New Cat, Not Sure How To Make Her Feel More Comfortable.

Hey guys!

So i adopted a new cat! Her name is Jigglypuff. She's beautiful and so sweet. I'm hoping that she'll fit in nicely with my other two.
But for right now, my main concern is how she's feeling. She is hiding in a corner in the room and won't come out. Keep in mind, she has a whole room to herself. She loves being pet and will get up a little, but she won't leave the corner. What can I do to help reassure her? And how about her using the litter box or drinking/eating enough? Should I put everything super close to her?

Thanks in advance for all advice!

She is just gorgeous...such a sweet face and beautiful eyes. I assume that you have not had her for very long, so if that is the case this is not unusual. Every single new cat that I have ever brought into the house has hidden in one way or another while they assess the situation. Don't put the food, water, and litter too close to each other. Some cats do not like food and water side by side and the litter box should not be near food. Will she take food from you if you offer it to her? Unless this has gone on for days and you are worried that she is not eating, drinking, or relieving herself which would be a problem I think that she will relax as time goes on.

Awww... she's beautiful.

Here's some TCS articles that might be helpful, with her hiding, plus eventual introductions with your other cats.

How To Help A New Cat Adjust To Your Home
How To Get A Cat To Come Out Of Hiding? | TheCatSite
10 Must-know Tips For Happy Living With A Shy Cat | TheCatSite
16 Top Cat Experts Share Tips For Dealing With Timid Cats | TheCatSite

How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide | TheCatSite
Introducing Cats To Cats | TheCatSite
The Multi-cat Household | TheCatSite

Thank you all for the advice. This is our current setup for her. Is the litter box too far? Is it too close to the water bowl? She's hiding right next to the rat cage.
I only got her about 5-6 hours ago. So she's quite new!

Can the rats live somewhere else? Generally cats and rodents don't mix. A stressed out cat in a new home may be even more stressed out by the presence of pet rodents.

I'd leave the cat mostly alone for the next few days so she can settle in at her own pace.

I unfortunately don't have anywhere else to put the rats. The cage is quite large. Though to be fair, they're all old farts, so they don't move around much. Plus they don't smell super strong as they're neutered. They also tend to stay in the top floors. They don't seem to like the bottom floors as much. But if I see it's too much for her, I'll figure something else out.

Usually what I do when I bring home cats is: place them inside their carrier in a bathroom with the carrier door open. There is no where for them to hide except the carrier (which allows me easy access to them). A bathroom is also pretty basic and is not overwhelming. Keep the environment quiet and as calm as possible. I will leave them alone for ~ 1 hour then I go visit them. I begin gently petting them and sit on the floor and wait for them to come to me. I repeat this process every single day and bring food and continue to pet them while they eat. Eventually they warm up then in a week or two I would let them venture out one room at a time. The key is you need to get the cat to trust you so that they will begin seeing you as their "safety" in the new environment.

How's Jigglypuff this morning?

I would not pet Jigglypuff while she is in corner. Even though she seems to like the pets it is better to wait until she comes out and comes to you for them. You can sit there and talk to her, but don’t look at her directly. You can also try setting some out some treats so she begins to associate you with good things. Otherwise provided she is eating and using her litterbox I would ignore her hiding and let her explore when you are sleeping or not there. She will start coming out in your presence when she is more comfortable. That could be a day or two or a few weeks.

Do you have a cat tunnel, or can you make a few out of cardboard boxes? A lot of cats feel safer moving about if they can remain fairly hidden when doing so.

Chances are she'll leave the corner of her own accord at night to eat and use the litter box.

Jiggly is doing ok. She's no longer hiding. At least not when someone is in the room. Though when you walk into the room, she is hiding but comes out right away. Like right now she's just laying in the middle of the room, nice and relax. Though what is worrying me now is that she hasn't eaten or used the litter box. I don't see any poop or urine anywhere. So I don't know. Is she just holding it in?

jcat said:

Do you have a cat tunnel, or can you make a few out of cardboard boxes? A lot of cats feel safer moving about if they can remain fairly hidden when doing so.

Chances are she'll leave the corner of her own accord at night to eat and use the litter box.

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I don't have tunnels or cardboard, but I could get some!

She should at least be urinating, so I would put a litterbox near her favorite hiding space and another in a nearby room.

It's not uncommon for a cat to not eat or use the litter box on the first day in their new home. But after 24 hours it is very important to get some food into them, otherwise hepatic lipidosis, aka fatty liver, can begin. If she's still not eating, try enticing her with anything you can think of - treats, tuna, chicken, sardines, etc. Here's a couple TCS articles with more info:

How To Get Your Cat To Start Eating Again | TheCatSite
Why Has My Cat Stopped Eating And Is It Dangerous?

Plus this older thread on What Was Your Cat's Behavior Like In The First Day? | TheCatSite that you might find interesting.

Hopefully once she eats something, she'll also use the litter box.

Keep us posted.

Jiggy isn't hiding anymore and made a pee! She is drinking, but still not eating. I've tried different kinds of wet food, but she isn't interested. Also not interested in her dry food. She did eat very little of her wet food, but not enough to make a difference.

Here's a picture of her sleeping on the desk, while I watch some Netflix!

Sorry for spamming, but should I maybe try a bunch of different can food and she can pick and choose what she wants to eat? At least for now? She's suppose to be only on Urinary food, as she has bladder stones (which is being followed closely by my vet), but at this point, I just want her to eat. My vet said to wait 48h and she should start eating

Pick up a jar of pure chicken or turkey meat baby food and mix in a bit of water to thin it out. It isn’t something you want to feed her every day but most cats can’t resist it and she needs to eat.

She has 3 different kind of wet food now. One is Whole Earth Beef/Turkey, mixed in with some TikiCat Chicken, one is her Purina UR st/ox, mixed again with some Tikicat Chicken and then one is a fish mix, but not mixed with Tiki. She is currently eating the first mix! I am so happy! Don't think she'll eat a lot, but she's at least licking up the juice, so that's something!

Glad to hear she's eating. Keep us posted.

Another update on Jiggy!
She ate most of the Whole Earth mix and even ate some of her dry food! and guess what?! I HAVE A POO!! Yay!! She's peed and poop in the litter box, like a good girl! She still isn't eating the amount of calories she should be, but I guess eventually, that will come.