Different room, different cat

[Lil_Scruff]

Aw, glad Bass is able to spend more time in there with you.

If only they could talk aye?

[jezebel]

Since I started this thread, Bass has gradually been spending more time in the living room while we're there.

Mostly she sits in the doorway, but is relaxed enough to play with a toy. Quite often she'll come right into the room, although she rarely stays long - and, as before, the slightest noise or movement will have her scurrying out. Makes no difference whether the TV is on or off.

[Lil_Scruff]

I've just posted a new thread regarding a similar issue but in my case there has been a sudden change in behaviour - my elder cat used to love sleeping on the sofa whilst we watched telly but all of a sudden last night she left the room and is refusing to join us. She is acting her usual 'old' self in all of the other rooms of the house though. Odd!

Maybe your tv is making a high pitched sound that we can't hear but Bass can? (I'm sure there's a pun in there somewhere!)

[Fire Fox]

I think it must be how nervous cats are... how long have you had her?

Weirdly the biggest improvement we've had in the last couple of weeks was made possible by a piece of cardboard haha, she loves scratching the stuff so we left a bit bit on the floor, now she spends most of the evenings curled up on it in the open instead of under the sofa!

I've been thinking about maybe feeding Sadie some treats in the bedroom a few days a week, give her a reason to be in there and realise it's not scary!

Noah has a couple of the Pets at Home corrugated cardboard scratch boxes that he loves, they were £5 last time I bought one and last ages because you can turn the 'innards' upside down.  Noah loves them so much he now eats raw bone-in chicken on one rather than the cold laminate floor.   

[Alex S]

I think it must be how nervous cats are... how long have you had her?

Weirdly the biggest improvement we've had in the last couple of weeks was made possible by a piece of cardboard haha, she loves scratching the stuff so we left a bit bit on the floor, now she spends most of the evenings curled up on it in the open instead of under the sofa!

I've been thinking about maybe feeding Sadie some treats in the bedroom a few days a week, give her a reason to be in there and realise it's not scary!

[jezebel]

Tried Feliway in the living room but it didn't make any difference so we put it in the hall - which is only about three feet way from the living room (very small house!).

There are no hiding places in the spare room, apart from the box in the cat tree, which she sometimes goes in (but not when she's scared).

Secretly, I think both the girls are just a little insane!

[Fire Fox]

Perhaps it is due to number of hidey holes/ escape routes available? Maybe you could try a Feliway in the living room?

[JackSpratt]

Sage (our resident skitty kitty) has safe spots in each room. But the small bedroom is "hers." She claimed it years ago and if she's feeling especially freaked out, that's where we usually find her. If we go in that room, she approaches us in a pretty confident manner.

I think you're right; nervous cats deal with their home environment differently to cats with more confidence.

[jezebel]

Yes, I remember reading your posts about lovely Sadie!

Maybe it's some sort of "shy cat syndrome" and they deal with it one room at a time!

[Alex S]

We have exactly the same thing here, Sadie will happily wander around the living room all day while we're there (won't sit next to us yet, though), she'll also venture into the bedroom to have a stroll when we're in bed but if she's in there or any other room besides the living room she'll scarper if we come in or get too close. Strange. I would love to know how to make her feel more comfortable, then we've only had her 16 weeks and she is terribly shy so it might just take time.

[jezebel]

Does anyone else see this behaviour?

Bass, my ten-year old, behaves differently depending on which room she's in.

The bedroom is where she spends most of her time, and she'll happily sleep on the bed with us at night (in fact, I don't think we could remove her from the duvet!). She LOVES being brushed in there and likes a bit of fussing but it only takes a very small sudden movement to make her jump and run off.

She rarely comes into the living room while we're in there - if she does, she'll just wander round and walk out. On the rare occasion she sits down, the slightest movement or noise will have her scampering out again. Can't get near her to brush her or make a fuss. (However, sometimes I find her asleep on the sofa with her sister in the middle of the night.)

Kitchen - will slink in to eat but will scarper the minute either of us goes in or even walks past the doorway (very frustrating cos we end up waiting for her to finish eating before we go in - no good if we're in the middle of cooking!).

The spare room where the computers are is where she's most "normal". It's the only room where she seeks out our company and will jump up and sit on a lap. I can even pick her up and put her on my lap and she'll stay there - just as long as I'm at the computer (she's on me now as I type!). Possibly she has memories of being secure in this room, as it's where she and her sister were confined to they first arrived, (but if that's the case, why doesn't she spend all her time there?). I just wish she could be this relaxed everywhere else.

Her sister Drum has is much more consistent. She's bonkers in EVERY room!