My scared kitten won't leave my room. How can I help her explore?

From your description, I wonder if Nala is a feral kitten. A feral kitten is a kitten that is born to a cat who lives outside and is essential wild without very much human contact. The general rule is that if feral kittens are taken away from their mom by the age of 10 weeks that they can get used to humans and become well socialized. If they do not have human contact until after 10 weeks of age, then that can be much more difficult. I would ask your friend where Nala came from and get more information on her situation. In the meantime, I would not push Nala to have any more contact than she is comfortable with. Let her hide and come out when she is ready to. I would also consider adding a Feliway Diffuser ( https://www.feliway.com/us#redirected ) to your house to decrease stress. This is a calming pheromone that will work for a month. I have also had luck with Rescue Remedy ( http://www.bachflower.com/rescue-remedy-pet/ ) which can be added to the water. I would try to find toys that she can play with herself that do not involve you if that stresses her out. You may find some good ideas on this website. https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats Good luck! I hope that was helpful and gives you some ideas. Thanks for using PetCoach.

You are doing a good job. As long as she has a quiet place in your room with food, water and litter, and a soft place to sleep then I wouldn’t worry about it. Leave the door open and she will start to explore other rooms on her own, often at night when it’s quieter. Gradually at her own pace she’ll come out and be with everyone. This may take several months but pushing her sooner may just make her more afraid. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Ella.

This takes lots of time and patience to improve. You can try a Feliway pheromone spray or diffuser. That often relaxes cats and reduces their anxiety. If she enjoys grooming brush her for a short time each day. Usually then they will start coming out to get groomed and be with you. The loud noises are hard and there is not much to be done other than act calmly like you are doing. I never force a cat to come out or do do things that make them anxious as this will only worsen the problem. Make sure she has a quiet, private 'safe' place to go. With time she should improve, it's hard to get over bad kitten experiences. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Princess.

You should not force her to interact. That will backfire as she will be scared. Once she feels comfortable she will come out of the room on her own. You are overthinking the process. My one suggestion would be to try some Feliway diffusers in the house. This may decrease stress levels and make her feel more comfortable. https://www.feliway.com/us#redirected https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/comfort-zone-diffuser-with-feliway-for-cats Hope this helps. Best wishes!

There are many natural calming diets and supplements which can be very helpful as can pheromone diffusers. I would recommend bringing her down at quieter times and acclimatising her to the area, creating a covered hiding area for her to retreat to if needed

Moving into a new home can be very stressful for kittens - since she has only been with you for 4-5 days, it's likely that she's still adjusting and getting settled. It will take time for her to feel safe and comfortable in your home, so I would be patient for now and give her plenty of time to adjust. You can try using Feliway pheromone diffusers around the house to help make her feel more at-ease, as well as a natural calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure if she seems anxious.

I would recommend using the Feliway products, which can be found online or at your local PetCo. You can also try NaturVet Quiet Moments Calm Chews with Melatonin which can also be found online or at your local PetCo and see if this helps calm her. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please remember to rate this answer as helpful or not. Thank you!