Always sleepy...

Verbatim74

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Dec 4, 2020
Messages
9
Purraise
9
Hi people,
So I got a cat 5 days ago. I took him to the vet and started him on some medication (antibiotics and deworming). He is a street cat about 4-5months old and semi-feral (I think so...).
He is eating fine. But he is sleeping all the time. For the first 3 days and nights he didnt sleep at all since he was in a new home (kept meowing and clawing at doors and windows). But now on day 5, he has been sleeping all and all night. He is very inactive, does not play, is not interested in toys or strings with plaything and is scared whenever I or my roommate walk around the house.
He does allow me to pet him now but sometimes we have a relapse and he goes back to hissing.
Any suggestions on how to go about making him more friendly and less scared.

Thanks,
A.
 

di and bob

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
Messages
16,582
Purraise
22,960
Location
Nebraska, USA
He has realized that things have changed and he is scared and unsure of everything. Cats absolutely hate change and he has been through a lot. I think he is absolutely exhausted right now and will sleep a lot for the next few days. Plus the deworming and the antibiotics can have a side effect of making him sleepy. Vaccinations are notorious for that, so watch for that when he has them. Do not directly approach him and force him into anything right now, like petting or playing. Just sit quietly with him and talk to him, leaving food or treats when you leave. Let him come to you. Cats go to people who ignore them because they don't feel threatened. He will not be settled in for at least another week or two, Keep things quiet and talk gently to him and he will come around, everything sounds perfectly normal. In the next few days make sure he is starting to eat/drink/using the litter box, that means things are normal, even if you have to leave those things next to where he is hiding. You can always move them later. If he stops doing those things completely it means something is wrong and a call to the vet is needed. Most new, scared cats eat at night when no one is around. Bless you for giving him a home, when you receive a cat's love it is wonderful!.
 

ArtNJ

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jun 1, 2017
Messages
5,485
Purraise
6,957
Its a pretty common thing. Sometimes we even have people get upset, because while meds and new home anxiety were chilling a kitten out, they were so cuddly then boom, they are back to normal, bouncing off walls, and have no time to cuddle.
 

sabian

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Mar 11, 2017
Messages
870
Purraise
1,784
Location
North Carolina
It may be the medications that's making him sleepy and if he didn't sleep for 3 days he may just be getting comfortable enough to go to sleep. It could be a combination of the 2.

As far as making him less scared and friendly, that's just going to take time. He's in a totally new environment and everything is new to him. Just let him come to you at his on pace and in his own time. Baby talk, praise, and treats go a long way too.

Try and put your self in his place and how you would feel if the roles were reversed. Spend time with him but let him have his space at the same time. Laying on the floor can be helpful as it's less intimidating for him and brings you down to his level so to speak. He'll come around in time. I'm sure others will be along with some great advise also.

Hope this helps. Best of luck and thanks for taking him in and giving him a home!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

Verbatim74

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Dec 4, 2020
Messages
9
Purraise
9
Hi people,
Thanks for your advice. I have another small problem and I am a little worried. So I set up the new cat station in my livin room since day one so that the cat will have a larger area to explore and won't feel claustrophobic in a small room. But since we share the common space with my roommate (also a cat owner) its a little hard. Sometime he plays loud music. Not very loud but moderately loud and it kinds makes the cat nervous and unresponsive to any advances during this time. He hides inside his box. Or just pretends to be asleep. I would like to know if music would scare a cat? Does it have any effect? Would it cause problems for the cat to adjust in the new environment?
 

ArtNJ

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jun 1, 2017
Messages
5,485
Purraise
6,957
What scares one cat might not scare another. You can have a cat living above a busy NYC street with sirens and horns that is fine, and another cat might, yes, be scared of loud music, or at least certain types of loud music. Some kinds of music can apparently calm cats, at least when not overly loud.

So you have a young cat that isn't loving loud music. He may or may not get used to it. It shouldn't do him any harm unless its a frequent thing and it seems to really bother him. Cats that are scared of the vaccum and the washing machine when it has a noisy lode, or whatever, can still be happy and otherwise adjusted. But if it the effects seem to linger once the music is off, its a frequent and pretty sharp effect, then it could well make the cat more anxious overall. You'll be the best judge of that.
 

sabian

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Mar 11, 2017
Messages
870
Purraise
1,784
Location
North Carolina
I agree with A ArtNJ it varies from cat to cat. Manny's scared of the vacuum cleaner and will hide or go to the other end of the house but, as soon as I'm finished he runs back to where I am so, he's not traumatized by it. He's not scared of loud music but, he's always looking around like he's afraid something is going to sneak up on him. So the music doesn't bother him but, the fact that he can't hear other things does.

My last cat Tama was scared of the vacuum cleaner but, he could be out in the yard while I was mowing and I would have to literally pick him up and move him if he was laying in a spot I hadn't mowed. He had no fear of the lawn mower. That always baffled me! :lol:
 

CatladyJan

<><
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 20, 2020
Messages
2,132
Purraise
5,692
Hi people,
So I got a cat 5 days ago. I took him to the vet and started him on some medication (antibiotics and deworming). He is a street cat about 4-5months old and semi-feral (I think so...).
He is eating fine. But he is sleeping all the time. For the first 3 days and nights he didnt sleep at all since he was in a new home (kept meowing and clawing at doors and windows). But now on day 5, he has been sleeping all and all night. He is very inactive, does not play, is not interested in toys or strings with plaything and is scared whenever I or my roommate walk around the house.
He does allow me to pet him now but sometimes we have a relapse and he goes back to hissing.
Any suggestions on how to go about making him more friendly and less scared.

Thanks,
A.
I would keep an eye on him some medications may make him tired and see if there is improvement. With regard to your room mate and the music if it appears to be stressing the cat then I would try to remove the cat to a quieter place.
 

di and bob

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
Messages
16,582
Purraise
22,960
Location
Nebraska, USA
It may be that he just isn't used to it and may get that way after repeated exposure. If he shows signs of getting MORE stressed then I would worry about it. Cats do not like loud continuous noise, even high winds. They cannot hear well in them and it makes them nervous. I noticed my ferals will not be seen when there is a lot of wind, and my house cats even get a little nervous. They don't like having their keen sense of hearing messed with.
 
Top