tips for blocking off our cat's (potentially unsafe) hiding space
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Anonymous
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We recently adopted a cat. She had been a neighborhood stray. A friend of a friend took her in, got her spayed, shots, checked out for feline leukemia and AIDS, etc. But she has other pets and didn't want to keep the cat. The cat came to our home 15 days ago... and we literally have not seen her since. She comes out of her hiding spot to eat, drink, and use the litter box in the middle of the night or when we're not around, but otherwise we have not seen her. After the first four days or so, I figured out where she is hiding: There's about a 3 inch square gap in the baseboards under our kitchen cabinets, and she's squeezing herself into that space! I didn't even know that space was there. We live in a small apartment, and we don't have a separate laundry room or powder room or low-traffic space that we can give to the cat to help her acclimate; we're just doing our best with what we've got. All of the spaces in our home are fairly high traffic. We don't have any other pets. It's just me and my teenage daughter.
I have created an alternate hiding space (box with hole cut in it and a soft towel inside). I am only putting out her (preferred) wet food when we are home, and not in the middle of the night, so if she wants that wet food she'll have to come out when we're home. I'm leaving some dry food out all the time, including in a few hiding places around our home. Water is out all the time. I've used Feliway spray near her hiding spot. I've put out some old, unwashed t-shirts of ours near her food bowl. I sit on the kitchen floor sometimes and talk to her softly or read aloud. I put out treats that she likes to lure her out. She does eat, drink, and use the litter box. Just not when we are near her or when we are awake. I know it takes some cats a very long time to acclimate to a new space. I just would like to get her out of this particular hiding space, because I can't see her or get to her if she is sick, injured, etc. I can't block off the opening completely, because any time I am nearby, the cat is IN the hiding space. I'd be blocking her in if I totally seal off that hole. I tried making a flap with cardboard on one side (her side, the side she'd touch when leaving the space) and aluminum foil on the other side, so she'd have to touch that to get back into hiding after eating or using the litter box. I know cats don't like aluminum foil. She just ripped the whole thing off of the opening! Any suggestions for how I can get her out of there, or just make it more difficult or unpleasant for her to get back to the space in once she is out? I understand that she needs to hide right now, but I am worried and really just want her to be in a hiding space that's accessible to me if she's sick, hurt, or otherwise needs me. Thanks! |
Anonymous
| Feral cats never acclimate. Put her back where you found her. |
Anonymous
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Cats don't like boxes that are one way in and out. They feel trapped. So she is going to need at least another exit in the box.
Blocking off under the cabinets might help. But she will likely find another spot just as troublesome. |
Anonymous
| Block the hole with a flap that only allows exit. You may need screws and a hinge to create a little door. You should also know that the fastest way to win a cat's affection is by ignoring it completely. Do your regular thing and monitor that she is eating/drinking/using the box, but allow her to adjust to the new space before expecting her to adjust to you. Also, you don't need an unused room to confine a cat for adjustment periods, you could have enclosed her in the bathroom that you use, it's probably too late for that now, though. |
Anonymous
She actually acclimated nicely to the other woman's home... she'd sit on her lap and "make bread" (knead with her paws) while the woman was watching TV. I'm willing to wait; I just want her to be safe in our home and have a safer hiding place. |
Anonymous
Good advice! |
Anonymous
Good tip about making a second hole in that box. Thanks! |
Anonymous
Not true. We have taken in three completely feral cats. One of them is sitting on my feet as I type. Two of them lived to be about 14 before they died. All of them acclimated to life as indoor cats. OP, it just may take your kitty a while. Unless you think she is going to get hurt in the space, I would let her have it. Once she starts getting more comfortable, you can close it off. |
Anonymous
| are you sure the space doesn't open to another space that she's going to? |
Anonymous
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If you can get her out you could try something like a pool noodle to wedge in the space - cheaper and wouldn't require a ton of construction.
I would suggest getting a very tall cat tree. We had a rescue that had previously been feral and hid for the first month that we had her (wedged in a space between an under bed drawer and the wall). She became more comfortable if she could watch us without forced interaction. Her spot became the top of a cat tree tower in our living room. While she was up there observing us the rule was that she was "invisible", no forced petting or touching. After a few weeks of checking out the comings and goings from her perch, she started feeling more confident with interacting with us and moving around the house and we would come by her tree and feed her treatsand give her pets - best of luck! https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/cat/cat-furniture-and-scratchers/cat-trees-towers/animaze-6-level-grey-cat-tree |
Anonymous
Interesting ideas - thanks! |
Anonymous
Without actually crawling in there myself (impossible!), I'm fairly certain she's not going anywhere else. The space backs into the wall between apartments and the wall between my apartment and the outside hallway. Anything is possible, I suppose, but those are solid walls. |
Anonymous
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We created a hiding spot for our cat with a small side table against a wall and a blanket over the table with a towel inside of it to sleep on. She could easily go into the space by going between the wall/blanket and could poke her head under the bottom of the blanket to watch us. We really left her alone in there and let it be her space. My husband built it for her since we were finding her in tiny spaces during storms - we were amazed how quickly she realized it was her space and she even used it during storms.
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Anonymous
| We adopted two young ferals from a driving (automobile) range. They bonded to our older cat first. They remain afraid of strangers but have decided that I must be worthwhile since I feed them. You can't pick them up. You can pet and scratch. The young male does like tall perches. Try a pet toy to lure her out. Feathers on a string seems to trigger the hunting instinct. |
Anonymous
Great idea! |