Hi! First of all do you have any other cats in the house?

 

@Kaaskat - if the cat is apparently friendly and sociable normally then there must be something wrong with her e.g. maybe she is ill, or has an injury. Has she been checked over by a vet since she came into the Rescue?

Illness or injury in cats can often be manifested as aggression to humans (or other cats). Alternatively fear can be expressed as aggression, so perhaps the cat is still very scared of the new environment she finds herself in. If she was living as a stray it is possible that being shut in one room is frightening for her, though I appreciate it is normal procedure to do this when fostering a cat.

If, as original owner claimed, the cat gets on with other cats, maybe she'd be happier in the Shelter sharing a pen with other cats. That is, assuming the Rescue has a Shelter, as I know some Rescues only have individual foster homes.

Are you using any calming measures such as a Pet Remedy plug in diffuser? Or Feliway diffuser? We use these a lot in the Rescue I help to run and they do help to calm the cats.

 

Has she been vet checked? I assume (well, I hope) the shelter did that as soon as she arrived? If not, she should see a vet asap. Who knows what happened to her when she was living rough.

Did you ever see the cat being 'lovely and friendly' with the rescue staff? I am just wondering if they are overstating how friendly she is. I also wouldn't believe what the family said about her behaviour/character, as a family who no longer want a cat will not necessarily give an accurate account. It's possible you aren't doing anything wrong at all, and she will need time and patience to bring her round.

 

I am afraid that's my opinion I think the rescue/ owners have been a bit economic with the truth. Why else would the owners not want her back.

 

If this happens during play with wand toys, make sure she is not getting her claws stuck on something which may be painful for her. I remember my Treacle having an incident like that when he was about 4 months old.

 

She’s been through an awful lot in a short amount of time, poor girl. As long as she’s been vet checked to make sure she wasn’t hurt when she lived on the streets, i wouldn’t worry too much.
I’d just spend quiet time in her room with her, just reading a book and ignoring her. Most of my fosters take a while to settle. Doesn’t sound like you are doing anything wrong.

 

Also, I’d suspect fear and confusion rather than aggression. Not many cats are actually agressive, they’re just scared and trying to protect themselves.

Personally I don’t find my fosters do that well shut in a room. They seem to be happier when they have the whole house, but I understand that this is not always possible.