Hi all! My coworker has been feeding a feral/semi feral for a few months and was able to trap her. Unfortunately he is not able to keep her, so I took her. He had already taken her to the vet, and they said she is healthy, and she does seem it. She is spayed and has her shots, and is probably about 8-9 months old. She had a small respiratory infection when I first brought her home, but that's cleared up and she's doing great, physically. I've had her for just over 2 weeks now, and she will not come out of hiding around me. I know this may be a VERY slow process, just looking for any feedback or advice, as this is all new to me! When I first brought her home, I gave her the bathroom and let that be her safe room. She was slow to eat at first but now eats and drinks fine, and uses the litterbox without issue. She still will not eat or come out at all if I am in the room, but she is eating normally otherwise. She tolerates me petting her gently with a wand toy, but I am not sure if that is just out of fear. She does not hiss or swat at me when I've attempted touch, just stays very still and watches me, or runs if she can. She has toys in there but she does not use them, she has shown no interest in them at all. I did also get a Feliway diffuser that is running in there.
I spend time with her in there, and talk to her gently, but she still stays hidden behind the toilet. (I have not blocked off this space as she is not inaccessible to me there, I can nudge her out from the other side If I really needed to.) She had a box she was hiding in at first, but she seems to have abandoned that. I just can't imagine she's more comfortable on the cold tile than on the pillow in the box. As long as I am not in the room, she comes out and walks around, I have a camera in there and she is definitely getting more confident in that room. The hallway connected to the bathroom is a dead end on one side, and can be blocked off at the other end, I am considering doing so and opening the bathroom door so she can begin to have a tiny bit more space (it is a small hallway). I also thought because I work from home this will allow her to hear my voice all day when I am on calls, and maybe get a bit more used to hearing me moving around. Unfortunately I have a desktop setup and am unable to work from the bathroom with her. I have tried leaving the door open in small amounts, with the end of the hallway blocked off, and she has VERY tentatively come out, but as soon as she hears me or thinks I noticed her, she runs right back into the bathroom behind the toilet. Do you think it's a good idea to start leaving the door open like this, or is it too soon? I fear if I continue to keep the bathroom door closed she will continue to just run into hiding every time I open the door. I know that there's no set timeline for this, just looking for any feedback or advice that might be helpful! She really does seem so sweet, and I feel awful that she is so frightened. I know she was used to being outside, but it's getting cold out, and the city where I live is not safe for ferals as there are a lot of dog fighting rings and ferals are used as bait. I just want to help this baby feel same and comfortable.
In her safe spot:
I spend time with her in there, and talk to her gently, but she still stays hidden behind the toilet. (I have not blocked off this space as she is not inaccessible to me there, I can nudge her out from the other side If I really needed to.) She had a box she was hiding in at first, but she seems to have abandoned that. I just can't imagine she's more comfortable on the cold tile than on the pillow in the box. As long as I am not in the room, she comes out and walks around, I have a camera in there and she is definitely getting more confident in that room. The hallway connected to the bathroom is a dead end on one side, and can be blocked off at the other end, I am considering doing so and opening the bathroom door so she can begin to have a tiny bit more space (it is a small hallway). I also thought because I work from home this will allow her to hear my voice all day when I am on calls, and maybe get a bit more used to hearing me moving around. Unfortunately I have a desktop setup and am unable to work from the bathroom with her. I have tried leaving the door open in small amounts, with the end of the hallway blocked off, and she has VERY tentatively come out, but as soon as she hears me or thinks I noticed her, she runs right back into the bathroom behind the toilet. Do you think it's a good idea to start leaving the door open like this, or is it too soon? I fear if I continue to keep the bathroom door closed she will continue to just run into hiding every time I open the door. I know that there's no set timeline for this, just looking for any feedback or advice that might be helpful! She really does seem so sweet, and I feel awful that she is so frightened. I know she was used to being outside, but it's getting cold out, and the city where I live is not safe for ferals as there are a lot of dog fighting rings and ferals are used as bait. I just want to help this baby feel same and comfortable.
In her safe spot: