Day 2 - 110611

This morning when I awoke, Ralph was still entrenched on the  window sill in exactly the same spot i left him in last night. He genuinely appears mortified at the concept of allowing me to come anywhere near him. I opened the curtains and left the bedroom door ajar so he could explore the landing; i remained in bed, as unthreatening as possible. He darted down off the window and straight out of the door, then he froze: dead end. Next he meowed in protest and proceeded to piss on the door mat and then exit back under the bed sharpish. Oh the joys.

He still hadn't touched any of his food this morning, and as evidenced by his most recent exploit, was still not entirely certain about where the toilet was located. So I decided to change tac... it occurred to me that with all the hiding places in the bedroom, and my regular presence, he wasn't able to settle and get comfortable. So I moved him.

Okay, so now Ralphy is living in my bathroom; it's nice and small so he doesn't feel too overwhelmed, with a comfy box to sleep and hide in, a heater and radio, and his food, water, and litter tray. I'm hopeful this new setup will help him calm down, its far more reminiscent of the safe space he had in his pen and everything is easy to find. Time will tell by whether he eats anything of course, because so far I'm pretty sure he hasn't touched a thing. I'll feel better when he eats then shits it out somewhere (preferrably in the litter tray). Then I'll know he's starting to relax and do normal cat things.

He is still hiding whenever I go in the room, which I've been trying to do every few hours, but at least he isn't shaking anymore so that's an improvement. So far he has hidden inside the box, behind the box, under the box, behind the door, behind the taps on the bath, in the sink, behind the toilet, under the radiator, and under a towel in the bath. He is certainly resourceful when it comes to concealing himself, especially in a room too small to swing a proverbial cat!

He has also been sleeping in the box, so he's definitely starting to feel more chilled than he was in the bedroom, and he doesn't seem to freak out when I go in there anymore; he just stay perfectly still wherever he may be - like I won't see him if he doesn't move a muscle. He's incredibly beautiful, I just can't get over how stunning his coat is from different angles, with his huge round eyes and big pointy ears, and those delicious spots and rosettes - I'm so desparate to pick him up and cuddle him, and adore him like he deserves, but alas... he still hates me.