Hikikomori in cats?? Well maybe!

This is Bruna.  She came to us from the streets on April 3, 2019, just in time to deliver her five healthy (!) babies.  We had three other mothers with us, one quite "feral" one sort of feral, and one friendly.  They were all in the back part of the house, and the babies mingled. Bruna was a great mother: any and all babies were welcome at her breasts.   Bruna stayed  hidden various places in 'her' two rooms, in or behind her box, or on the cat tree in the back bathroom. Her babies grew and thrived, were adopted in pairs, and Bruna stayed on.  She got spayed and chipped. It is now late September, as the song goes, and she is still in one of the back rooms, on the counter. There is a window seat, and she's there a lot, or behind this little chest. Once in a while she goes onto the cat tree in the adjacent back bathroom. Ears go back when I'm too close.  I touch her gently with a wand, and she's getting used to it.  The back door has been open a lot, but she's not yet ventured out. Bless her heart.  Stay tuned.
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Meet Celeste. she came to us from the streets. She had been called Shadow. We thought "Celeste" would serve her better.  Her human had died, and she'd been hanging around the senior complex where he had lived (often  pets of the deceased are just thrown outdoors) and was being fed by another resident.  I was called when she developed a horrible rash/raw area around her neck.  She was sweet and gentle from the start (how much they put up with and stay sane and trusting is amazing)
The awful rash seemed to be the result of a toxic flea collar...don't ever buy Hartz products...and healed up well over a matter of weeks.  She was in the big cage in the living room initially, but found her way to the middle bathroom and stayed, yes, on the top of the toilet, for weeks.  We put a bed in there but the tank was just fine, thank you. And litter and water...fed her there.  ...Well! Wow, she moved to the foot of my bed eventually, and has been happy there for another couple of weeks. Has also gone to the window seat by the bed. WOO! She's happy, and if I bring her to my pillow with me, she'll stay and purr.  Safety trumps adventure, in many cases, for a long time! She's a bit wary of the other cats, too; may have been an only cat. We love her, and look forward to her gaining confidence and branching out! We know she will...Isn't she a love?

And now Rosemary! she was found by a good Samaritan staying at a hotel in Hercules, CA. The folks at the hotel were planning to call Animal Services, but this nice guy called me. He brought this mature, very affectionate and agreeable cat to us. That was on June 6th, 2019. Another case of extreme tolerance of a bad situation! She was fine in the new environment here, with all the others...also stayed in the living room cage for a few days to get the lay of the land. After the cage door opened, she stayed on top of it, or right next to it, for a few weeks. she was a happy, friendly cat, but wanted to play it safe: she had a nice place, and she was sticking to it! However! She branched out faster that the other two here mentioned...was in the bed in the bookcase, then on top of the tree in the Middle of the Room,on to the Table, then Out Onto the Deck...and even  onto the patio a time of two.  Rosemary is coming to feel safe here, is coming into her own. She's a happy lady!

But what is Hikikomori? Thanks for asking.  It's a phenomenon, mostly occurring in Japan, where young folk, usually men, just do not leave home. Do not leave their rooms. Ever, in many cases.  Stay put. Are fed and watered by their parents. Look it up.  With cats, it is really more of a cautionary behavior.  "It's fine here; why risk a move?".  They come to trust over time. Cat time is not our time. Glacial pace of change.  I think that, in a lot of cases, they feel that if they go outside, they might not ever be let back in...it is touching. 
We'll see what the future brings for Bruna and Celeste.  Rosemary is on her way!