To leave cat hide-out open or block it?

Short situation sketch: we have three cats: Traumacat, Neurocat and Rather Normal Cat.

Traumacat is a small female, 14 years old. She suffered a trauma when she was a kitten (we were told a dog attack) and frankly never got over it. She had an eye infection and ear infection when she came to us and the fact that we had to manually medicate her didn't help matters and for eight following years she despised and feared physical contact. Due to family dynamics we left her pretty much to herself. After that she out of a blue realised petting was cool and now will come for stroking, at an extended arm's distance. But no more. She lives and eats upstairs and only comes outside on the balcony.

Traumacat does not get along well with the other two, male cats. Neurocat out-right attacks her and Rather Normal Cat mostly like to chase her for play since she will always, always run. When Neurocat chases her she often pees in fright and it will always end in a fight with flying fur. In the beginning she wouldn't be seen for the rest of the day after an attack, but now she will come out far quicker. Therefor, Neurocat is banned from her rooms but he's sneaky. Rather Normal Cat is not as fixated on her but he will playfully (at least from his perspective, not hers) chase her under the nearest bed and then make off with her leftovers. Rather Normal Cat is a glutton.

I'm pretty sure I can never improve relations between the cats (and the one with Neurocat is probably unsalvagable already) without Traumacat gaining more confidence. So for the last few years I have tried some socialising: I've taught her to come up on the computer table for petting, increased petting to two hands rather than one, introduced a brush and even occassionally teased her unto my lap for a few seconds without panicking. I've put up some pillows on higher places like the desk because she seems more confident and happy when she can sit on top of something than hiding beneath things. She now accepts treats and very ocassionally will play with one of the toys, she has never done either in earlier years. But I'm pretty sure that will be the limit of what I can do for her, she only trusts me so far.

Recently we've switched the bed (that she wasn't using) from Traumacat's room to a folding sofa/bed. There's a hole underneath which Traumacat knows but the other two have not discovered yet. Now Traumacat seems to hole up there pretty much indefinitely and she's getting more withdrawn which I don't think is good for her. She doesn't come for petting at the computer anymore and grows more skittish. The two seem connected. The less social contact Traumacat has, the scaredier she appears to become. When we left on holiday once and boarded the other two so she had the whole house to herself without fear, we thought she'd rise to the occassion. But she was actually more scared when no one was around to attack her than she was before. She even started losing her hair and barely ate. It took days for her to go back to her normal self.

So I've been thinking of closing up the hole under the sofa, forcing her to reclaim the pillows on top, but my dad thinks that's a bad idea. If she's happy to stay hidden away underneath the sofa, he reasons, shouldn't we leave her that hideout? She likes it enough to spend most of her day there. So, yeah, I'm torn. I want Traumacat to be happy or at least as happy she can be in this household--which isn't easy with the cards stacked against her as they are-- but she does still continue to improve socially at her age, at least towards me, which I want to encourage.

Any advice about what would be best? Letting her hide in the hope she decides for herself to resume contact, or making her keep in touch with the rest of the world by closing off her hidey-hole?

Thanks for the replies, evreyone.

Tazlima said:

That said, it's not like any of this is irreversible. You could block the hole for a couple weeks or a month (long enough for her to make a reasonable attempt at adaptation) and see how she responds. If she's utterly miserable, you can always open it up again.

Click to expand...

Duh, I hadn't thought of doing it temporary. It is something to keep in mind certainly.

heza said:

I really like My Cat from Hell. Reviewing some of the videos on YouTube might give you some perspective on multi-cat household dynamics. There are a few full episodes listed on their channel. Some people might think he's a quack, but I enjoy the show. The things I've seen him recommend fairly frequently are to build cat trees and high perches (one of my favorite are a course of wall-mounted shelves) to help Traumacat gain confidence. I think he'd also recommend playing with Normalcat to burn off some of his energy so he doesn't chase Traumacat. Maybe also getting a harness for Traumacat and walking her outside to help her claim territory and become more confident. Typically, it seems like when the harrassed cat gains confidence, the bully cat starts leaving her alone, so that might fix the problem with Neurocat, as well.

Click to expand...

Ooh, love that show! I think I have seen about every episode by now. Although I can't help but think sometimes that even Jackson would have his work cut out with these three. On the show, there's usually but one cat with issues among normal ones, here it is but one normal cat for two with opposite issues. (Neurocat is a problem all on his own, Psychocat would also have been also apt if not for the fact that I suspect he just, well, brain-damaged rather than psychopathic.) But the show did inspire me to work more on building Traumacat's confidence. And I have been playing more with Rather Normal Cat and he adores it. Although for some reason the more I play the more energy he gets afterwards! And considering the household situation, I often just don't have time to tire him out properly before dinner (Also, my mom has since vetoed getting him tired until he pants because she thinks it isn't good for him. He does some really impressive panting.) so I just can't institute the routine required to make it work better.

A harnass fro Traumacat is, I think, not an option. The two other cats go outdoors. If I can't get her be confident in the rooms she has lived in for 14 years, I won't be able to get her be confident in a space she doesn't know well and which already clearly belongs to the boys.

cornflake said:

I'd also absolutely put in shelving or high cat trees so she can go up high and have safe-place perches. Cats are kind of unique in that they're both predator and prey, and they like to be up high. It helps them feel secure both ways - they can see if something is coming, can survey their surroundings (their territory) from a place of safety from predators, see ways to escape from predators, and look for prey.

Click to expand...

She has two perches. One on top of a cat tree about 1,5m up, right next to the window and a fireplace ledge at the same height. The trouble is she doesn't use them. Oh, she will sit on the cat tree from time to time, but rarely longer than mere minutes and the moment any cat looks at her, she will abandon her perch and seek out shelter at ground level. Otherwise it would have been perfect since Neurocat can't jump higher then a chair in one go! (Part laziness, part brain damage from a brain hemorage he had two years go which left him deaf and did a number on his balance. If he looks straight up in open sky he can actually fall over because he doesn't know which side was up again.)

Getting Traumacat on the perches has been an ungoing struggle. She will not go for them on her own. Picking her up and putting her there is a big non-no. If I leave treats on them, Rather Normal Cat will steal them instead. Toys won't work because she won't play with humans. (The few, rare, times she has played with anything it was when she was sure no one was watching, she stops as soon as she spots you.) I have been working on that too but no luck so far.

I have been thinking of clearing a part of the book case on a higher shelf and put a pillow down there. That way a cat on the ground won't even see her immediately. But if I can't get her on the lower perches, I won't be able to get her on high. I'm not even sure she likes heights, she never explores up.

You've had her a long time, and obviously tried and cared, but honestly, if she can't get more confident and the other cats won't stop chasing her, I might think about seeing if you know someone with a quiet home that might be better suited to her issues. Maybe an elderly neighbour with a nice, quiet place she could relax in. Just the idea of her being so scared all the time is just heartbreaking.

Click to expand...

I have actually considered that many times, although I haven't found anyone yet willing to take in a very traumatised cat, and even so the rest of the family isn't willing to let her go. I had secret hopes when a friend had her over for a long holiday but they didn't click and my friend wanted a cat she could actually touch. Still, I think Traumacat is a happier cat now then she was years ago and I don't think she's truly scared all of the time, or even most of the time. The boys have a big house and outside so I think there are days when they don't meet each other at all. But yeah, still far from ideal for her.

She can get easily to her perches via the table and chair, which she used fairly frequently. The one I was thinking of on the bookshelf would be accessible via the fireplace ledge. No point in setting up a perch she can't reach easily. The pillow is mainly because the bookcase shelves are just wood and it's one of her pillows, which means it its scented and familiar. We'll see if I can get her to use the current perches more before thinking about higher ones.

Traumacat actually came for a pet and brush session at the computer yesterday! As if she suspected I was talking behind her back and decided a computerdesk inspection was long overdue... I'm going to monitor her usage of the hole under the sofa for the next few days and then decide if it needs closing down, at least temporary.

Thanks to all for your opinions.

Fruitbat said:

@Friendly Frog- Obviously, you have been poorly trained. You should, of course, do whatever the cat wants.

Click to expand...

Indeed. I blame the cats, they have been too lazy to train me properly.