update on "help w/new kitty"

[kcatania]

Hey, I wrote a couple posts about our new adopted cat BooBoo & how to get her & the 2 resident cats socialized & not fighting.

Well, the good news is the fighting at night has stopped. YEAH! However, BooBoo still does not come out of her room during the day at all. No matter what I try. I will coax her out, and have the other 2 cats locked in their bedrrom, and she will come downstairs, but as soon as she hears the 2 resident cats scratching at the bedroom door, she runs upstairs.

I don't get it. From 10pm - 9am she comes out of her room.. she will come into the hallway to see the cats, or into our bedroom to see the cats, but she only goes downstairs in the middle of the night. I know she's down there because she leaves a poop on the floor next to the resident cats litter box.

What does all that mean?? Will she ever come downstairs while I'm awake??

Thanks in advance!! This is a great website for support & information!

[Traci]

The only thing I can think of at this point is that BooBoo needs a quiet environment at this point in time. Since she does venture out at night (when you're sleeping, it's dark, it's quiet), it sounds like something during the day is preventing her from feeling safe or secure. Take some time during the day and explore the environment as she would...look for signs that would scare her off (unusual or loud noises somewhere, loud tv or radio/stereo, obstacles that might seem scary, etc) and when you are there, don't force her to venture out, be as quiet as you can and let her explore on her own. She needs to learn on her own that there is nothing much to fear, and she may be the type of kitty who will just take longer to adjust.

Maybe let the other two out during the day when she has access to the house at the same time. They need to start adjusting to one another and get the initial introductions over with. If the fighting has stopped at night, it would seem that it would stop during the day as well. If she has a favorite bed or favorite toys, etc, bring them into another room that is nearby her haven, this might tempt her to come out more and feel more apt to explore her surroundings during the day. Anything that you can think of that you have determined thus far she enjoys (toys, etc), keep moving closer to the area where socialization most occurs, like your livingroom, where you lounge, where you play with the cats most often, etc. Once she feels a certain area is of no threat to her, she will venture out more and more.