New kitty in my room, having visitor over- where to put her?

[muffinz55]

Hi all!

I am caring for my friend's cat while she's on vacation, and if all goes well I will adopt the kitty. I've been very careful to follow advice for giving her space, trying to gain her trust, etc- not running after her, giving treats, ignoring hissing and backing off if she hisses, talking in a sweet soft voice, etc.

It's going fairly well but only have 3 days. She's in my bedroom where she food and litter and bed are- although she's ventured out into other parts of the house. She still prefers to sleep under my bed. My boyfriend is coming over this weekend and sleeps in my room- should I move kitty and her belongings to a spare room while my BF is in my bedroom this weekend, or just continue as is? I'm sure a new person will scare her, so I don't know what to do! Help!

 

[muffinz55]

Sorry, I meant it's only *been* 3 days that she's been in my care so far.

 

[mservant]

I would avoid moving her out of her safe space, particularly after such a short time and all her needs are in the one room.  See how she is, and if she hides then let her do this.  Maybe give her some extra hiding spaces like little boxes, and access to her food without having to come out from under cover if she seems a bit more anxious again. 

It is worth introducing her to your boyfriend gradually with him spending time in the room but only interacting with her if she initiates it - he could offer her a treat or food when first going in or if she shows any interest in watching him / approaching him too.  If she is hiding and nervous he could chat with you quietly or read out loud and not show direct interest in her as this is less threatening for her but gets her used to his voice.  As she has not had a long time to settle in some ways this is good as she is not too familiar with your home yet and everything is new, not just your BF.

 

[zootandemo]

All good advice!

I'm working with a similar challenge and any advice gratefully received.

A couple of weeks ago, I welcomed our new cat, (18 months old, neutered,etc.), to our home and initially put him in our spare room so he wouldn't get lost in our old 3 storey home with all its nooks and crannies.

Now he only leaves the top floor when there's no one but me in the house and I want him to enjoy the run of the place.

The pressing issue is that a friend of mine is coming to stay with my boys while I have a short stay in hospital.

She was to stay in the spare room, which kitty now treats as his own, (even though he sleeps with me, follows me everywhere), and my friend, coming here to help me out, hates cats!

I've got to get my furry friend out of the spare room for several reasons, but the pressure of time is my cat-hating friend's arrival. What can I do?

 

[mservant]

@zootandemo, I would give similar advice to you as I have to @muffins55 if you want to minimize disruption in your home.  I would look to preserve the safe space your cat has adopted and try to work out any other place your friend can adopt.  Is there someone else in your room when you are not there given the reason your friend is coming to stay?  If not then maybe your friend could use your room?  Otherwise perhaps try to encourage your recent feline arrival to use your room more and see if you can persuade cat that your room would be better than the spare one.  This is likely to be a challenge however.  If your friend hates cats the thing your friend will hate most of all is an upset cat that is anxious and starts to exhibit territorial anxiety behaviours such as inappropriate toileting and spraying....   there may be some benefit in talking through choices with your friend and explaining the reasons you ask them to sleep where you decide is best.

 

[zootandemo]

Too true - an upset kitty is not desirable in any way!

Sure, while I'm in the hospital, my room is the best place for my friend, but she's staying awhile longer while I convalesce - not allowed to lift so much as a kettle for 6 weeks.

I could simply take the spare room, I just wonder how I'll cope, given the op, on the futon.

Not sure I fancy my chances getting the cat to prefer my room to the spare one. He sleeps with me until he gets up for his night-time games - and he likes exploring the room itself, but always finds his favourite spot on the windowsill that overlooks the road. There's always something to see down there!

I guess it's the futon for me. Oh, well. Small price to pay for kitty serenity!

 

[mservant]

'.......
I could simply take the spare room, I just wonder how I'll cope, given the op, on the futon.

........

I guess it's the futon for me. Oh, well. Small price to pay for kitty serenity!

Make sure you'l be OK on the futon as if it causes you pain or some problem following surgery that won't be good for kitty either.

  Life is never straight forward, especially when trying to keep cats happy!   

 

[zootandemo]

I haven't given up on making my room more cat-attractive; a new climbing tower might help, I think. Like I say, he follows me in there and is happy to just be with me there and to fall asleep with me. I just don't want him to get anxious if I have to - temporarily - close the spare room door to him. I mean, how many cats have their own bedroom, anyway?

I'm working on integrating him on every level of the house; if it's just the two of us, he lords it over the place. The moment anyone else comes in, he's straight up to 'his room'.