How long did it take your cat(s) to come around?

[jmyw]

Hi all,

I am fairly new to cats and being a cat mom and I am trying to gauge if I am making progress at all with the 12 y/o cat I adopted from my local shelter over a month ago. He is very fearful of sounds and people and seems to have come from a traumatizing background, though I was not given much information about his history or where he came from. He hides all day in a hiding spot I set up for him in his room and hisses at me whenever I approach him. I have tried to talk to him in his room and he lets me pet and touch him, but he's still really scared of me and will try to move away from me. He eats and uses his litter box with no problems as long as I'm not in the room, but I am debating whether or not to start socializing him more so he gets used to me.

I was wondering if anyone has a story and any tips to share about how long it took for their cat(s) to acclimate to a new home? Thank you!

 

[susanm9006]

Thank you for adopting this kitty! Senior cat likes yours have probably been someone’s treasured or at least cared for pets and then suddenly they find themselves in a cage, in a strange place, with nothing familiar around them. It is absolutely understood that they will be fearful and withdrawn. The fact that he is eating and using his litterbox is great. His hiding and hissing is expected.

The best thing you can do for your boy is to spend some time sitting in the room with him and talking to him. I would not try to pet him, reach for him or get too close. It might take him a month or it could even be several months before he feels safe with you. You can try setting out some treats close to you and hopefully he will decide they are worth coming out for. If he gets near start by slowly stretching out a hand to let him sniff. No touching him though until he seems to want it.

My girl, who was only a year old when I adopted her, spent weeks hiding under the bed and no way was she coming out while I was there. So what eventually got her out exploring was opening the door to her room and letting her explore at night. If your place is safe, no holes he could hide and get stuck in, no other pets to frighten him, it is something you can consider in another month or so if he hasn’t come out.

 

[IndyJones]

My cats hardly even took a day. Kabby is so laid back and is an excellent traveler. Indy travels well but doesn't like being confined in the crate and would rather run around and explore the car.

They take about half a day to sniff around and Kab finds a chair to lie on and indy explores around.

I think my cats are the exception that proves the rule though.

 

[sivyaleah]

My husband and my first cat together, an 8-1/2 year old ginger boy, walked into our house and within 5 minutes had the entire 2 floors scoped out and was comfortable. Even slept with us that first night.

Our 2nd cat, who was about 3-5 years old when we got her, hid under the bed in our guest room for days, not even coming out to use her box or eat. It was nerve wracking! She'd hiss at us from under the bed but if we brought her out, she would curl up on our arms. Took about 2 weeks before she was brave enough to venture out and even then, camped out mostly in our dining room for many weeks thereafter. My boy and her, thankfully, after a week or so became good friends.

Now our 3rd cat, who came from a breeder and was only 16 weeks old, took about a day before she started feeling comfortable although she certainly was not afraid those first hours. However we kept her behind closed doors for several weeks because our older girl was not pleased with this intruder at first. I think it was about 3 weeks before we felt the older one wouldn't harm her. Once the kitten had more free reign of the house, she acclimated fast - found her way around without much fuss. It took a few more weeks before I felt comfortable leaving them together all night though. They are nice with each other now but it's not the close bond the older one had with our boy. Maybe one day...

 

[jmyw]

Thank you for adopting this kitty! Senior cat likes yours have probably been someone’s treasured or at least cared for pets and then suddenly they find themselves in a cage, in a strange place, with nothing familiar around them. It is absolutely understood that they will be fearful and withdrawn. The fact that he is eating and using his litterbox is great. His hiding and hissing is expected.

The best thing you can do for your boy is to spend some time sitting in the room with him and talking to him. I would not try to pet him, reach for him or get too close. It might take him a month or it could even be several months before he feels safe with you. You can try setting out some treats close to you and hopefully he will decide they are worth coming out for. If he gets near start by slowly stretching out a hand to let him sniff. No touching him though until he seems to want it.

My girl, who was only a year old when I adopted her, spent weeks hiding under the bed and no way was she coming out while I was there. So what eventually got her out exploring was opening the door to her room and letting her explore at night. If your place is safe, no holes he could hide and get stuck in, no other pets to frighten him, it is something you can consider in another month or so if he hasn’t come out.

Thank you for your reply! The last time I let him explore at night, he managed to open the closet door and hid there for a day until I moved him back to his safe room, but I will keep talking to him and spending time with him!

 

[susanm9006]

When a new cat goes out exploring, there is a strong liklihood they will find a new hiding spot but usually they will only stay there for part of the day or night, returning to their safe room for food and litterbox. This is part of how they figure out your entire space is safe. So, if you don’t want him in the closet keep it shut and perhaps he will find an acceptable to you hideout elsewhere where he can spy on you during the day.

After I opened my girl’s door she found a new hiding spot up in the back of the sofa. Even though I might be sitting there she would stay absolutely still for a good part of the evening until I either went to bed or she really had to pee and then she would wriggle out and tear back to her room. This went on for weeks and then one morning I came out and she was sprawled in the table, relaxed and acting like she owned the space.

 

[Kflowers]

When you adopt a senior cat there is a good chance, as Susanna9006 said that he was a beloved pet. If he was there is good chance his owner died or went into a nursing home and he is grieving. So he has not only lost his home and the only safety he knew but his beloved companion. Cats require time to grieve the loss of their person and companion animals just as we do. There is nothing kinder that you can do than give him a safe place to grieve and wait until he comes to terms with it.

Different cats, as people, take different amounts of time to grieve. Mine took several weeks when they lost a companion. One took 40 days of no purring after her sister was killed. They got better with time.