Settling in rescue cat (currently hiding under my armchair)?...:)

[Startingagainandagain]

My rescue 1 year old tortoiseshelll came home yesterday afternoon.

I put her in the spare room with a nice cat tree, bed, food and so on and also a cardboard box she could hide in. I left her for a couple of hours then came in and sat down, read from a book to get her used to my voice. She spent time in the cardboard box, cat tree and looking at the window. I went to have a look this morning she had used the litter and taken a bit of food/water.

So all fine until then.

But she managed to sneak out of her room (this is an old house with the original doors so they are a bit wonky and although I had closed the door I think it opened again when I closed the bathroom door nearby...)

Spent 15 minutes trying to find her and saw she is now downstairs in my living room under my armchair.

I wonder if I should just let her explore or if I should try to herd her back into the spare room? I put another litter tray and water/food downstairs.

Any suggestions on how best to help her settle in further?

She is a sweet, quiet and timid cat but she is still young and seems keen to explore...

It's only been a day. I'd just let her start working her own way round the place.

You forgot the cat tax.

@AlisonDonut thank you! I will let her explore for now then.

I haven't taken pictures of her yet as I was trying to avoid anything that would upset her :)

I'd just leave her to get on with it. Keep chatting to her but I'd let her explore if she wants to.

Just let her be… she will find her way… and before you know it you will waken up to her sleeping on your head

We immediately gave ours two rooms, within a day or two she’d seen round the house and a month later she’s spending 6-7 hours outside and coping fine despite her, let’s say, limited mental capacity. She is quite nervous in some ways (also a big fan of hiding under furniture) but loves to investigate when no-one’s looking! She was locked out of the more messy/precarious rooms when nobody was around to supervise but she’s now allowed. I think it’s around the exact date she was supposed to be let out of a single room but she’d have been miserable, unable to… roll around and bite stuff, as is her strange wont.
I would give her full run of the house and when she goes outside the first couple of times, trail her if you can but cats are generally much better at eventually returning than we credit them for. It sounds like you are a very caring cat parent! They gain courage so quickly, we had a very grumpy farm cat who managed to be moved to and back from an entirely different country and after a couple of days of hiding he was exploring again.

Give her time. Mine squashed herself under the sofa the first day. I tried to spend time sitting near her so she got used to my presence, but put food and litter tray nearby and give her some opportunity when you're not there to come out and use them. It can take a few days for them to come out from hiding.

I'd add that she ought to be kept in for a month if you don't want to risk losing her.

Thank you everyone! It all sounds reassuring.

Yes the plan was definitely to keep her in for a few weeks.

We let ours settle at her own pace, around 24hrs in one room and then gave her the rest of the house.

She was very timid then and had been a rescue, it took a few weeks before she was on laps and purring. But she was sitting next to us within a week.

We didn’t let her outside for around 6 weeks. She is older and didn’t seem to mind. She doesn’t wander too far even now.

Mine spent a few days darting under the sofa and then settled really well. I didn't confine him to a room, just let him pick where he wanted to go
Day 2 he sneaked out and slept on my bed overnight and then decided I was ok

They are all so different, I'm sure she wouldn't have crept out the room unless she was happy to.
When we brought our rescue home (first cat), the rescue told us to keep him in one room for the first twenty four hours, so we duly set up the whole room with everything he needed. He lasted one hour before he become a Tasmanian devil running round the room yowling and scratching/throwing himself against the closed door. We had to open the door in the end, he hurtled round the house before eventually flopping in the middle of the front room rug and that was it, he had arrived 😂 he still throws a tantrum if any doors are closed.

I am starting to see that thinking she would stay in the spare room was unrealistic of me!

Nice to read that other cats also decided they wanted to have the full run of the house and ending up settling well :).

Day 1 and day 3

@christmaspaws That's so cute! mine is still hiding under the same armchair for now.

She’s a tortie, she will do things her way and the rest of us be damned 🤣

In my experience with rescues is they like to wander the house to give it a thorough once over. Sometimes that's at night when they have the place to themselves. As long as they have their 'safe' spaces that they can retreat to and be undisturbed I've always found it better to keep all doors open and leave them be.

My rescue spent the first day with his head buried under the sofa cushion. I just carried on as normal, chatted to him and left him be. Day 2 he was sitting on my desk and sleeping on my bed.

@Ilovemyshed mine does that "if I'm hiding my head then you can't see me" logic
If I say "what are you doing?" He stuffs his head under the sofa with his bum hanging out

Well the cat decided to wake me up at 2am..she spent about 30 minutes jumping and walking on my bed, stomping on my pillow and asking for cuddles. I was able to pet her without any issues.

This morning she is back sleeping under the armchair and ignoring me...cats.

I can see that ate all her food as well so I am less worried about her today.

Sounds good! Mine hid under the bed for a few days but was coming out at night, and on day 3 she just decided to break cover and that was that. She's still quite skittish but I think that's just her way. Everything is done on her terms, I don't get a say in anything!

Good progress, op. I'm always relieved once they start eating. Enjoy the night time play sessions 😆
Probably best to make sure your bedroom is free from baseball bats..

You shouldn't do anything to settle her in apart from leaving her alone. Let her get used to her surroundings. It could take days, it could take weeks.
Make sure all holes are blocked - it's amazing the tiny spaces they can hide in! Our rescue cat disappeared on day 4 and I was sure he'd escaped somehow. However, he was hiding underneath our kitchen cupboards. He ended up staying there a month! He only came out when we were asleep to use the litter tray and eat. Eventually he started coming out of hiding for a few minutes at a time.
He now rules the place and is very content. He's sitting on my lap as I type this.
Just give her space and time and she'll come round, when she's ready.