Questions about my new cat

Well, the sleeping in the litterbox problem is solved. Please can someone tell me what to expect from our new cat. She is about 9 months old adn we got her as a stray from the Humane Society. She won't walk down the stairs...I've had to bring the food upstairs so she can eat. We are working on coaxing her down but she acts frightened. She goes up no problem. She doesn't play with any toys or do any exploring. She lets us handle her and pick her up, she doesn't run from us or act afraid of us...she purrs all the time. So far people have said to just give her time. I wonder if she will ever be frisky. Can this type of behavior change with time? We love her and want to interact more with her. We'd love her to know she has a new big house to live in. Thanks.....

Think of this whole situation through the cat's eyes.

She has been in a shelter for a certain period of time with no stability, weird smells, no recognizable safe area to be in. Then you bring her home and get her spayed. This is a big new world of adjustment and your cat will have her own schedule.

There is no magic pill or time limit for adjustment. She is an individual with her own needs, fears, and anxieties. She has already shown you some excellent progress by not fearing you and allowing you to pick her up. Many cat's would still be skittesh about this! So your one step ahead.

When I brought my kitten home, I put everything for her in her own room. Then I slowly introduced her to the rest of the house. She was free to explore, but she had that safe place to run back to in case she needed. My kitten also didn't like stairs! Again, there was no pressure and she eventually adjusted (she took a full week to tackle the *evil* stairs!) For now, I would move her food to her room and when she is more comfortable with the rest of the house you can relocate it.

Also, I know the excitement of having a new kitten and wanting that interaction. My best advice is to step back and allow your kitten's personality to come out on it's own. Your expectations are not part of her design and she needs to be comfortable on her own terms.

As others have told you, time will reveal to her: your loving environment, her safe new home, and the new wonders that await her when she decides to share in it.

I would just give her time. You really haven't had her very long, and if she could talk she would probably tell you stories that would curl your hair. I would not go out of my way to pick her up, or try to get her downstairs, she will go down when she is ready to. It could be she had a bad experience that involved going downstairs and she needs to work it out. There is really no way anyone can tell you what to expect from her, let her show you and tell you in her way. Just give her food and love and lower your expectations to how you want her to respond. At least she is not hiding under the furniture from you. I had a cat hide under our sofa for over a year when he first arrived here. He had been horribly treated. Now he is our biggest lap kitty, but it didn't happen overnight.

Thank you all and of course in my heart I know it's true.....time will tell. The kids are a little disappointed that they dont; have a frisky kitty but I keep saying to be patient and loving and gentle. I think it's great that she is tolerant and loving towards us. She loves to be touched and lays on her back to get belly rubs!! I'd much rather have that than a cat who runs from us! I bring her downstairs a few times a day and let her sniff around and usually after a few minutes she goes back up the steps. I know for sure she was at the shelter for a month but who knows how long she was a stray. After the cage, this place must seem strange and huge!! We will continue to love her and be patient.

I got my cat as a stray as well, and when we first got her she wasn't frisky either. It turned out to be because she has leukemia. However, as she got stronger, and as the enzyme powder the Vet gave us worked on her, she became very playful.

Since you got your cat from a shelter, I assume they've tested for illness, or that you have not. However, it just seems as if your kitty needs some time to adjust.