I took in a stray 3 months ago and she will not leave my bedroom

[Cbreeze86]

about 3 months ago a stray that is approximately 7 years old adopted my brother but he couldn't keep a cat due to allergies so I took her in, got her vet care and she had to be quarantined for a while (I have another cat) because she had an URI and Bartonella. She is in the all clear now so I have been trying to get her to hang out in the rest of the house but she will only stand by the bedroom door and cry to go back in! If I leave the door open she will still stay in there and not come out at all. Is it ok if she wants to do this? I hate that she is in one room all day but it seems she enjoys it. She has no interest in hanging around my other cat. I'm thinking it's because she is older and my other cat is very young. She is extremely affectionate and a good natured cat. Should I keep trying to coax her to come out of the room or let her be?

 

[susanm9006]

If she is eating and using her litter box, I would not be concerned if she does not leave the room. I think she will eventually, on her own pace. Maybe next week, maybe not for a year, hard to say. But when she feels safe and ready she will come out. You do not want to actively coax her out because that will have the opposite affect. But I would set few treats out just a few inches outside the door to the room and once she is brave enough to get to them, move them a few more inches and keep doing this to help her expand the area she is willing to venture to.

 

[Cbreeze86]

If she is eating and using her litter box, I would not be concerned if she does not leave the room. I think she will eventually, on her own pace. Maybe next week, maybe not for a year, hard to say. But when she feels safe and ready she will come out. You do not want to actively coax her out because that will have the opposite affect. But I would set few treats out just a few inches outside the door to the room and once she is brave enough to get to them, move them a few more inches and keep doing this to help her expand the area she is willing to venture to.

Thank you, yes she is using litter box and eats and drinks regularly. She even plays around occasionally! She seems very happy to be in there.

 

[susanm9006]

If your cat doesn’t seem to be bothered by her presence I would leave her door open. She may sneak out at night to do some exploring,

 

[FeebysOwner]

I agree - let her go at her own pace. But, if you keep the door open at night on the chance she'll 'snoop' around, be careful where your other cat is at. How does you younger cat react when you leave the door open? Have you done anything in the way of letting them see each other, or smell each other? Maybe some simple baby-steps about cat introductions, just so they are kind of a familiar with each other when your new cat does go out of the room to venture?
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide – TheCatSite Articles

 

[nomeowing]

Thank you for taking in this kitty in need. We had a young stray, she was very scared. We described her as "half wild" though I don't know that she was. She was first put in the utility room and she went behind the water heater. The utility room was her refuge. This was many years ago when I was in high school and she is gone years but lived to an old age. I don't remember how long it took her to come out of that utility room more. I'm convinced it was longer than 3 months. She sounds like she is doing well and I don't think you have anything to worry about. She'll do what she wants on her own time.

 

[Joan M]

Cats do things on their own timetables because they are...cats. I took in a feral cat who hid for several months. Now, 8 months later, she is standing in front of my computer monitor while I am trying to type around her. I have a friend who took in a feral kitten and named her Fridge because she hid behind their spare refrigerator for months. She ended up being a sweetheart. Let her emerge when she's ready. I don't think it's unusual at all.

 

[Cbreeze86]

I agree - let her go at her own pace. But, if you keep the door open at night on the chance she'll 'snoop' around, be careful where your other cat is at. How does you younger cat react when you leave the door open? Have you done anything in the way of letting them see each other, or smell each other? Maybe some simple baby-steps about cat introductions, just so they are kind of a familiar with each other when your new cat does go out of the room to venture?
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide – TheCatSite Articles

They've met, he will come in the room and get on the bed with her but sometimes he hisses at her or eats her food. I keep a spray bottle handy in case he gets too aggressive towards her so there haven't been any severe altercations. The only thing with leaving the door open at night is my other cat eats her food and I leave her food out because she eats on it throughout the day but he gorges himself and he's overweight so I'd have to put her food up and she wouldn't be able to eat at night if the door stayed open

 

[ArtNJ]

I wouldn't spray your young cat for being a young cat and trying to play fight. That is what they do. I am *not* against all water spraying as some here are. However, there are several dangers to spraying in this context. One, you might accidentally get the shy cat and add to the stress. Two, the playful cat may eventually come to associate the shy cat with bad things. Over time, even come to dislike or become hostile to the shy cat. Three, spraying isn't likely to stop the behavior because, as I already mentioned, this is normal instinctive behavior for a cat of this age. Not going on a specific counter (like say the stove area) is one thing, that is possibly trainable through water (possibly, some cats ignore it) but not acting like a rambunctuous young cat is an entirely different level, and just not something that you can train away. You are merely breaking up a specific incident, which you could do in other ways. We generally recommend distraction if an event seems to be causing enough distress to the shy cat to warrant that.

 

[Cbreeze86]

I wouldn't spray your young cat for being a young cat and trying to play fight. That is what they do. I am *not* against all water spraying as some here are. However, there are several dangers to spraying in this context. One, you might accidentally get the shy cat and add to the stress. Two, the playful cat may eventually come to associate the shy cat with bad things. Over time, even come to dislike or become hostile to the shy cat. Three, spraying isn't likely to stop the behavior because, as I already mentioned, this is normal instinctive behavior for a cat of this age. Not going on a specific counter (like say the stove area) is one thing, that is possibly trainable through water (possibly, some cats ignore it) but not acting like a rambunctuous young cat is an entirely different level, and just not something that you can train away. You are merely breaking up a specific incident, which you could do in other ways. We generally recommend distraction if an event seems to be causing enough distress to the shy cat to warrant that.

Thank you for that info, I will not do that anymore. I am new to owning cats and I read somewhere on Google to use spray bottles to stop fights but your explanation makes a lot of sense and I definitely don't want to make them associate each other negatively!

 

[ArtNJ]

I am new to owning cats and I read somewhere on Google to use spray bottles to stop fights

Genuine cat fights are tricky to stop as putting your hands in there will get you scratched and distraction won't work. Even then I wouldn't recommend water, since the cats would likely just ignore it and the fight would continue. Picking up a cat with a towel is one option for a true cat fight. Some recommend putting a barrier, like a big piece of cardboard, between them. However, a young cat trying over enthusiastically to play with a shy older cat doesn't pose these same problems, and if you do anything at all (you probably can't and don't need to break up every incident), distraction is the way to go.

 

[Cbreeze86]

He more so tries to get in her personal space or block her from things, or rushes up to her and she is very timid and just goes away to hide or ignore him. There's been a few hisses and swatting but not a full blown fight as of yet but they also haven't been around each other since she was sick for so long

 

[ArtNJ]

Yeah, cats that scared don't fight, they hiss or swat. The other one could conceivably get more pushy and go for a play bite on the back of the neck and other play fighting moves, but even that is fine. Even if it makes the shy one squeal, that isn't a real fight.