Need help acclimating cat rescued from hoarding situation

I adopted 8-year old Sally from a shelter that had received her after she was seized from a hoarding situation. She spent three months in the shelter and I have now had her for 2 1/2 weeks.  After keeping her in the bathroom for the first week, she darted out one day and has been hiding in various places in the apartment, rarely coming out, and not letting me approach her at all.  She spends most of her time in the lining of the couch, coming out mostly at night when we have already gone to bed.  I have also tried sitting still and hoping she'll eventually come out and approach me, but we are making very little progress.  Does anyone have any advice for me?  I'm concerned that I have adopted a cat who will never really become acclimated to living with me and my other senior cat.

She sounds like she's really been traumatized.  She may never be a lap cat but she can learn to co-exist with humans and your other cat.  It is going to take a long time, so your patience will be tested.

But I would continue to do as you have.  Talk calmly in her presence, move slowly and never rush her or force her.  She needs to set the pace so she will feel comfortable.

Hoarding situations are so sad.  My daughter adopted a kitten from a hoarder and it took her a year before she saw the cat during the day.  She just allowed her to live her life and once the cat got comfortable, she became much more social.  She still runs and hides if company comes by but my daughter says she has started to sit next to her on the couch while she's watching TV.

So, again, patience.  Thank you so much for helping her.  It sounds like she really needed you!

Thank you for giving this little one a second chance.

One thing I found helpful was a small electric blanket or carpet. Plug it in and leave it under the couch at first, so that she'll be attracted to the warmth and think of this as her spot. Once she is comfortable there very slowly move the carpet out from under the couch, like 2 cm a week until it's next to the couch. Keep talking to her gently as you are doing. She'll get used to your smell and the sound of your voice eventually.

Have you tried using Feliways sprays or diffusers? They don't work on every cat but they help sometimes.

I had a feral kitten than lived at the back of my wardrobe for a few months. He'd come out to eat and use the litter box when we weren't around, but we never saw him. I've had him for two years now and he's much tamer, lets us pet him and sits beside us on the couch.

As Ondine said, patience is the key.

Good luck.

I agree with the need for patience! I brought home a semi-feral, abused kitty who had spent many months in a  cage at the local shelter.  She's living in a carpeted box in a cat tree in the bathroom, and only coming out at night when we're all in bed.  

It's been 7 months now, and about a month ago she started coming out of the box when I'm in the room- either at the end of the day or in the morning if it's early enough that it's still dark.  I stay very low to the floor for our interactions.  She loves, loves, loves the rubber-toothed brush and will roll all around, both asking for it and being stroked by it.  The brush is sold as a hair remover, at PetSmart, but this kitty adores it.  

She loves treats (I use Temptation ones, because they're easy to break up and she has few teeth), and will let me touch her when I'm giving her treats.

She also will play with me with a feather wand- a small one, without mylar or rattles on it.  She'll let me touch her, but not the way my other cats do.  I keep it short and often just use one finger.

Anyway, I see all this as HUGE progress, and am awaiting whatever other changes she plans to make.  Basically, it's the cat's call, and I'm just here letting her build however much trust she can.  She has so many reasons NOT to trust, and it's a long journey to change that.

Good luck to you!  Go slow, be gentle, and let her call the timing.