room him or free range?

[TacoGrl]

So this is Seth's third day with us and he is still hiding...that's ok though

My question is this...I had him in a room by himself, cuz Messina would rather be running around the house and he got out of the room when I went in to work on the computer...should I put him back in or let him stay out and explore as he wishes? He is eating and he knows where the litter box is (he does both at night), but he is hidden in the hall boot closet and still doesn't allow much me/Messina contact.

[Love4himies]

Kitties who are scared prefer to be in a room with the door closed. I would keep him there until he is comfortable exploring the room.

Has he been coming out to eat and use the litter box?

[TacoGrl]

He does seem to be using the litter box at night (too much for one cat in there) and the food dish I put in the closet is almost empty in the morning...

See, Messina is the problem...if I lock Seth in the office, she will pick at the door...if I lock her in there with him, she body slams the door...but I want to do right with Seth...Messina is the kind of cat that adapts to anything, except closed doors!

[growler~GateKeeper]

If it was me I'd leave him where he is he has found a comfy zone, leave all doors open & let him come around on his own.

I think if you do close him in a room he may become more stressed by Messina's reaction to the closed door (no matter which side of the door she's on).

One cat I had also hated closed doors, she was a Siamese cross & would yowl until the closed door was opened even if she didn't want to go through that particular door, she also learned how to push & pull doors open.

[lUvMyLaB<3]

He will come around, just let him hide and observe and get used to the surroundings, he will soon find out that you are nice and safe, lucky kitty

My parents have a male siamese, and he HATES it is a human is on the other side of a closed door, he will scratch and meow, hilarious. When you come out he just looks at you and walks away as if to say, ok good you're out, I can go on my way now..

[14+kitties]

It's hard to say what kind of a life the poor fellow had before you adopted him. Let him stay out but, as growler says, keep all the doors open so he can come and go at his own pace. The closet is his comfort zone. Once he is feeling better about you and Messina he will start exploring more.

One thing though. I would not be pandering to him by putting his food in the closet. If he is hungry enough he will come out to eat. It may be one way of him getting to know you aren't all bad. Start by putting the food as close to the door as you can. Then gradually start moving it to the spot you want him to eat in. He will learn taht is where his food is. I know it sounds like tough love. I guess in a way it is.

[TacoGrl]

Update....

They are both under my bed now! I have brought the food and litter into my bedroom and that seems to be helping a bit...I am glad he moved as I agree, I felt like I shouldn't be pandering to him, but I still wanted him to eat...this way he has to actually move to get food and now, he is actually coming out from under the bed to eat/drink (unless he catches me looking at him!) One thing though, Messina has taken to hissing at him whenever he moves and she follows him around the bedroom...not sure what is with that...girls can be such b*****s

This is actually quite an exciting time...frustrating (at times very humourous too), but with every small step Seth takes, my eyes swell up and my heart flutters that he is getting closer to feeling safe...I am so proud of my little man!

-----------------------
Here is what Seth and I did tonight...

[growler~GateKeeper]

Excellant you got him interacting w/a long toy and he's interested, playing & not thinking about how scary the world is Were you talking quietly to him while playing? this will help him associate fun playtime with you

[Tundra_Queen]

Hi
When I got my 2 kittens I was told to take it very slowly introducing them to my older cat. That was september 12th and sometimes Willie still hisses at them if he wants to be left alone.

I'm glad he is getting a bit braver and eating and playing too.

[TacoGrl]

Well, I got NO sleep last night! All for good though...Seth was out and playing with the toys, eating and doing his "business"...it was great! BUT the best of all was when I turned out the light finally, Messina was sleeping by my head and I felt a heavy body plop down on my foot! I said "Hello Seth" and he actually meowed! Apparently he had never meowed before! It sounded kind of odd...not really like a cat meow, but I actually cried and Messina started head-butting me.

On a side note, I always talk to my furries...it is amazing how much they understand...some people don't understand how smart cats really are, but I do and someday we will TAKE OVER THE WORLD BUHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

[14+kitties]

to you!!! And to Seth! How exciting is that? You must be ecstatic. It is still going to take time to get him to the point where he is completly comfortable but it sure sounds like he is well on his way.

Thanks for the pics. They are soooo cute!!

[growler~GateKeeper]

Originally Posted by TacoGrl

Messina was sleeping by my head and I felt a heavy body plop down on my foot! I said "Hello Seth" and he actually meowed!

That is wonderful! You've made excellant progress with both of them in such a short time