Advice On My Newly Adopted Stray Cat

[careforcats]

Hello!

We recently adopted two cats. The first one, Rose, was from a family who couldn't have her anymore due to allergy. She was skeptical at first but soon settled in and is friendly, playful and sometimes very cuddly now.
A week later, we adopted Mona from the cat shelter. She is extremely anxious, and hides under my bed. She will only eat and use the litter at night when I'm asleep. Rose was very curious about her, but when she came close Mona would hiss at her and she'd hiss back.

Mona has been hiding for a week now, and she doesn't respond much when we try to talk with her or give her treats. Sometimes she'll look a bit less scared, but she won't move or let us come close.

Does anyone have advice on how we should approach Mona to make her relax? Should I let her stay under the bed, or is it better to try to find a way to make her come out from her hideout?

 

[bigbadbass]

3 year old semi-feral, aggressive/violent Bug was closed in his own room and did the recluse thing for quite a few weeks after he was brought indoors, neutered and his hormones returned to normal.
I then used a temporary, full length screen door to slowly "introduce" Bug to the existing housecats and Yorkie. He came out of hiding, seemingly curious as to who/what was out there (as he could smell, sense, and finally, see/meet the crew). Safely separated...they sniffed, brushed against, etc etc. I began to let Bug out to explore and interact (with guidance, only in my presence) after about a week with the screen between them, with no major issues.

Give a screen a try! May stimulate Mona's curiosity, make her feel less "trapped" and get her "out" while offering a slow, safe introduction process.

 

[Sarthur2]

Have you tried a Feliway plug-in diffuser? It emits naturally calming pheromones.

 

[Merlin77]

Hissing is defensive, not aggresive so take it as a sign that the twi cats are still getting to know each other. If there is no growling, everything should be fine.

Try keeping Mona in just one room at a time, and eventually introducing her to the entire house.

Also, make sure both cats have their own sleeping spots, feeding areas and litterboxes as well as a perch/scratching post/toys (like having children; if you only get one a toy, the other will throw a tantrum)

Keeping the environment quiet also helps. Good luck with Mona!