- Joined
- Dec 28, 2019
- Messages
- 18
- Purraise
- 80
Hi, this is my first post on the cat site!
short story: I have adopted an 8 month old kitten. I put her in my bedroom as the safe room and am sleeping on the couch ( I live in a 1 bedroom apt and have an 11 year old existing cat). It has been 7 days and she has not come from under the bed in my presence, and she cries at night. She is eating fine and using the litter box.
more detailed story: A friend and her sister rescued some kittens that were hanging out in their back yard. They started feeding them on the back porch, and eventually captured them so they could be spayed/neautered. After the surgery the cats have been living inside. The kittens are now 8 months old, but my friend and her sister cannot keep them because they already have 7(!) cats between the two of them. I decided to take one to hopefully keep my 11 y.o. cat company.
I gave the new kitten my bedroom for the safe room, keeping my existing cat out of there. And I have been sleeping on the couch with my cat.
It has been 7 days and the kitten has never come out from under the bed in my presence. She cries at night.
My friend feels like the crying is desperation for affection. On day 5 she came over, and physically got the cat out from under the bed. She held and petted the cat and it purred. I was able to hold and pet it too, I even got it to eat a treat from my hand. We tried to create some new hiding spots for the cat and block off the bed. Once my friend left, when I extended my hand towards the cat it hissed, so I backed off. In the morning I found she had made her way through the barrier and back under the bed.
I feel terrible about the night time crying, and I live in a not-very-sound proof apartment, so I don’t know how long this can continue. I did drop my neighbor a note explaining the situation.
I have tried treats, tuna and toys to entice her but she is not enticed. I have spent time sitting in the bed, on the floor away from the bed, I have played calming music, I have played the the sound of cat purrs, I have read aloud to her for a while. I have a Feliway diffuser in the bedroom.I’m hoping to have my friend over for a visit soon, but her elderly diabetic cat has taken a turn for the worse and may be crossing the rainbow bridge this weekend if things don’t turn around -so she’s got other things on her mind right now.
My main question is should I dissemble the bed (take off the mattress and wooden slats leaving just a metal frame and some cross bats) making it an undesirable hiding spot, so that she will hide somewhere ‘better’?
I want to give her a chance, because it seems like she will have a hard time no matter where she goes.
I’m just feeling discouraged because there seems to be absolutely no progress.
short story: I have adopted an 8 month old kitten. I put her in my bedroom as the safe room and am sleeping on the couch ( I live in a 1 bedroom apt and have an 11 year old existing cat). It has been 7 days and she has not come from under the bed in my presence, and she cries at night. She is eating fine and using the litter box.
more detailed story: A friend and her sister rescued some kittens that were hanging out in their back yard. They started feeding them on the back porch, and eventually captured them so they could be spayed/neautered. After the surgery the cats have been living inside. The kittens are now 8 months old, but my friend and her sister cannot keep them because they already have 7(!) cats between the two of them. I decided to take one to hopefully keep my 11 y.o. cat company.
I gave the new kitten my bedroom for the safe room, keeping my existing cat out of there. And I have been sleeping on the couch with my cat.
It has been 7 days and the kitten has never come out from under the bed in my presence. She cries at night.
My friend feels like the crying is desperation for affection. On day 5 she came over, and physically got the cat out from under the bed. She held and petted the cat and it purred. I was able to hold and pet it too, I even got it to eat a treat from my hand. We tried to create some new hiding spots for the cat and block off the bed. Once my friend left, when I extended my hand towards the cat it hissed, so I backed off. In the morning I found she had made her way through the barrier and back under the bed.
I feel terrible about the night time crying, and I live in a not-very-sound proof apartment, so I don’t know how long this can continue. I did drop my neighbor a note explaining the situation.
I have tried treats, tuna and toys to entice her but she is not enticed. I have spent time sitting in the bed, on the floor away from the bed, I have played calming music, I have played the the sound of cat purrs, I have read aloud to her for a while. I have a Feliway diffuser in the bedroom.I’m hoping to have my friend over for a visit soon, but her elderly diabetic cat has taken a turn for the worse and may be crossing the rainbow bridge this weekend if things don’t turn around -so she’s got other things on her mind right now.
My main question is should I dissemble the bed (take off the mattress and wooden slats leaving just a metal frame and some cross bats) making it an undesirable hiding spot, so that she will hide somewhere ‘better’?
I want to give her a chance, because it seems like she will have a hard time no matter where she goes.
I’m just feeling discouraged because there seems to be absolutely no progress.