unexpected progress

[snugglekitty]

Today I went into my room, and the new cat was there.

As far as I know, this is the first time that she's come out when it wasn't night-time. She had been in my window, looking outside. When she saw me, she jumped down and then froze. Trying to be as unobtrusive as possible, I sat down in the doorway and maintained eye contact. I kept talking to her, telling her that it was okay. We stayed that way for about ten minutes. Then I moved forward about three inches, going slowly, and she ran under my bed. (I knew it was likely that she would run when I did that. In a perfect world, I would've stayed still for as long as possible, letting her decide if she wanted to get closer. But I have stuff to do in my room and couldn't spend the whole afternoon sitting in the doorway.) I was still about six feet from her at this point. She then hid under my bed for a while until she gathered her courage (I guess) to run out of my room and back to her hiding place upstairs.

So, it seems like she's getting somewhat more comfortable.

If you were in this situation, how long would you give the cat to get acclimated? Our cat is happy with her, but we want her to be happy with us, too.

Comments

[mrpet.livejournal.com]

She was in the living room last night when I was doing the turn off the lights circuit before going to bed. She saw me and froze but then slowly walked away up the stairs stopping every few feet until I looked around the corner.

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

She just came downstairs again. This definitely feels like progress to me. Slow but steady, I guess.

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

This cat was snuggly with her last owner, apparently. She's not feral.

It may be worth keeping her. I can be patient.