Interesting behaviors

[claraadele]

I have a female cat who is...quite special. She came to me at 3 months through a rescue and was not only feral, but her only experience with humans was not a pleasant one.

I worked with her for a year to get her out of her shell. She is now a whole new cat. I can hardly get her to stop begging me for attention. My father, sister, brothers and some close friends can all pet her, especially if they 'warn' her first (which is walking up and wiggling their fingers, a sign that I taught her means someone will pet her.)

She still has two oddities.

1. She is completely terrified of my mother. Even if I'm in the room, if my mother walks in my cat will dart under the bed. I have no clue why she is afraid of my mom- they have never had an unpleasant experience. It doesn't help though, I would love to officially adopt her now (and will as soon as I can), but my mother still thinks the cat is neurotic and feral because she never goes near my mother. Therefor, my mom refuses to allow me to adopt her (she doesn't want another 'crazy' cat).

2. She never leaves my bedroom. I can leave my door open the entire day and she may venture a few steps out to the hallway, but will immediately run back into my room.

Is there anything that will ever change this?

 

[p3 and the king]

First you can tempt her with treats.  I suggest leaving the bedroom door open all the time.  That way, she can get used to the smells, sounds and sites of the other rooms.  She will evenutally venture out because curiosity will get the better of her.  It could take some time though and you may not know that she has, either right away. 

As for your mom, she probably reminds kitty of a bad experience from her past.  So she needs to be reintroduced to your mom with positive reinforcement.  I suggest letting your mom, if she is willing, feed her and give her treats for a couple of weeks.  Maybe your mom could play with her with the laser light or Da Bird?  She needs positive interaction with your mom to get over her fear. 

I hope this is helpful and best of luck to you!!

 

[momofmany]

What's her name?

A couple of thoughts on your mom. Does she walk heavier than most people? Some cats will bolt if they hear a noisy person walking into a room. Some of my former ferals still run from my husband when he walks heavy thru the house.

Does she wear some type of scent that is different than everyone else? It could be a perfume, shampoo or soap. Cats have highly sensitive noses and she might like her smell. If your mom is willing, dab a little vanilla extract on your girl's chin, base of neck and base of tail, then have your mom dab a little vanilla extract on her fingers (and even her wrists and neck like perfume). They will smell like each other and your girl may accept her.

Have your mom feed her, give her treats and play with her. Most cats will bond with their caregiver.

I had a former feral that practically lived in our bedroom. That was his comfort zone and I didn't press him to explore further. He would come out and roam the house from time to time, although admittedly it was usually late at night when everyone was in bed. This boy never bonded with my husband (he wouldn't humor me with the vanilla extract trick and usually walked heavy), so his excursions might have been more frequent if there was a stronger bond there. When he would come out during the day, it would be to sit in one of the tall cat condo's in a sunny window. Tempt her with things she enjoys outside the room like a cat condo.

 

[claraadele]

Her name is Adele (Clara is the one in my avatar). My mother never wears perfume, but she does walk kind of heavy and does not often venture up to my room. I'm going to try the treat thing, though Adele rarely takes food even from my hands. I'll have my mom offer a treat to Clara first- Adele will usually follow whatever Clara does.

 

[rad65]

I agree with the heavy walking theory. My roommate's old girlfriend used to have this pair of boots with heels that sounded like an earthquake going off. One of my cats became absolutely terrified of her because of that.