Two months ago, I adopted a 6 y/o stray cat (he lived in a cat colony prior to arriving to the shelter). Gorgeous DSH, extremely cuddly, but with a twist: Only when he is in specific areas of the house. More specifically, only when he is on our couch, our loveseat, our bed, or lying down on our 12' x 6' rug. The couch and loveseat and both partially on the rug, whereas our bed isn't.
If he is anywhere else in our (small, 700 sqft) condo, he gets very jittery and will usually run away when we walk past him. But, if he is lying down/sitting in one of the above-mentioned areas, he exudes confidence and will not run away from us.
The same goes for playtime. He went from never playing to playing for 20-30 minutes at a time, but also with a twist. He does not leave the rug. I try to make him get off the rug by luring him with his favorite toy, with no luck. I also try to lure him out by offering him treats (freeze-dried chunks of fish), also with no luck. He will only get up and eat them if they are on the rug.
The only time he leaves the rug is for the following reason: to eat, to drink, to use the scratching post, or to use the litterbox (oh, and to go on our bed, which is quite rare). In fact, I have never seen him explore our kitchen or our bathroom. He simply doesn't go there.
So the title says it all. How do I get him more comfortable around the rest of the condo? I'm new to cat ownership, this is my first pet ever, and while he is great in many ways, sometimes I worry that his world is too confined lol.
Edit: I should specify that my wife and I play with him at lest 25-30 minutes per day, usually 10-15 in the morning and 10-15 in the evening. Sometimes we even play up to 45 minutes per day with him (15 morning, 15 each in the evening)
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/em8l5h/how_can_i_get_my_cat_to_be_more_elsewhere_in_my/
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