Introducing new very timid cat!!

[sheilarose]

Just remember, we had kittens under the wardrobe for three, yes THREE weeks. Three days is almost unheard of. 

You are a very, very lucky lady 

[caledonia]

Wow wait for it - left couch to go to the bathroom and walked past bedroom - Rio was out and sitting on the cat frame!!! Needless to say as soon as he heard my footsteps he jumped down but I'm so happy he is venturing out when I'm in the house... Yay yay yay

[caledonia]

This is remarkable after such a short time and him being so timid................there is a very freindly needing attention cat trying to get out 

Oh I know there is def a sucker for attention dying to get out but he still is camped out under than bed! Lol! Latest delivery of food to him right under the bed - fingers crossed he starts poking his head and shoulders out tomorrow lol!

To be fair to him he has not showed an ounce of aggression or defence. I know he is just a loveable scardy cat! My friend suggested I name him korma... As in chicken korma lol

Thanks :-)

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

This is remarkable after such a short time and him being so timid................there is a very freindly needing attention cat trying to get out 

[caledonia]

Dont be impatient LOL

After Christmas you will be moaning how full on he is and wont leave you alone 

I know I know - I've caught him twice tonight with his head peeking out from under the bed. I've just been walking past and saw him out the corner of my eye..., just ignored him and kept walking lol

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Dont be impatient LOL

After Christmas you will be moaning how full on he is and wont leave you alone 

[caledonia]

Sounds like you're fetting there, slowly but surely 

He's certainly making us wait for our piccies 

He sure is! I've not even had a proper stroke of him other than a small head rub! He moves away from me so I'm letting it go at his pace... But my is he slow! Lol

[Tiggy's Mum]

Sounds like you're fetting there, slowly but surely 

He's certainly making us wait for our piccies 

[caledonia]

Great, I'll leave her to wander. She is on the couch with me and only pops through occasionally.

He is under bed ofcourse but very happy he explored so much today... He sat on the bookcase and must have been out the window! ACE :-)

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I think as long as you are there. let them wander.

If Nina gets very bad then shut her downstairs.

He is obviously starting to feel this is his patch but as you say you dont want to mess it up again 

[caledonia]

Well made the decision to keep nina out of bedroom to reinstate bedroom as Rio's safe place.

He didn't venture out however I was out and just home and not only has he ate the wet food left, he had destroyed the litter tray ( well its well used) and got huge white paw prints all over my chest of drawers, window sil and the bookcase.... Hmmm someone went walk about today lol!

So glad he is exploring. Going to just go about my business today and leave bedroom door open. Nina still hissing at him a little but they walked past each other last night and no paws flying.

Do I just leave her to wander in or shut him away? She is hissing a bit but seems really curious about him

Thoughts? I don't want to muck it up again lol

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Have a goodnights sleep 

[caledonia]

Oh movement.... He might have snuck around all the furniture to get there but he has sneaked back into bedroom! Phew!!! :-)

Walked right past Nina too.... She hissed but nothing from him and she didn't do more than hiss!

Ah relief

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Well one thing for sure..................he is fine 

[caledonia]

  fabulous.

Told you it wouldn't take long.  As soon as you start ignoring them they want to share your space .... he's not brave enough to actually join in yet but he wants to keep an eye on what you're upto.

Think your spot on.... I left the couch to go do the dishes in the kitchen area and he popped his head out to see where I went. He is still just lying there watching us, snoozing, shifting position then watching us some more.

Maybe by Sunday we might all be on the couch.... That's Sunday in about five weeks time ofcourse rofl

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

    fabulous.

Told you it wouldn't take long.  As soon as you start ignoring them they want to share your space .... he's not brave enough to actually join in yet but he wants to keep an eye on what you're upto.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Oh just love it 

[Jiji]

 

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

    Oh boy.  Oh yes - they certainly know how to mess with our heads.

    Seriously though - no point stressing yourself out - it'll only communicate itself to Nina and Sno, so best to relax, have a little giggle and pretend you like silent movies.

Ross has just come to watch as I type this and I swear he's laffin..... 

[sheilarose]

  

[caledonia]

Well this will make you laugh if nothing else... Sitting on the couch, feet up with Nina on my lap wondering why the tv sound isn't working! Closer inspection of entertainment unit and there he is having shoved the video and DVD player out the way nestled behind them and cables half out!

So right now nina is on my lap purring away and I'm drinking tea and watching silent tv while he sits watching us! All his stuff is back in the bedroom so hopefully later he will edge out and head back... Maybe nina and I could fake sleeping.

I know I sound a total stress head... Apologies but I'm just fretting over this boy and worrying he won't settle. Silly I know.

Thanks ladies... I'll leave you all to enjoy your evening in peace whilst I try and pretend I don't mind a silent TV lol

[sheilarose]

It's a cat, Caledonia. This is their job. Mess with your head until they think you don't care any more. Only then will he show his face and wonder why all the panic has died down.

Stop panicking about him, honestly. If you keep beating yourself up and fretting its only making things worse. Sit down, feed Nina and put the telly on.

We had kittens who lived under the wardrobe for three weeks. You have no choices here, just relax, he'll come around when he's ready and nothing you can do or say will change that.

Once you've got an idea where's he's holed up (as Gill says) get the kettle on, tea, sofa, telly, relax OK? 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

No you not making a mess of it, its very hard to get right, believe me I know 

Maybe I misunderstood cos thought that him and Nina were in bedroom overnight but he went for a wander...........too far to keep scrolling down lol

I thought he was back in bedroom but obviously wrong. Reckon you need to do a little search for him now, I know that Sasa can hide in my study and cant find her and Lupin hides somewhere the same.

One way maybe of finding him maybe to let Nina in and she will do it for you.

But if you do that leave bedrppm door open so he can escape back to his safe place.

Must be so hard when you are working as well cos at least my problems had me on the spot cos retired.

However I have had very clever birmans who howled and howled and scratched up the carpets under the doors so I couldntr get in!!!!!!!!!!!!

Upstairs I have a fish slice and a knife on the landing window sill so I could back in the bedroom after noryy Lupin locked me out.........sigh

[caledonia]

My intention wasn't to move him to the livingroom at all but I closed the living room door at 5am cos I didn't want Nina sitting hissing at him any longer  and freaking him out. When I couldn't see him between 7am- 9am I didn't want to try and find him and move him and distress him. But I can't leave the house with the two cats together so I didn't really have any choice! I suppose I should have tracked him down and moved him, I made the wrong decision.

It isn't my intention to rush him at all, not at all I'm just at a loss as to how I'm meant to manage both of them, leave doors ajar and then separate them when I go out to work during the day. Nina cries and wails if she is shut out the bedroom at night when im so i let her in. Big mistake.

I'm only in half day tomorrow and in all weekend so the same issue won't arise.

I had a 3 bedroom flat before so juggling cats and rooms was less of an issue. I know I'm making a mess of this :-(
 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I would leave the bedroom door open and then do as Sheila says.

If he doesnt appear before bedtime you may have to do a nosey round to see if you can find him. But if you do dont scare hime and dont move him unless he is in danger, remember the two inches rule.  I would move all his food water and litter tray back to the bedroom, irrespective of where he is and leave the bedroom door open.

Afraid the moral in this story is, dont move him from the bedroom, if he wants to move around at night leave the door open like you did.

I think you are trying to do this too fast and not taking the lead from him.

He thinks the bedroom is his safe place so by shutting him a different room, just cos he went there was not the way to go.

Time, loads of time, slowly slowly catchee monkee.

I have lots of sympathy cos have never had easy introductions here but time and patience is of the essence 

[sheilarose]

 

Relax, get on with your evening as if he wasn't there, and he'll sense the calmness.

Eventually he'll pop out and have a sniff around. He'll be picking up on your stress which will be affecting his confidence. 

[caledonia]

Ok I'm making a total dogs dinner of this and don't know what to do!

I never should hve phones the vets yesterday and it's just all went wrong and I'm trying to stress this boy out as little as possible and failing.

So came home - good def not touched, litter tray *might* hve been but no soiling I can see/find just looks disturbed.

My dilema

-  flat with only bedroom or living room available as safe room as kitchen/livingroom combi

- he is now in livingroom after I stupidly left bedroom door open last night to stop nina wailing to be let in and distressing him.

- it would be much easier if he was in the bedroom cos I could leave him in peace. I'm not moving him however but if I go into living room then it's noise and Nina and him terrified.

- I have no clue where he is and don't want to distress him by trying to find him.


So do nina and I camp outside the livingroom all night or do we venture in and just go about day to day living.

Honestly I cannot believe how lucky I have been in the past introducing cats into my home :-(

[sheilarose]

Don't forget the big slow blinks 

[caledonia]

When we went to collect Bass from the rescue, she managed to get inside an armchair. It took about 20 minutes to persuade her to come out!

I don't honeslty think anything would coax this little fella out! Well he is huge in fact - got my first chin rub last night - I just want to cuddle him all up - but oh I am being very patient and will ignore him all week now lol 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

The CP rescue lady came to collect me and Misa for his second jab, cos I had brought him home so soon after they took him he had only had first part of jab.

Reckon it was just under two weeks after he arrived and he was under the recliner which was the end part of a three section sofa.

She tried sitting in the garden while coaxed him out NOT!

So she had to help me to gently tip the whole thing over so we could catch him cos he wasnt going anywhere!

[jezebel]

When we went to collect Bass from the rescue, she managed to get inside an armchair. It took about 20 minutes to persuade her to come out!

[caledonia]

Yep the realisation he can get back out I've realised after he backed himself out of the pipes when the joiner was trying to get him out.

I'm not going to even look for him when I get home... Just check his food and toilet.

I imagine I will finally get to meet him properly about Christmas time :-)

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I hope he is doing well when you get home cos this is so early but you need to let him lead you.

Although you probably think that there are places he cant get into you will find that 2 inches of space at floor level and he probably can get in............

Thats all there was for giant Misa to get under the recliner......sigh

And if he can get in he can get out lol

Sending lots more virtual strokes for Snoflake and some real ones for Nina 
 

[caledonia]

and proceeded to punch anyone who didn't like it on da nose   

   Ah yes - the "subtle" approach!

Ah that just made me giggle out loud at my desk and get some very strange looks!

We have had yet more movement - he was in the bedroom all last  - I closed the door and left the TV on and then later on decided I wouldn open the door ajar slightly and see what happens. Well nothing very much - Nina went for a sniff - decided she didn't want to venture further and we just lay on the couch together.

When it came to bed time I decided to leave my bedroom door open and see what Nina decided to do - purely because for the last two nights she has cried and wailed when locked in the living room and I was worried he was thinking he had been moved to a cat torture factory 

Well Nina was on the bed all night with me and not paying much attention to him at all however at 4am I was awoken to a little bit of hissing in the hall. Went to find out what was going on thinking why is Nina hissing in the hall when snowflake is under the bed - well lo and behold he wasn't - it would appear he went walk about - I went to go to the loo and there he was so I actually just went back to bed and ignored him (and needed a pee badly for a few hours). Then at 5am I was back up again to a little bit of hissing - this time snowflake was in the living room and nina in the hall. So it would appear he went walk about - and despite little nina hissing and letting off a pathetic little growl they were just sitting looking at each opther from accross the room. No sound from snowflake but he seemed happier to look at Nina than he has been to look at me!!

Eventually I moved his litter tray in the living room and put the box I have with a towel in there too and closed him in.

Needless to say this morning when I went in I have no clue where he is    - perhaps under the couch, maybe hidden behind some other piece of furniture...who knows!! As long as I get home and some food is gone and the litter used I will be happy.

So they are swapped over - Nina has rest of the house and he has living room. Nina was sniffing all around my bedroom where he has been today and he will be getting a good sniff of her in the living room. 

Really surprised he went walk about last night. It might have been Nina being in the room freaked him out and he dashed but its a catch 22 - let him hear her crying and wailing or let him see what he is dealing with - a tiny cat half the size of him who cant even hiss properly! He has saw her, he didn't hide - so phew lets just be thankful he is in a room I am not going to need a joiner to get him out of!!

Honestly last night I was so upset rehoming a rotweiller was becoming more preferable! The emergency joiner was dragged out the pub by his wife and me in tears answered the door! Then out pops a huge pure white cat with only a mane of hair and a tail and a shaved body - the joiner must have thought he had one pint too many! 

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

and proceeded to punch anyone who didn't like it on da nose   

   Ah yes - the "subtle" approach! 

[sheilarose]

Gosh, it has been a long two days for you hasn't it?  Some cats are very defensive but he will almost certainly come around with time, love and patience. 

As always, some brilliant tips on here already, here's my tuppence worth. 

For introductions I leave a big cat carrier in the room with a soft jumper inside (one of my used one's that had my scent on it). The cats use it as a hiding place first, then a bed. It usually works really well as when they need to be moved around the house I could just quietly close the door and pick it up, and the cat always has his "safe" place to bolt back into, which coincidentally smells of me 

This is a good way of getting him accustomed to one room at a time where there is no hiding place, and can also be helpful with introductions, as his scent will gradually fill the house and Nina will get used to his presence before being confronted with him in the flesh. 

Credit to Purrs for this idea, too Actually I think it might have been Tiggy's Mum who gave me this one. 

Then there was little Polly who after 1 whole day just plonked herself down on my bed and said "Well I'm here, what are you going to do about it?" and proceeded to punch anyone who didn't like it on da nose  

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Oh Dear.   I can imagine how traumatised you must be feeling, let alone Snowflake.   

I agree the best thing to do with cats this nervous is first to make sure their environment is escape proof, and then secondly, to act as if you're completely ignoring their presence there, save for leaving food, water and a clean litter tray.  It sounds like he's going to need a great deal more time, but it's very positive that he's been exploring, and checking out the cat scratching post.  Good advice from everyone - give him places he can hide and feel safe, and sit quietly.   Maybe leave the door open to the room where you and Nina spend most of your time when the two of you are doing nothing special.  In time, curiousity will get the better of him. 

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

It might be a bit to soon for him to come out and play but it might be worth investing in some stinky catnip toys (check out the yeoww cat nip toys in the purrs shop  http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/shop/ ).... I have yet to meet a cat who can resist the lure of cat nip.

If I was you I'd leave a cat nip toy near the bed ... so he can smell it.  Then I'd just sit on the floor and and read a book, do your knitting, watch the telly do anything other than pay him any attention.  Cats are such nosey creatures he will be compelled to see what you are doing that is so much more interesting than him.  If he does venture out don't move or do anything just talk very quietly to him to reassure him it's all ok.  Once he sees that's it ok try getting him to play .... something like a long piece of string or ribbon is always a good toy as you can interact with him without getting too close.  NB:  Don't leave him unattened with string / ribbons just yet though in case he swallows it.

Remember patience is a virtue and I'm sure he will soon reward you by coming out from under the bed 

Here is another link that might help ... http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,14319.0.html

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

He is investigating so thats really good, as long as you are not there lol

I agree about him and Nina 

[caledonia]

Don't worry - new cardboard box in bedroom ( I got a zoo plus delivery today) - water and food under bed and door firmly closed. Nina has had a little sniff in and he hissed but nina purred again so im thinking they will be pals before he ever comes near me now LMFAO!

On closer inspection to bedroom he must have been on the windowsill earlier... I've no doubt set him back tonight but he will be all secure in there the coming days so fingers crossed.

Thanks again - your all superstars