Skittish cat isn't getting better.

I adopted a cat two years ago. She was part of litter that was found in a field and brought to the vet for shots and adoption. She was four months old when I adopted her and as far as I know she had never been socialized.  She is fine with me but when I lived alone she would rarely interact with company.  She would show off but did not like to be touched by anyone else.

I now share a house with two roommates and another cat and my cat will not come out of my bedroom.  She and the other cat are having hissing matches but no blood has been drawn.  I have no idea how to socialize her.  I am a dog person and this is my first cat.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

She may never warm up to strangers.  You will feel most comfortable hiding.  Have you tried a feliway diffuser in your room or other areas of the house where she might mingle?  Also composure feline treats or composure liquid help to calm a frightened cat.  Since she is quite shy, I would not push her to interact with your roommate.  Yet you can bring her into the living space when no one is around.  Allow her time to explore.  Since she spends alot of time in your room, make it a cat sanctuary for her.  Does she have a place to look out a window?  A cat tree?  Toys to play with?  Do you play with her?  Cats do enjoy being played with.  The da bird toy is one of the best. 

It seems though some introductions are needed between the two cats.  You often cannot just put two cat together and expect them to get along.  Cats are extremely territorial and each need their own space to call their own.  There also will be a pecking order.  The cat world is very different than the dog world.  I will post some links to a few articles on cat to cat introductions.  You might want to get the help of your roommate.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-cats

http://www.catbehaviorassociates.com/a-simple-little-trick-to-use-during-new-cat-introductions/

http://jacksongalaxy.com/2010/10/01/cat-to-cat-introductions/

Also a video

I have a shy skittish kitty too. She is my best friend. She loves to hang out with me before i go to work and after i come home. She is very demanding of pets. she purrs up a storm and she likes to be carried around like a little baby. she's definitely quite the talker. she'll talk to me and we'll have a back and forth exchange daily. The only thing here is, NO ONE ELSE will ever see this side of her. 

I am also currently living in a situation with room mates. I am moving soon (thank god for that). I do have two other cats, who are very social and get along well with my room mates, and are curious+adventurous. My girl Jet, the skittish kitty gets along well with them both now, but she does prefer to be the only kitty. She HATES strangers, and i have friends who have known my other two cats since i've had them, and interact with them, but they have never seen or met Jet. She's very skittish and will spend her time in my bedroom only.

as @ShadowsRescue  advised, you should turn your bedroom into a kitty sanctuary for your girl. That's what i've done. I have 3 scratching posts now, and so many toys for her. She mostly spends her time sitting on the window sill though. She's a very lovely cat. But she is deathly afraid of anyone who isn't me. The only time she will come out of hiding is around my BF (who lives with me), but she won't willingly interact with him (unless he has treats) and my sister (when she comes to visit me), because we sound alike, i guess she feels comfortable around my sister to be out in the open. 

It would be best to not force her to come out of her safe place (your bedroom). Maybe try the cat intros, but for the most part I would leave her alone. You're in a room mate living situation, which i'm assuming is not permanent...so...putting your girl through the stress of getting used to a new kitty, only to be separated form her sometime in the future would be stressful for her. 

All 3 of my cats spend the most of their time in my bedroom, because it has everything they could ever need. I leave my door open for my cats to walk around, but Jet will linger by the door way and just watch. I hope she changes in the new apartment...but time will tell. 

Don't try to change your kitty if she's not really comfortable with it. That will cause you and her a lot of stress. And stress in cats can easily lead to health issues. Appreciate her for what she is, and how she is with you. 

I feel like the relationship between Jet and I is so precious. It does suck that she won't come out and interact with people when they visit me, because all i want to do is show her off, or that she won't even interact with my BF who she's known just as long as she's known me..but it is what it is. 

Maybe get your room mates to be the ones that bring her food, and give her treats. See if that helps her feel a bit more at ease around them. 

Thanks for the tips.  She does have a kitty tree and I open the window for her to look out every morning. She has lots of toys so she seems to be content.  I wish she would come in the living room and sit on my lap.  My roommate's cat is the alpha and they have their hissing matches.

My cat won't take food from anyone's had and is happy with her dry food and the treats I leave for her in the morning. BTW, she likes raw spinach. Yes she's weird.



thanks again!