First time cat owners - need advice on how and when to transition from one safe room to rest of the house

[groguismychild]

Sorry it's an essay!

We got a 3 yr old BSH rescue cat a week ago. He was with a foster carer as his elderly owner died. We got him as my nine year old was desperate for a cat.

He was very affectionate initially, and within a few days showing signs he was ready to explore beyond the box room.

So we left the door open to his room so he could wander in the landing, hallway and downstairs loo, placing extra litter tray and water bowl downstairs. He comes out at night only to explore but as a result during the day he now stays put in his igloo bed in the box room and wont engage with us, only comes out to eat after we have left the room. The cuddles have also stopped. We've tried different toys but he's not interested.

I really need the box room back soon as that's my room with all my clothes and where I get dressed for work. But the floor is covered in his hair and the smell of the litter tray is starting to get to me. He does a giant poo overnight so by morning the upstairs stinks. We clean his tray as soon as we wake. I've resisted hoovering upstairs as didn't want to startle him but the box room does need cleaning now. He's not keen on us brushing him.

How and when do we transition him to downstairs?

How do I get him out of the room to hoover it?
Is it normal for cats not to show any interest in any sort of play when you first get them?
Is it also normal for them to hide in their bed all day and only venture out at night?
Am I worrying about him too much?

Start using the box room often yourself. Air it. Move the igloo out of it and the litter tray downstairs, and keep the boxroom door closed so he can't sneak in there during the day. He'll soon learn that is no longer his territory.

With our rescue cat, we just started building up his tolerance to us. I'd pick him up, give him a single stroke or nuzzle, then put him back down immediately. Do that several times a day. Then extend the cuddle a bit. We also scoop him up and put him on the sofa between us at night when we watch TV.

Maybe get some of those tubes (cat frubes, DS calls them) of pulpy cat food and let your daughter feed him one by squeezing it very slowly so he has to stay close to her while he eats it. Most cats love them and will put up with human interaction for them.

Get a laser toy and get your daughter to play it with him. Most cats will chase a laser light.

Our rescue cat still blows hot and cold but after only four months with us, he;s already loads friendlier. Comes to find us when he comes in. Climbs onto our bed for a cuddle every morning. Does face rubs and head rubs. I think you have to put the hours in. I just couldn't let him get away with being an aloof cat. We have always had cats that are members of the family. So we are training him to be an affectionate softie.

A week is still early days for him. New su ( rroundings , new sounds , new owners ( Cat Slaves )

Our two (brother/sister) were in the main room - kitchen/dining room.lounge combined - so space to explore or hide .We had a system of opening and closing the door making sure the cats weren't near it to escape . We put a sign "Knock First" before anyone came in to make sure (this was the door from hallway )
After a week they were introduced to the stairs and hall but all bedroom/bathroom/toilet doors shut . "Beware Cats" system
Front and back doors and windows also on strict

Our next hurdle was the glazier coming to measure then fit the door panel with their cat flap .MaleCat ran upstairs , Female went into DS room.

Then after about 6-7 weeks we let them out .

Our Female tolerates the vacuum but the Male scarpers .

On the first night they were home I made DS sleep on the sofa (the rest of us to get up in the morning he didn't ) so they weren't alone . They did wander out from their hiding spots in the dark.

Maybe mine coped better because they'd always been together so had support . Male relies heavily on his sister .
They said " We're only here while it suits us , the minute you get chintzey , we're calling CPL on our speed dial "
Seven years later they're still happy to slum it with us

Get a laser toy and get your daughter to play it with him. Most cats will chase a laser light.

Oh yes , our boy loves his laser light
And "Magpies For Cats" on the telly

Our boy was initially very affectionate and into everything, then had about three days of being hissy and hide-y and I thought, oh god, this has been a huge mistake (we’d recently lost our lovely girl when we adopted him). I actually contacted Cats Protecfion for advice and was told he’d been exactly the same in foster care which made me feel much better. I bribed him off the tall bookcase with tuna and took it from there!

It took a good three months for him to properly “our cat”, and I really put the work in with him. He’d been a stray kitten, then in foster care, then with us, so he’d had a lot of upheaval. Now - two years on - he’s a lovely cuddly friendly boy (my neighbour was just telling me he’d had to chuck him out of his house the other week) and 100% Our Cat, he just needed a bit of time.

We only kept him confined to one room for a couple of days. We left his food/litter/water in that room for a week or so but after the first few days he had the run of the house.

Wrote a long reply but it didn't post!

We've tried lazer pen he just wasn't fussed. Perhaps his previous owner never played with him.

Hubby tried picking him up, got scratched and then cat hid behind a cupboard until it was safe to run and hide in the igloo (hubby shouldn't have grabbed him from the window ledge)

Going to be brave and just move him whilst he is in the igloo and hoover. Not sure changing location of tray in one go will work but could try it, he's so far ignored the second tray in the downstairs loo.

I'm no expert as Marvin dominated the whole house from day one but a PP's suggestion about basically reclaiming "his" room sounds sensible. I think if we had given Marvin his own room he'd still be in there ordering Deliveroo!