrive at my house, they should live in a cage/crate for the first few weeks before being introduced to the rest of the house slowly (one room at a time) and eventually, the back garden.

I've ordered lots of things for them today in preparation for their arrival - litter tray, bowls, blanket, toys and so on.

However, given that they're very nervous, I was wondering if any owners on Mumsnet could give me any tips on how I can help them settle in and relax?

Thanks very much!

Exciting!!
A lot of people on here have mentioned the plug in Feliway, though I've never tried it.

And the crack for cats, Dreamies.

Sounds like you're pretty well set up, though

Thanks BulletFox - I will add some Dreamies to my list!

She doesn't sound too bad. At least she's bopping you I have a very nervous girl. I found her at 4 weeks old in the middle of the road and vet told me she'll always be very nervous. Now 5 years old, she still is, and I have to look out for her more than I have any other cat. She can't go out on her own, in case she gets lost and panics. She doesn't like visitors to the house, she runs and hides. She jumps at every unexpected noise, etc. But I'd say she's happy cos she's loved and cared for. Yours will be fine. You might just have to adjust things a little in order to accommodate her Have lots of fun.

My girl was almost completely unresponsive at the rescue centre, she was so anxious, and now she's jumping on me to wake me up each morning and having long conversations (which I don't understand) at every opportunity. My cats will never be super outgoing friendly creatures outside the sanctuary of home but they change fast once they settle :)

I didn't have a cage but I did leave their travel boxes out in the room where I put all of their things and they latched on to those for the first day or so (they are quite cosy with a fleece blanket inside). I'd abandoned the plan to do one room at a time by the end of that day though - they were eager to explore so long as nobody was watching them, so I spent the whole day pretending not to be interested as they pottered around together. It didn't do them any harm.

Feliway does nothing for mine (my boy rushes around rubbing himself on everything he sees to spread his scent everywhere on his own) but it seems to work for others. If yours are anything like mine, the girl will be the hardest to impress but the more friendly boy will soon end up seeming the most nervous in comparison - my girl definitely rules our house!

Make sure there are lots of hidey holes available. It could take a while for your scaredy cat to be comfortable it took our old lady a while and she is still very flighty. I always make sure she doesn't feel cornered taking care to give her clear escape routes etc. Also when they first arrive I sit in the room with them and just read so they get used to me but without interacting so they don't feel stressed. I would definitely advocate one room only for a few days to let them feel secure. They may surprise you. A previous cat had a rep at the Cats Protection and regularly assaulted the staff she was an absolute doll with us and never laid a paw on me (unless it involved pills 😁)

One of mine hid for a week and I never actually saw her! It took lots of patience and almost two years, for one of them to sit on my knee. They are the most adorable, affectionate cats, and well worth the patience. They are still shy of strangers, but accept my parents.
Yes to dreemies! I found pet remedy more effective than feliway.

Thanks both! Interesting that you were able to let your cats roam around the house rather than taking the "one room at a time" approach, Briette. I feel a bit sad that I'm going to be bringing my two home from their cage in the rescue centre, where they've been for five/six months, only to be shutting them into another cage for a couple of weeks at my place. The shelter have said that is what needs to be done though, and obviously they have far more expertise than I do!

I'm also wondering where to place the cage in the house. My first thought was the dining room, which doubles up as my office (I work from home a lot). They'd be able to see all the "comings and goings" of the house from there, as it's the room that DH and I spend most of our time in - plus you have to walk through it to get to the kitchen.

On the one hand that could be a good thing (I'll be there for most of the day; it could help them get used to the house and us quicker etc) but on the other hand, the location won't be quite as peaceful as if they were in the spare bedroom upstairs, for example.

If anyone has any thoughts on this I would love to hear them!

Thanks Pashazade! The rescue centre has advised placing a blanket over the sides, top and back of the cage so they can only see out the front - apparently that will make them feel more secure, which makes sense.

Lovely to hear all these amazing cat success stories from everyone as well - very encouraging! I'm hoping that with a lot of love, patience (and Dreamies) I will get there with my two in the end

Feliway
Routine
Time

I would make their 'base camp' somewhere fairly close to where you're going to be spending a lot of your time.

I have 2 who were exactly as you describe.

The most fearful one as a kitten is now my shadow, sleeps with me and is a real lap cat.

I put a huge amount of time in though. I used to lie on the floor and put Dreamies on me so they had to climb on me to get them. I used to hold my arm out for hours at a time until one of them sniffed me!

I did the same thing, picked the scared, nervous, black cat that was hard to re-home.
I set him up with an old washing machine box, with a towel draped over the front and an igloo bed inside.
I didn't restrict access to other areas of the house, but he only sneaked out at night when we were in bed. I put him in the living room so he could get used to the normal sounds of the house.
After about a month he moved himself into the wardrobe.
After 2 months he suddenly decided he was a dog and started following me everywhere, looking for cuddles and tummy rubs.
He's the most affectionate cat I have ever had and very, very bright. He just needed time and the patience not to try and force him to interact.

I did similar - took on the 2 remaining ferals from a colony that had been taken in nearly a year earlier. Let them out into the living room only for a couple of weeks, took 3 days before we actually got sight of either one as they hid behind the sofa when anyone was about & only came out to eat & use the tray at night.

A little over 18 months in now. Both still hide when there's others in the house - not so much Girlcat as she's the bolder of the two, but Boycat is terrified of anyone apart from me & his sister. But I am summoned to sit next to him every evening on the sofa & rub his head & tummy, and have had to schedule an extra 15 minutes into the morning for cuddles on the bed.

It's a long process, and mine have such a long way still to go, but they are worth every bit of effort and time.

I wouldn't use a cage, but would set them up in one room where it's quiet, pop in often and just sit and read and be with them, the when they show signs of wanting to escape the room just open the door and let them explore in their own time.

Thanks everyone for the replies! I'm not sure whether to use a cage now, as it sounds from some comments like it may not be necessary - I think I probably should do though, as the rescue centre recommended it.

I think I will keep them with me in the dining room - it'll be very quiet most of the time (just me typing away on a laptop) so hopefully it'll allow them to have some peace and quiet and get used to me and the general sounds of the house!

I'm just worried that my work is quite full on, so although I'm at home most of the time, they will have extended periods where I'll be in the room but focused on my computer. I hope they won't think I'm ignoring them on purpose!

Ours were very very nervous. They remain unimpressed by Dreamies but absolutely lose it for Snackies.

Feliway is brilliant. We did the play it cool, keep them in one room, don't pester them thing for a couple of weeks. Just going in the room, hanging out, trying to interest them in a fishing rod toy..

And then I lost the plot because I wanted to play with my cats so I kind of chased them down and cuddled them to death

We now have 2 super loving cats and the most nervous one is still nervous, probably won't go outside much but marches up to us several times a day and shouts at us until we drop everything and cuddle her for ages. I have created a monster

Ignoring them is perfect sunshine it's exactly what you should do. They get a chance to spy on you with no threatening behaviour on your part!

They will walk across your computer keyboard and lose your work - make sure you are backing it up automatically!

A shallow box beside your keyboard may distract them (I really didn't realise how all the clichés about cats are actually true till I got my own - I can't leave my knitting out (even in a bag) and every cardboard box is a place to play/sit/sleep.

Why don't you turn the cage into a den, covered, with everything in it (food, water, litter tray etc) but leave the door open, so that if they want to explore the room they can, but they can hide in there if they want to? If you got a cat tunnel and draped the blanket (or whatever) around it, so there was just a small hallway for them, then, when you go into the room, sit in front of the tunnel (but back a bit) so they can see you.