Boys will be girls!

[Cussypat1974]

Sven is a girl. Sven appeared at a friend's colony and was attacked by the group. So Sven came to my bathroom. Sven was FROZEN (see where the name came from?) with fear for weeks. Now she is spayed (had to knock her out to determine sex lol). I got her out of the bathroom into the hallway (precursor to actually going outside and being normal). But she keeps running back to the bathroom!

I am thinking she is scared of the other cats, but she has met most of them now. Normally they WANT to go out!

Any advice?

[meriad]

I'd leave here be to figure it out at her own pace. We had two stays in the neighbourhood that were abandoned by their previous owners. They were fed and given shelter by a neighbour who already had loads of her own cats so couldn't take these two in. Eventually 2 years ago the male really wasn't looking well so T (my neighbour) managed to trap them and get them to the vet and kept them in her bathroom. The male unfortunately passed away about 5 months ago but to this day the girl lives in that bathroom. The door is open, she can come and go as she pleases but she chooses not to. Personally I'm not sure she' overly happy in there, but T says she does come out at night for a wonder, more so now she's on her own.

So for now just leave the girl where she's happy

[Crewella]

I've had two a bit like that as fosters in the last year. Teasel had spent a year hiding in a box at the back of her pen after being trapped with kittens. She came to my spare room in the hope of socialising her, and she did eventually come round to being petted. She did meet the rest of the gang when they ran in with me without looking too bothered, but after a couple of forays downstairs she ran back up never to come down again, even when I left the door open. We eventually rehomed her to a lovely couple and she settled in well as an only cat, and apparently now does use the full run of her new home. I don't think she ever would have done here.

I now have Jess, who had apparently lived with an old gent for 3 years but had never been handled. She was another one hidden at the back of her pen for months, and I've still only just seen her hop out of her bed to eat her dinner in front of me this week, after 4/5 months in my spare room. I'm considering tryng her in my outdoor pen when the weather improves, but I suspect she might need to be an only cat as well. I hate seeing her huddled in the same spot every day.

Both just seem to be very timid cats with default 'hide' settings.

[Cussypat1974]

Sven is currently cuddled in the hallway in a catpile...... She keeps going back to the bathroom given half a chance, but we bought her a new doughnut bed, which appears to be acceptable. The bathroom is the warmest room in the house..... Which is why it is always used for newbies, sick cats, kittens etc. Sven had a bed by the radiator there..... I think Sven just likes warms!!!!!!!

Not that the hallway is cold, particularly. The other cats are happy in there, and they always have beds and blankets. We bought Sven the new one so it wouldn't smell of the others, and let her be the first to use it. The fact that she is sharing it willingly with up to 5 others now tells me her issue is not with other cats ha ha!

I cannot have any cat living permanently in the bathroom, because I need it for sick ones. And isolation, and for when somebody has the runs and I need to figure out who! Also, Sven has not mastered the art of the litterbox..... And goes beside the thing...... Unhappy husband at 3am whe he stands in something smelly!!!!!!!

I doubt Sven will ever tame. She isn't young (her womb was huge so she has had numerous litters) and she is very scared of humans, although she is a sweet, placid girl. She will eventually move outside in her own time, once the weather warms up. In the meantime...... I keep the mop and bucket handy!!!!!