New Cat In Hiding

[chickyandcheese]

We adopted an adult cat from a friend two weeks ago and since then she has been alternating between hiding under our bed and under the couch all day and comes out a bit at night while we're sleeping. I know that this is typical behavior for a cat in a new place and she is skittish because of having lived in a stressful situation with a dog previously.

What concerns me is that she is hardly eating or drinking at all. We've tried wet food and dry food and occasionally she'll eat. But, based on what I've seen, I would say she's only eaten about 4 times in the last 14 days. Likewise, she rarely uses her box (likely because she has nothing to pass) but I haven't found any evidence of her having accidents elsewhere in the apartment.

We have a very quiet apartment and have been very careful to let her do her thing and get used to us but it seems like her reclusive behavior is getting worse instead of better and I'm worried about her eating. Should we be concerned?

 

[tabbytom]

Hello C chickyandcheese , on behalf of The Catsite community, I warmly welcome you to TCS

I'm tabbytom and I'm a Mentor here in Catsite. Feel free to ask questions if you have any in regards to getting around the site. I'm here to help

Have you tried luring her out? You can do that by using a cat wand and play with her and slowly withdraw the feathers and let her come out to get it or entice her with some food.

You have to win her confidence to get her out eating, drinking, using the litter box and also socializing with you and the rest of the people.

Do you know if whether if she has a medical issue? Like dental or oral problems, I'm just naming one example but it could be other medical issues. Hopefully it's just because of the change of environment.

It's dangerous for a cat who is not eating regularly. They use up their fats reserves for energy if they do not have enough to eat. And before they use the stored fats for energy, it has to be processed by the live which need proteins for the process.
And when the cat start to loose weight when it stop eating, proteins are depleted and liver is over worked and thus will turn into a dangerous condition called Hepatic Lipodosis which can lead to liver failure.

I'm not scaring you with this but it is needful to get the cat eating and coming out from hiding. Try your best to lure her out. Stay with her so that she gets use to your presence and speak and read a book softly to her. It may take awhile but do it with love, patience and routine.

In the meanwhile, here are some articles to read to help you get started with the site.

New Here? I Have A Few Suggestions For You!
Forum Rules
Community Guidelines & Practices - Frequently Asked Questions
How To Add A Picture To Your Forum Post

Do check out the informative forum threads and also the many good reads in the Articles section too.

And lastly, do introduce yourself and your kitty to the community in New Cats on the Block and do post photos of your kitty for us to see

 

[KatsPurrrsians]

Yes that sounds concerning to me. I too just adopted (two) new adult cats and was researching possible suggestions to the skittish behavior when I came across your post.
She should at least be eating when no one is around. And obviously the best way to know is by checking the litter box, which you've been doing. Sooo, maybe contacting the previous owner (if that's an option) and asking them... has she always been skittish? Are you feeding the same food she was on prior to coming home with you? Does she have any health issues that have gone unaddressed or that she recently acquired? Has she seen a vet in the last year? I'd probably get her to the vet ASAP regardless because 2 weeks is along time without regular eating habits to be at least getting better rather than worse.

Good luck

 

[Firecracker1]

Have you tried putting food under the bed when she's under there or behind the couch so she can eat where she feels the most comfortable? Is there a bedroom that she can be in by herself with the door shut?

 

[chickyandcheese]

Thank you all for your replies!

As an update, we actually had to remove her from under the bed because we discovered that she had gone to the bathroom under it. So that is now blocked off and she has taken up residence under the couch, but has since started to get more comfortable and will hang out behind the curtain looking out our slider window while we are up and about.

She has also finally started eating. I've discovered she prefers to eat off of flat things and not out of a dish, so we've been putting her food out on a tupperware lid and she's been devouring it - so good news!

We are still working with her to get her to trust us and come out more, but this is positive progress.

We also haven't had any more accidents since blocking off the bed. Still not sure if that was a fluke or what was goign on but we are keeping an eye on it.

 

[tabbytom]

Very happy to hear this

Yes, bowls or plates with high sides may irritate her whiskers as it is called Whiskers Stress. A flat plat with low sides or the one you are using is good.

Remember, love, patience and routine is the key and if followed religiously, she'll be out in no time

Keep us posted.