Ragdoll Cat Forums

Although Fay is the best cat in the world she does have two flaws.

She only eats dry food. I've offered her everything as well as the Fancy Feast that my Vet was sure would be a hit. I've mixed a little with her dry food and she wouldn't touch that serving of dry food. When she first visted me, pre-adoption/rescue, she wouldn't touch anything. She was in the house for 30 hours and I couldn't tempt he with anything.

The second is that she rarely comes into Family Room II, an addition. She stays in all the other rooms but this one. She'll sit in Family Room I and meow for company, she'll ocassionally get up on back of the section of the couch that seperates the two for a short visit but she seems nervous in that room. I've explained to her that if she'd hang out there she could have all the attention she constantly craves but she'd rather meow from the other room. It's really odd because on her vists pre-adoption she spent hours there with me. I've coaxed her over with her all time favorite Fancy Feast dry food but she sems scared and leaves right after her snack.

I don't think it's from the Sargents episode because that happened on the back of the couch that she ocassionally visits. For a while I was sure it was because she was afraid of the dark outside a big window from the way she looked at it but she's out on the other side of that window all the time now in the pool enclosure.

There is a big screen TV in there. DOes that upset anyone else's cat?

Does she somehow think it's my private territory? She sleeps in or next to my bed every night with no problem.

Do you have anything in that room that emanates a smell of some sort?

Do not worry about her eating dry food only. Often such cats will like the "worst" wet foods that have high odor, like fish flavors. You can get very small cans and offer them to see.

You can do things to entice her into the room and should be able to make slow progress. You can use anything she likes to entice and keep her there. Wands, da bird, etc. are things to try. Just carry her in, cuddle her and let her leave so that she is not so upset she will avoid you over it. Sometimes picking her up when she is sleeping and just walking in and out of the room carrying her is the way to start. You want to think in terms of very small steps and using things that appeal to her to induce those small steps.

TeresaK Wrote:Do you have anything in that room that emanates a smell of some sort?

Nothing that I can detect. I was wondering about the TV, both because of the flickering lights and because they hear sounds in a range 3x ours.

"and let her leave so that she is not so upset she will avoid you over it."

That's a good thought. I don't want to ruin our bond of trust. I think she had a tough earlier life and someone may have trained her not to bother them in the family room.