HELP! My newly adopted cat won't pee/poo or eat much

karyaerkan

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I adopted a 4 year old, female cat who has been living in the streets her whole life. She is a very nice girl, we fell in love with her already.

She is spayed by the way, a woman that was taking care of the street cats in that area took her to the vet a few months ago.


So, we took her home after going to the vet yesterday, she was hiding which i thought was pretty normal. (It was around 3 pm when we took her home.) She didn't eat, drink or pee/poo until the next morning. I finally got her to eat some wet food around 10-11 am. She allows me to pet her and purrs whenever i do so.

BUT, she only peed once, on a green little blanket that i had put on the floor. I did show her her litter box, i put her in it a couple of times, i took her paws and did the digging motion but it doesn't seem like she gets the idea.

It's 9 pm now, so it's been 30 hours and she still hasn't pooped. She also ate very little (half a can of wet food. The vet recommended that she eats twice a day and that one of her meals should be wet food, the other one should be dry food. She said that i should only give the half of the can as well.)

She didn't drink water at all. Also she stays put whatever i put her. I'm conserned that she is eating very little because she really needs to poop/pee.

I would be very relieved if she went to the litter box but at this point it doesn't really matter. I just want her to be okay.


Any advices?
 

FeebysOwner

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Hi. Given the cat's age and the fact that she has been used to living outdoors, it might take quite a long time before she is comfortable in her new home. She has likely not pooped since she is eating so little, and she is not used to a litter box but she will more than likely take to it over time. You could also set up a litter box with soil/dirt in it to see if she might be more inclined to use that at the beginning. See the TCS article link below for information on how to help her get acclimated to her new home.

Did you also buy her some cat treats that you could try to entice her to eat with those? I would also leave out food - and water - for her even if you are not present in the room as she may be more inclined to eat/drink in your absence. Here are some food ideas to try if she doesn't start eating her other food soon.
  • Baby food meats – make sure it doesn’t contain any garlic or onions
  • Tuna in water
  • Salmon
  • Sardines (make sure there are no bones)
  • Chicken or turkey
  • Rich kitten food
  • Fish, tuna or BBQ flavored canned wet food
  • Kentucky Fried Chicken or an equivalent
How To Help A New Cat Adjust To Your Home – TheCatSite Articles
 

kittenmittens84

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She needs time to adjust- she definitely does not feel comfortable after one day in a new place, especially if she’s used to living outdoors. Most likely she’s not eating or using the litter box as much as usual because she’s on high alert in a new place. Give her time and space and she’ll get there. If you have a room that can be her “home base” that often helps cats feel more comfortable in a new place
 

mrsgreenjeens

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I agree that she is probably majorly stressed out be having her life turned upside down. She just needs time to adjust.

As far as the litter box use, that's a whole new thing to her. I would suggest, as FeebysOwner FeebysOwner said, to either fill up her box with dirt to begin with, or at least mix in some dirt with the litter. Additionally, use an uncovered box, and use unscented litter You should have two boxes also. she might want one for pee and one for poop. The rule of thumb is always one box per cat, plus one. Also, any place outside of the box where she has peed needs to be cleaned with an enzymatic cleaner or she'll keep going there naturally. You might not be able to smell it if you clean it with soap and water, but she can and will be drawn to it.

She should have a "hidey hole", some place she can feel very safe inside the room you are keeping her in. A box on it's side would work well, especially if you put a towel over it to cover up most of the opening.

As far as food, I agree that leaving out some food for her to graze on is a good idea until you can see she is eating well.

Just spend time with her, gently talking to her to make her comfortable and she'll come around.
 
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