Tosker's here - gone - and back again!!- with piccie

[Janeyk]

awwww

[Kay and Penny]

he's found his way into the kennel, so immediate panic over

it's pretty obvious to me that he was not really socialised at all, but simply too terrified to resist being picked up and cuddled - when the rescue lady did this here I could see he was petrified of her - so I am not going down that route until he is ready

he's had a long-lasting antibiotic apparently, but I can't hear any wheezing myself and his nose and eyes are perfectly clear - perhaps he was just breathing very noisily out of fear

I am sure she meant well, but to be honest I think I have rescued him from the rescue

[Millys Mum]

I would bring him in and use the one room like Debs suggested, it takes nervous cats twice as long to adapt if they have too much space in one go. It was tosker who was getting over an infection? If so then outdoors isnt the place for him to be, the stress of rehoming often brings out any harbouring illnesses and he could have a flare up if not totally shifted.
Keeping him away from the other 2 isnt a bad idea also just incase it was a contagious infection,i wouldnt trust the word of someone who didnt require to meet me 

[Gillian Harvey]

I shall have to hope he goes into the kennel if he gets cold, as he will not, I am sure, use the cat flap - he may actually enjoy wandering about out there after dark, with no-one to bother him - the kenne is completely waterproof, and no rain is forecast now until Wednesday  - hopefully he will be ready to come indoors by then

I'm sure he'll be fine in the enclosure, cats are pretty sensible and he'll use the kennel if he really needs to. I'd just leave him, like others have said, he needs to do things in his own time, especially given his background. 

[Janeyk]

If i remember right you mentioned he was badly abused before being rescue

From my experience i think you should just leave him where he is, just put some water and food nearby and go and check him time to time and talk to him softly. Maybe tomorrow go and sit on the floor close to him and see if he comes to you. I don't think you should force him to do anything right now he must be really scared poor little guy. If you have feliway spray some on his bedding or plug one nearby.
It took my Phoebe over 6 months to leave the bedroom and come down stairs to me and Boy.
He needs to feel safe and that takes time, do you know much about his back ground?

I agree with Pav just allowing him to come round in his own time, he'll  just be unsure poor love, easy does it and I'm sure he'll be ok.  I would think the the kennel will be fine too    I've just put lovely clean bedding in my feral's kennel today 

[Christine (Blip)]

He really needs you, that little fella, doesn't he? 

  to him...

[Kay and Penny]

he's been perched on a shelf in the enclosure for 4 hours now  - but it has been excellent from the point of view of the other two cats, as they have wandered around without bothering him

I shall have to hope he goes into the kennel if he gets cold, as he will not, I am sure, use the cat flap - he may actually enjoy wandering about out there after dark, with no-one to bother him - the kenne is completely waterproof, and no rain is forecast now until Wednesday  - hopefully he will be ready to come indoors by then

[Debsymiller (Rufus' mum)]

He needs a quiet 'safe area' which he can choose to stay in or come out of. You may find that he uses it for a few weeks until he feels relaxed. Have a think to see if you have anywhere in the house where people don't go that much (dining room? you could always eat off of your laps for a few weeks) but it needs to be somewhere he's away from people and the other cats as he'll be scared of both til he can trust them. Feliway is an essential in my opinion too. I prefer the diffuser which I always plug in for a new cat or at times of stress but the spray is handy cause you can spray it in appropriate places. If you think the outside run may be best, just make sure he has plenty of shelter as we can't guarantee good weather for the weeks ahead. Perhaps a tarpauline over the top and sides as a temporary measure? Just a suggestion.

Don't worry, although it may a few weeks before you really get to know each other, he will come round eventually. 

[Kay and Penny]

I haven't got a spare room though - I could keep him in my bedroom, but I think he is more scared of me than Trigger and Tiffany - so shutting him in there with me would not help

[pappilon]

If i remember right you mentioned he was badly abused before being rescue

From my experience i think you should just leave him where he is, just put some water and food nearby and go and check him time to time and talk to him softly. Maybe tomorrow go and sit on the floor close to him and see if he comes to you. I don't think you should force him to do anything right now he must be really scared poor little guy. If you have feliway spray some on his bedding or plug one nearby.
It took my Phoebe over 6 months to leave the bedroom and come down stairs to me and Boy.
He needs to feel safe and that takes time, do you know much about his back ground?

[Debsymiller (Rufus' mum)]

The advice I always give to new adopters when they take a cat is to put them in one room (spare room away from everyone) with food, water, bed and litter and leave well alone. They will tell you when they want to come out- for some it's day one for some it's 4 weeks down the line but as long as they have what they need, they are fine out of harm's way. Do you have a spare room you could set up? I know you're keen to use the outside area but it all sunds like too much too soon so give him a chance to adjust and then let him use it when he's ready.
Cats claim their territory slowly, getting wider as they go so starting off in a small area is best.
Once in the spare room leave him totally alone tonight and then each subsequent day, spend more and more time with him. If he is timid, just going in the room and sitting on the floor is best. He will come to you when he's ready. Just don't be tempted to carry him around the whole house.

Even the most confident cats can appear timid in those first few days so give him time and lots of it. I honestly think setting him up in the spare room and leaving him to it for a few days is the best thing for him. I am not confident that it's warm enough for him to be outside.

[Kay and Penny]

He's arrived, and I am already discounting almost everything I was told about him - he is a scrap of a thing, absolutely petrified of everything, and needs to be left alone as much as possible to integrate at his own pace - my two at least have already decided he is no threat to them, so I needn't worry to much about them

problem is he is outside in the enclosure, huddled into a corner, and very slowly, I hope, realising no-one is going to bother him there - and I have put out a Mr Snugs kennel with nice bedding for him - because I can see it is going to be a while before he feels brave enough to come indoors

but he may be too timid even to go into the kennel, so what do I do? do I traumatise him by grabbing him and forcing him to spend the night in the house, or is it now warm enough for him to be OK through the night outside, even if he won't go into the kennel?