- Joined
- May 17, 2016
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Alright, well i joined a cat forum today. Never thought I would do that - but I guess thats how life works sometimes.
My girlfriend just moved in with me - we have an amazing relationship. She had a cat before she met me (Emma), who moved in with her about 2 months ago. I've been reading on these forums since day 1, trying to figure out the best way to make the transition as smooth as possible. I've read about all of the playing techniques to try and "win" cats over, well Emma is the most skittish and anxious cat I've ever seen.
If i move wrong she runs. If I stand up, she runs. I can't move enough to play with her and her toys, she doesn't like treats enough to get anywhere near me...and she doesn't like catnip. She hangs out under the bed 95% of the day unless my girlfriend is home (if the GF is home, she will gladly come out to the living room and avoid me as much as possible). Whats weird is as soon as we lay down in bed, she will jump right up on me. She has no problem playing and letting me pet her. Her space under the bed has a comfy bed that I bought her and she uses regularly. She has countless toys and I'm the one who feeds her (even though she wont come out long enough to see that I'm the one feeding her).
I can deal with being patient and waiting for her to want to play with me on her own - but heres where the situation gets ugly.
When she first moved in, she used the litter box just fine (it was mostly at night, but there were zero issues). We bought a new couch 2 weeks after Emma moved in, it doesn't sit all the way up against the wall like the previous couch did. I thought that this would be a good thing as Emma now has a place to retreat to that isn't in the bedroom. For weeks she was just fine. I then found poop in my closet(wood floor), and pee by the front door(on a rug). I thought that this may be a one time thing as she continued to use the litter box days after. She then continually switched back and forth between the litter box, behind the couch, and other random places (by the window, fireplace, behind the tv) to her litter box (peeing and pooping) for no apparent reason.
My first thought was litter - bought a new box/litter and she didn't even touch it, but continued to use her normal box/litter most of the time. Emma then went from using the litter box with seldom accidents to never using it at all. I then took her to the vet (GF had a busy schedule so i had to take her, I tried to coax her out from under the bed but was met with nothing but hissing.) I had to chase her around the house which was traumatic for the both of us and I hated every second. She went to the vet appointment - no issues.
Other facts: There are no "low traffic" rooms in my house, i live in a 1 bedroom in German Village in Columbus Ohio (bed room is small, dining room and living room are fairly large). All wood floors - so it's louder than she is used to. I put the litter box in the dining room, you walk from the bedroom, past the bathroom and the apartment is split (can choose to go right to the living room or left to the dining room). I chose the dining room as we sit in the living room to watch tv after work and thought she would like a low(er) traffic area.
I've read that cats develop bad habits at times and need to be retrained. I brought her home straight from the vet and have her confined to a 5x10 foot section of the house with a cat tree (that she has never shown interest in), her bed, a blanket, toys, food, water, and a litter box. She used the litter box appropriately within a few hours of getting home from the vet. She growls and hisses when I walk by. I tried sitting in there with her and she cowers underneath the cat tree hissing and growling. I've given her treats that she ignores until i leave the room.
I had to grab a shirt from inside the closet (that happens to be in her 5x10 foot area) and she escaped this morning. She took off running and I again had to traumatically chase her and catch her and put her in the same area (she actually pooped all over me this morning once I caught her)
This is awful for me, and makes me believe that she is just going to hate me more. I have 2 feliway diffusers on the way from amazon. I want to move her litter box to a different location to see if that remedies the problem (moving it over to the end of the couch so she can walk behind the couch from one end and into the litter box on the other end), but I've read that you aren't supposed to move a litter box suddenly like that. Putting it in the bedroom is not an option because of space (even though I'm pretty sure under the bed/behind the couch is her only "safe zone")
Do I keep her confined for 2 weeks? Do i let her out and try multiple litter boxes? Please help.
My girlfriend just moved in with me - we have an amazing relationship. She had a cat before she met me (Emma), who moved in with her about 2 months ago. I've been reading on these forums since day 1, trying to figure out the best way to make the transition as smooth as possible. I've read about all of the playing techniques to try and "win" cats over, well Emma is the most skittish and anxious cat I've ever seen.
If i move wrong she runs. If I stand up, she runs. I can't move enough to play with her and her toys, she doesn't like treats enough to get anywhere near me...and she doesn't like catnip. She hangs out under the bed 95% of the day unless my girlfriend is home (if the GF is home, she will gladly come out to the living room and avoid me as much as possible). Whats weird is as soon as we lay down in bed, she will jump right up on me. She has no problem playing and letting me pet her. Her space under the bed has a comfy bed that I bought her and she uses regularly. She has countless toys and I'm the one who feeds her (even though she wont come out long enough to see that I'm the one feeding her).
I can deal with being patient and waiting for her to want to play with me on her own - but heres where the situation gets ugly.
When she first moved in, she used the litter box just fine (it was mostly at night, but there were zero issues). We bought a new couch 2 weeks after Emma moved in, it doesn't sit all the way up against the wall like the previous couch did. I thought that this would be a good thing as Emma now has a place to retreat to that isn't in the bedroom. For weeks she was just fine. I then found poop in my closet(wood floor), and pee by the front door(on a rug). I thought that this may be a one time thing as she continued to use the litter box days after. She then continually switched back and forth between the litter box, behind the couch, and other random places (by the window, fireplace, behind the tv) to her litter box (peeing and pooping) for no apparent reason.
My first thought was litter - bought a new box/litter and she didn't even touch it, but continued to use her normal box/litter most of the time. Emma then went from using the litter box with seldom accidents to never using it at all. I then took her to the vet (GF had a busy schedule so i had to take her, I tried to coax her out from under the bed but was met with nothing but hissing.) I had to chase her around the house which was traumatic for the both of us and I hated every second. She went to the vet appointment - no issues.
Other facts: There are no "low traffic" rooms in my house, i live in a 1 bedroom in German Village in Columbus Ohio (bed room is small, dining room and living room are fairly large). All wood floors - so it's louder than she is used to. I put the litter box in the dining room, you walk from the bedroom, past the bathroom and the apartment is split (can choose to go right to the living room or left to the dining room). I chose the dining room as we sit in the living room to watch tv after work and thought she would like a low(er) traffic area.
I've read that cats develop bad habits at times and need to be retrained. I brought her home straight from the vet and have her confined to a 5x10 foot section of the house with a cat tree (that she has never shown interest in), her bed, a blanket, toys, food, water, and a litter box. She used the litter box appropriately within a few hours of getting home from the vet. She growls and hisses when I walk by. I tried sitting in there with her and she cowers underneath the cat tree hissing and growling. I've given her treats that she ignores until i leave the room.
I had to grab a shirt from inside the closet (that happens to be in her 5x10 foot area) and she escaped this morning. She took off running and I again had to traumatically chase her and catch her and put her in the same area (she actually pooped all over me this morning once I caught her)
This is awful for me, and makes me believe that she is just going to hate me more. I have 2 feliway diffusers on the way from amazon. I want to move her litter box to a different location to see if that remedies the problem (moving it over to the end of the couch so she can walk behind the couch from one end and into the litter box on the other end), but I've read that you aren't supposed to move a litter box suddenly like that. Putting it in the bedroom is not an option because of space (even though I'm pretty sure under the bed/behind the couch is her only "safe zone")
Do I keep her confined for 2 weeks? Do i let her out and try multiple litter boxes? Please help.