Non curious cat

no1catman

Look forward to comments and advice.
Just recently took in a rescue of nearly nine, had her now for just over a week.
But hasn't shown any sign of wanting to venture downstairs!?
She only gazes out of the window in the half-light, moreover she shows no interest in 'play' - almost doesn't know how to!


Her details only cautioned about not liking young children - no problem don't have any.


She eats well, and is happy - judging by the amount of purring she does, just puzzled the lack of curiosity!!

lollipopsarah

aw bless her, she just needs time to settle in and know that you are her forever slave.
xx

Gold_Dust_2

A week is nothing - give her time to relax and get comfortable. She's also almost 9, so she won't be as curious as a kitten - doesn't mean that she won't play at all though. My cat recently became the only one in the house, and one month on she has started playing like a lunatic! She's at least 10 years old now (she was a stray), and she barely ever did it before, but now she plays everyday! Because she's comfortable. What really brought out her playful side was catnip. I bought her a kong kickeroo and she fell head over heels for it, and I bought some replacement catnip from sainsburys recently and that does the trick too. I just rub it onto a toy and she's off! You might want to try some of that after a while, to get your little rescue kitty going.

She might also not be interested in the toys on offer, or the way that you play with her. I found that the best thing for all 3 of my cats was a stick with something soft on the end, as I could try various hugs with that - poking it under a door while she's on the other side, swishing it around her on the floor, dangling it above her head and poking only the tip of it over an obstacle like the settee back - that drove them all wild!

Meritaten throws ping pong balls up the stairs for her Barney, my cat isn't really interested in that at the moment but that works for them, and others use laser pens to stimulate their cats. I find a treat all works well too, for a treat oriented cat.

You probably already know a lot of toy tricks already, but I hope something there helps.

meritaten

Barney also likes his 'catnip' toys! the 'big flat mouse' from Pets at Home is almost shredded now! he wont eat catnip 'treats', but, he does like to rub it all over and fight it! and when he gets exhausted - he will cuddle up and sleep with it!
his very first toy from me was a small catnip mouse - over six months on and he still fishes it out of his toy basket and plays with it. then cuddles it! he is quite gentle with it - almost as if its his 'special' toy and he looks after it! all the rest I have bought him have been destroyed! (he gets a new toy every four weeks when I do his 'food shop'.)

its only in the last couple of months I would say Barnes felt 'at home' and started to trust us. he was shipped from America at about 11 months, was with a 'breeder' for five years and then my son had him. son realised that Barnes wasn't happy and I took him while son considered Barnes options. That was back in August 2013, in the end I kept Barnes. and now he knows its his 'forever' home I think. but aint sure - 5 years is a long time to stay and then get passed on, then about a year with a new family, and passed on again - I think he is still holding a bit back.


Patience - and encourage to play. it took ages (weeks) before Barney responded and not just looked at me and turned away!

krlyr

You could try a Feliway plugin if you haven't already - meant to be great for stressful situations like a new house.

no1catman

Thanks for the replies.


I thought I would update ....


Still has come downstairs to join us, however - Friday morning discovered a large 'donation' on the back door mat!!
Saturday, no problem back in the tray, but again in the early hours this morning - another 'donation' on the mat, and yet she had peed in the tray!!??


Any comments please.

Grimbal

Does the back door have a cat flap? Is there a chance of a visitor ?

one of ours did this. In the end we tracked it down to territory marking. In a way, it's a good thing as she may be starting to feel that this is her home to keep safe.

Maisie did this for quite a while. We were tearing our hair out, until we realised that she was only doing this because a neighbourhood cat was getting in. Even if this isn't the case for your kitty, it could be that she's marking a well used entry into the house, full of unfamiliar smells and possible intruders.

I'd get a spray cleaner specially designed for breaking down organics (pets at home sell one that we used), plug in a feliway diffuser near the area, and prepare for a few more gifts until she settles

no1catman

Hi,
No cat flap (yet), besides which (unlike our previous house) it's a very rare event to see any cats in the garden, or even on the boundary wall; though I appreciate Kitty doesn't know that!!
Yes, we regard at as a 'good' sign, progress if very slow.

GwylimT

Cats often know where the front and back door is due to smell, for some its a way of marking their territory. We had a cat that would regularly go at the front and back door, in the end we had to get a very rough mat that he didn't like.

meritaten

Try two litter trays in different locations. Barney pees in one tray and does poos in the other. make sure both are well away from eating or sleeping area.

madget_2

We've adopted a couple of very nervous cats in the past. Both stayed hidden (under the bed or behind the sofa, respectively) for at least a fortnight. Both were too scared to go into the litter tray at first. Then they poo'ed on the carpet, which was a sign of being stressed due to all of the upheaval of moving to a new home.

Time, patience, kindness, calmness and leaving them to realise that they are safe are all very important. They made progress very gradually and I remember having the wonderful moment that each of them eventually came onto my lap, even if it was for just a very brief duration at first.

This really is a case of little baby steps, but they will get there in the end.