Integrating very timid cat - advice please!

[Happy Moggy]

Yeah, she'ill have her favourite toilet and will stick to it as long as there is one tiny little thing that makes it better than the other toilet.

[tiga]

I haven't actually seen her go on the towels. But she has used the litter tray without a problem for two days now, so am hopeful the big tray has helped and she is just less stressed. She is still not using the other tray in her room.

[Happy Moggy]

If you think she'll be ok with it, you can lift her into the litter tray when you see her go to pee on the towels.  As long as you're calm, quiet and friendly about it, and she is ok with it.

[tiga]

It is now 2 weeks since Poppy came to live with me and the boys. She is doing very well and seems very confident. She is chirping to me when I go in and trying to get out the door quite a bit. She likes being groomed and will now sit by me on the bed.

Over the last couple of days we have done the room swapping thing, as she has been quite nosy about what's outside her room. I put the boys in my room and opened her room and she followed me downstairs and did quite a bit of investigating of cat tunnels, toys, scratch posts etc. I have also had the boys in her room for a sniff. So she has been through the whole apartment and for the last 2 nights has spent about an hour exploring out of her room while the boys have been shut away. I haven't forced her out of her room, just opened the door and let her wander.

She has been weeing on the towels by her litter tray but I think this is just stress and I am trying different trays, litters etc. She seems to prefer a bigger tray so fingers crossed.

[tiga]

It's still going well, slowly but I'm happy with the progress. She is definitely feeling more confident in her room and is often waiting at the door when I come in. I think she hears me untying the door. I have introduced a few toys and she is enjoying playing with them. She's not hiding from me and is quite the tart showing me her belly all the time. SHe has also let me groom her.

I am leaving the radio on in the day and then a special cat relaxation CD in the evening. She seems to like the classical music with bird and cat sounds.

Overall she seems pretty chilled for a timid cat and quite curious about what's outside the door. Riley and Digby are curious and are sniffing the door a lot but I have tied the door shut so there aren't any accidental meetings. I'm doing the towel smell thing so they can sniff each others a bit.

DEFINITELY not trying to pick her up. I didn't try to pick up my other boys for about 5 months until they really trusted me.

Thanks

[Happy Moggy]

You have definitely set yourself a challenge with this one.  Well done on showing patience and getting the new cat to genuinely like you.  You seem to understand perfectly the concept of kitty family.  I agree with HunterHarleyMum that Gil has given you excellent practical advice.

Keep up the good work.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

when it gets time for her to move , i would shut the other cats in a room then open her room and let her come out by herself, wouldnt pick her up and move her.

basically work with her and the other cats will have to work around her 

[tiga]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

I will keep her isolated in her safe room for now then. I'm not sure how I could get her into another safe room at the moment anyway as I don't think she would take kindly to being picked up! She is quite friendly with me when I go in to her. Especially in the evening - she is obviously a night owl!

She has been using her cat scratching post a lot as I can see the old claw sheaths all over the place and she seems to love her cat tree, so hopefully she is starting to feel comfy in her room. I also have given her a catnip cigar that my boys had sniffed but shown no interest in and she loves me rubbing that on her head.

I have been reading out loud to her from the book 'The wisdom of crowds' so she is having an education at the same time!!!

Cheers, will keep you posted.

[Desley (booktigger)]

Trying to get her to see the other cats already is way too soon, i tend to do everything in 2 week cycles, two weeks of isolation, then open the door and see, some cats dont want to leave the room for a while, some do, but as she is timid, it could take her a lot longer, and you also want her to be fine with you and coming to you before she is loose in the house so you can catch her if needs be. With a timid cat, I would actually be leaving it longer than 2 weeks before letting them see any other part of the house.

[MrsR]

Definately do it atthe cats pace, took me 6 months to get Sofa out from behind the Sofa and 6 months to get within 6 foot near Freddy and that was all with constant but slow work and now they are lap cats.

[HaneyHarperIndyMum (Val)]

Gill has given you excellent advice, which was also given to me by Gill as well.  lol  I also am in the process of introducing a third kitty to my home.  I know it is very hard to go slow as I struggle with this too, but from everything I have been told and everything that I have read, it is extremely important to go slow.  Today is day 14 for my new cat and she has only just now accepted ONE of my other cats.  I also have her in a safe room and am trying my best to let her tell me when she is ready for the next step.  I have been told that two weeks in now is nothing but normal and it could even take a month or more before all three cats will tolerate each other.

Good luck to you my friend!

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

You shouldnt push her out at all, she should be allowed to determine the pace.

Until she is entirely comfortable in her own room she should not be out of it.

I would have kept the other cats away from her too. purrrrsonally.

Once she is comfortable then let her explore another room if she wants too but the other cats must be kept out of her way in a seperate room.

If she is then shut in the room she is exploring happily for a while then put the other cats in her safe room to properly smell her scent.

Then move em out agin so she can come back to the safety of her room..........but this time she will be able to smell their scent.

Dont try this again until she is once agin happy in her own room.

The message is very very slowly, not a few days or a week but as long as it takes until she is happy.

[The Duchess]

well done for taking on another needy furbabe.

I would suggest taking it v slowly and let her dictate what happens next as doing something too soon could put her right back as well as make her mistrust you.  When she's really comfortable with the other cats and you, she might let her natural curiousity take her out of her shell.  Sounds like you're doing all the right things at the momoent tho' 

[tiga]

I have added a third cat,  Poppy, to my two cats Riley and Digby. Poppy is very, very timid and has lived her whole life in one room. She is now 3-4. She is okay with other cats.

She came to me on Wednesday and I am happy to take things very slowly as she is really scared. But I don't want her to get so comfy in her room that she doesn't want to leave it, even so I can swap the cats over to get her scent around the house. She is happy to let me pat her but that's about it. She is using the litter tray fine and eating okay.

So far I have taken out her bed and let the boys sniff it. They are quite curious. Today I put a screen up at the door and they saw each other. Poppy stayed on the far side of the room and hissed once then just looked at them for a few minutes, then when back to her hiding place where they couldn't see her. Riley puffed up his tail but that was about it, they both just looked at her curiously and then got bored when they couldn't see her - no hissing or anything, but they were about 3 metres away from her.

How long do you think I should let Poppy stay in her room before I gently push her out to explore the rest of the house? (without the other cats)