# Cat won't go into room



## cnedelisky

I have a two year old cat that I've had since she was 6 weeks old. She only really likes me and is very possessive of me but she's not afraid of other people. We have a great relationship and normally spends all her time in my bedroom, she considers it her room, her sanctuary and we cuddle all the time. However about a month ago she stopped coming into my room. 

I tried once carrying her in there and when I set her on my bed she acted as if she'd seen a ghost and bolted out. I tried again after scouring my room for what could have scared her. I brought her in and then shut the door. She didn't freak out but she just sat by my door and meowed until I let her out. 

She's come into my room twice since then once when my roommate had a bunch of people over to help her move and another time when my dad was working in my garage and making a lot of noise. But as soon as they were gone she bolted back out again. 

Whenever I come out of my room she's all over me rubbing up against my legs and demanding attention.

I tried changing the air freshener in my room and then taking it out but it doesn't seem to make any difference. Other than that i can't think of anything different in my room that would scare her. I'm really confused as to what her aversion to my room is and other than that she acts completely normal.


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## Polski

Strange


Ok, a simple one first. Probably wrong but...Try putting a shallow dish or tray of water with washing up liquid in on the floor. Leave for a day and then inspect for fleas. I'm just remembering a cat developing an aversion to a certain room years ago and then discovering it was flea ridden and as the cat walked through the fleas were jumping on the cat and freaking it out. It wouldn't walk across the room it kind of hop,skip, jumped across as if avoiding being on the ground. If it is fleas its easily sorted with flea killers and vacuuming.

If you can eliminate that possibility then its time to think of others. 

Noises from electrical appliances...possibly some that you can't hear. Chargers often make a soft buzzing but some don't...or appear that they don't but a cats hearing its better than ours and I know Jasper will cock his head and listen when I plug my phone charger in even though I can't hear anything he obviously can.

Static shocks from the carpet or rugs would be worth checking out. Did you have any new flooring? Or perhaps even a new vacuum that could create static? Also using things like shake'n'vac or talc can create static.

Smells. The air freshener you were using might have started it off, perhaps she can still smell them. A deep clean with a non scented detergent and a good airing might help


and finally...and I may sound mad here but cats are more perceptive than us. Its always possible its sensed something some folk don't believe in.


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## chillminx

Some great suggestions there from Polski:thumbup1: 

Sometimes a small unpleasant event only has to happen once for a cat to make a negative association with the room where it happened. It could well be she was bitten by just one flea in your room and found it such a nasty experience it has put her off being in your room. 

So as well as keeping up to date with her flea treatments, it is important to spray the house too, and vacuum loads.

One of the other possibilities Polski mentions is Air Freshener, and I agree. 
The plug-in type is very bad for your cats lungs (as well as yours) as they emit nasty chemicals. The perfume of scented candles, even when they are not actually burning can be very strong. Imagine how overpowering the scent of an air freshener must be to a cat's delicate nose, when their sense of smell is 14 times stronger than a human's.  Even though you took the air freshener away, maybe you didn't air the room thoroughly afterwards. I would try removing it for good. 

I do think this is something you can resolve so she will enjoy being in your room again. Once she can trust that e.g. she will not get bitten by a flea or overwhelmed by air freshener smells she will gradually come back to your room. It may take a while though.


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## cnedelisky

I did have fleas but they were mostly in the living room, where she still spends a lot of time. And I could never find any on her, I treat her regularly for them. Also she'd had fleas a year or so ago when my mom got new cats and they already had fleas when she got them but she never reacted negatively to anything. And the airfreshener wasn't new. I'd had them for the last two years and it wasn't exclusive to my room, they had been in rooms that she still frequents as well. They've all been taken out fyi.


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## Polski

We don't know everything, just making suggestions, that's all we can do I'm afraid. If you don't think its fleas then how about electrical noise or static? 

Cats do change room preference but this sounds like more that that so try and think back to the last time she was happy in there...something happened. Had she been with you the night before...could you have made a noise or knocked her in your sleep...just another thought. 

My cats learned pretty quickly not to sleep up the foot end as my restless legs do riverdance in my sleep and I have sent them flying. Minnie wont come in my room at night as a result but is happy to in the day.


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## Soozi

I agree with all the posts above. You might want to try feliway plug ins and see if that helps. I'm not convinced they did much for my cat but worth a try. X


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## chillminx

The fact she had fleas in the past but was apparently unbothered by them 
doesn't mean she would always ignore a flea bite. And although you have treated her, unless you treated every room of the house with insecticide there will still be fleas hatching out all the time. The fact you don't see any on her may mean they jumped off again after biting her because they didn't like the taste of the flea treatment on her.

80% of the fleas in a home are eggs and larvae, (not adult fleas) and these can lie dormant in the carpets and cracks in wooden floors or skirtings for a long time.

Adult Flea: Description, Habits, Life Cycle and Control of Fleas

My other thought is some other kind of insect bite that occurred in your room e.g a wasp, or horsefly?

Pleased to hear you binned the Air Fresheners! :thumbup:

I hope you manage to identify the problem anyway. Keep on with the detective work


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## Cosy Toes

I'm


cnedelisky said:


> I have a two year old cat that I've had since she was 6 weeks old. She only really likes me and is very possessive of me but she's not afraid of other people. We have a great relationship and normally spends all her time in my bedroom, she considers it her room, her sanctuary and we cuddle all the time. However about a month ago she stopped coming into my room.
> 
> I tried once carrying her in there and when I set her on my bed she acted as if she'd seen a ghost and bolted out. I tried again after scouring my room for what could have scared her. I brought her in and then shut the door. She didn't freak out but she just sat by my door and meowed until I let her out.
> 
> She's come into my room twice since then once when my roommate had a bunch of people over to help her move and another time when my dad was working in my garage and making a lot of noise. But as soon as they were gone she bolted back out again.
> 
> Whenever I come out of my room she's all over me rubbing up against my legs and demanding attention.
> 
> I tried changing the air freshener in my room and then taking it out but it doesn't seem to make any difference. Other than that i can't think of anything different in my room that would scare her. I'm really confused as to what her aversion to my room is and other than that she acts completely normal.





cnedelisky said:


> I have a two year old cat that I've had since she was 6 weeks old. She only really likes me and is very possessive of me but she's not afraid of other people. We have a great relationship and normally spends all her time in my bedroom, she considers it her room, her sanctuary and we cuddle all the time. However about a month ago she stopped coming into my room.
> 
> I tried once carrying her in there and when I set her on my bed she acted as if she'd seen a ghost and bolted out. I tried again after scouring my room for what could have scared her. I brought her in and then shut the door. She didn't freak out but she just sat by my door and meowed until I let her out.
> 
> She's come into my room twice since then once when my roommate had a bunch of people over to help her move and another time when my dad was working in my garage and making a lot of noise. But as soon as they were gone she bolted back out again.
> 
> Whenever I come out of my room she's all over me rubbing up against my legs and demanding attention.
> 
> I tried changing the air freshener in my room and then taking it out but it doesn't seem to make any difference. Other than that i can't think of anything different in my room that would scare her. I'm really confused as to what her aversion to my room is and other than that she acts completely normal.


May I ask if, five years on, you've resolved the problem? I'm going through something similar with my cat and am hugely interested to hear others' stories and any successful remedies. Thanks


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