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Just got my first cat and its really scared.

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So much conflicting advice about leaving it one room or not.

I think I will keep it in the laundry room for another day or two then just leave the door open.

Checked on her today this morning and it looked like some food had been eaten but she still wants to stay in her bed even when I try to convince her to come out.

Ive stopped picking her up and just reached my hand in to pet her and scratch her head which I think she likes.

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Welcome to rag doll ownership. My cat was lost the entirety of the first day but it ended up that it had crawled on the top of the couch and under a blanket. He still gets under blankets when strangers are around.

They like to be purched, so in a month or two put it up on your shoulder.

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So much conflicting advice about leaving it one room or not.

I think I will keep it in the laundry room for another day or two then just leave the door open.

Checked on her today this morning and it looked like some food had been eaten but she still wants to stay in her bed even when I try to convince her to come out.

Ive stopped picking her up and just reached my hand in to pet her and scratch her head which I think she likes.

Ru8HvE.jpeg

It's also a good sign that the cat is not trying to get as far back as it can. We adopted a homeless cat and he spent the first week hiding under the u bend of the toilet when any noise was made. Flash forward 3 years and he's the friendliest/best cat I've had. Just give it some time to get used to you in calm settings and you will be buddies in no time!
 
Every dog I've gotten has been super fun and happy the moment I got it. Just another reason to get dogs I guess.
Always this shit with cat threads. My cat was hyper excited when I got him and wanted to play and be pet from the moment I brought him home :P
 
Every dog I've gotten has been super fun and happy the moment I got it. Just another reason to get dogs I guess.

My parents had a very, very, very timid Newfoundland (a 160 lbs dog). He would have panic attacks over anything even vaguely new or unusual or meeting a new dog. He'd hyperventilate, then collapse and sometimes literally crap himself (he did that once when I was taking him for a car ride and he was sitting in my lap).
 
The usual advice from cat adoption agencies (and trainers) is to confide the critter to one room, and let it get used to its surroundings. Usually the room you want it to "live" in, as it's going to end up being the most used room as he/she will find it the most secure. Once it is used to the room it will be curious what's beyond the door. Once he/she goes out exploring, it will get used to the house as a whole.
 
Every dog I've gotten has been super fun and happy the moment I got it. Just another reason to get dogs I guess.

And there are a lot of cats who are super friendly, outgoing and curious from the moment you get them. It just depends on their personality.

OP, I'd leave it in the laundry room to get used to their new environment. The fact that she's not trying to get away from you when you pet her is a good sign. It sometimes takes a few days before they are completely comfortable with you.
 
Boy that's a beauty of a cat.

My parents had a very, very, very timid Newfoundland (a 160 lbs dog). He would have panic attacks over anything even vaguely new or unusual or meeting a new dog. He'd hyperventilate, then collapse and sometimes literally crap himself (he did that once when I was taking him for a car ride and he was sitting in my lap).

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Give your cat time and space. As long as it knows where the cat litter is and that there is food, it will be okay.

Our first cat was six months old when we got him, and he was extremely timid. Scared of almost everything. It took him about three days of hiding in the cat scratch post we had bought for him before he ever started to explore our apartment. It took well over a week before he even let us get close enough to pick him up or really pet him.

We've had him for about 9 months now, and he thinks he owns the place.
Hang in there, OP! Cute cat, by the way.
 
Always this shit with cat threads. My cat was hyper excited when I got him and wanted to play and be pet from the moment I brought him home :P

You should know by now that it is impossible to have a thread about cats without a dog owner barging in, shoving their nose in your crotch and taking a dump in the middle of the floor.
 
Every dog I've gotten has been super fun and happy the moment I got it. Just another reason to get dogs I guess.

I've known of badly mistreated dogs to hide away. Also you can't wait a couple weeks for a pet to aclimatise? Maybe you need a dog because you have a short attention span or something ...
 
This is important. Make sure you don't stare! Even with the cat I've owned for over ten years, I don't look at her in the eye for more than a glance. Cats will respond to your slow blinking with their own once they're comfortable, so try it out sometime. :)
Welp, I always do some staring contests with my cats lol
 
I also recommend the pheromone diffuser - plug it in and she'll be much more comfortable. Also, you may want to put one of your t-shirts for her to rest on in the carrier. We actually rescued our cats - like, literally rescued from death - and we helped them get used to our scent that way. One of my cats sleeps on my shirts to this day.
 
I've stopped always picking her up. Most times she will come to me after I ask like 50 times but even when I do she won't hold on for dear life anymore resisting.

She has free run of the kitchen and laundry now as the rest of the house is sealed off but she won't go into the kitchen much yet.

Called her Cookie but I don't think she knows it's her name yet

Most times she will just sit and watch doing nothing
 
Enjoy the relative distance you're getting now. Ragdolls will be all up in your shit once they're comfortable around you.
 
I've stopped always picking her up. Most times she will come to me after I ask like 50 times but even when I do she won't hold on for dear life anymore resisting.

She has free run of the kitchen and laundry now as the rest of the house is sealed off but she won't go into the kitchen much yet.

Called her Cookie but I don't think she knows it's her name yet

Most times she will just sit and watch doing nothing
Cats aren't dogs. They mostly do their own thing, don't really come on command, and generally don't really respond to their name.

But it definitely looks like more than small progress. She's sitting in your lap and appears comfortable sleeping on that chair.
 
Cats may not be dogs in terms of coming when called (not that dogs always come when called anyway) but you never know what they might respond to. I could call my cat's name and sometimes she'd come to me, but she was fascinated by the sound of me whistling and would often run to me if I whistled, or if I knelt down and drummed my legs she'd come. If she was already standing somewhere and saw me, if I raised my arms straight up into the air over my head, she'd stick her tail up and often run up to me.

I rigged a harness leash for her and we'd go outside together, I'd just follow her until I decided in was time to go in, I could usually coax her back in the house without much trouble.

She died a little over a year ago at the age of 22.
 
I've stopped always picking her up. Most times she will come to me after I ask like 50 times but even when I do she won't hold on for dear life anymore resisting.

She has free run of the kitchen and laundry now as the rest of the house is sealed off but she won't go into the kitchen much yet.

Called her Cookie but I don't think she knows it's her name yet

Most times she will just sit and watch doing nothing

Cats can and do recognize their "name", but they simply don't care. Read it on a research paper covered by ArsTechnica, lmao.
 
Give it a week and let it roam. Next thing you know it will be running around like a maniac.
 
I had a super shy cat when we first got her... That did not last long. In fact, she is crawling all over my desk as I type this.
 
Thankfully, my cat was very much a "people cat" when I got her, but I just let her roam around the house when I first brought her home. She settled in pretty quickly. In fact, Monday will be one year since I brought her home. :)
 
Beautiful cat.

I got a kitten last year, my first cat ever: I had never liked them (was more of a dog person) but, since reconsidering this after moving to an apartment, discovered that they are incredible animals. She started somewhat shy but has transformed into an unashamed troublemaker.

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