We adopted a traumatized 3-year-old cat last year. When adopting, we were told about the rule of 3.

3 days - the cat basically sticks to one room as it gets acclimated to the smells and sounds of the new home. Our cat was very jumpy and anxious
3 weeks- the cats starts figuring out the family schedule (including mealtimes) and exploring the house. Start introducing scratch pads, toys, bedding. Our cat started loving very active playtime
3 months - the cat has figured out that this is “home” and you are it’s people.

We adopted a cat 3 weeks ago and planned to do the same isolated space thing too. Girlfriend jumped out of her carrier and immediately headed off to explore all 3 floors. For maybe 1-2 days she did like to hang out in a small cat bed pushed in the corner of my closet but she hasn’t gone there since. I think some cats are much more adaptable and can adjust to a new space quickly and that sounds like your cat. Follow his lead. He will find a safe quiet space to retreat to if he needs to.

He sounds like a great cat. I *think* that as long as he’s in control of the exploring he should be OK, but it might be good to open areas one at a time and keep an eye on him. Have you been able to train him to come when you rattle a box of dry food or make a “mealtime” noise?

Yeah, slow is not in this cat’s vocabulary. We let him adventure slowly and he is not running around but wants to see everything! Hopefully it is not too much for him. He is not really hiding anywhere, just on and in everything…

Sounds completely normal; cats love to explore! Doe he easily go into his carrier? Perhaps take him to another room and let him explore one enclosed place at a time, with various family members spending time with him mixed in with some periods alone. That way, he will get to know most of your house slowly and both you and he will discover his favorite hiding places for those times he gets spooked.

We just adopted a 2 year old cat yesterday. He was rescued from an abusive shelter and has some anxiety issues and over grooms (the inside of his back legs are bare and have a couple of sores). We put him in our 12 yr old daughter’s room to acclimate and have someone in there most of the time. He constantly rubs up against us, purring and kneads everything. He doesn’t really hide unless he hears a sound from outside of the room and slept with my daughter the first night. He is not that interested in playing and now seems totally focused on getting outside of the room whenever someone stands up.

We are really trying to make him feel safe and don’t want to over stress him. Is it okay to start introducing him to other parts of the house? It seems early but I don’t want him to feel trapped.