Newly Adopted Cat Not Eating, Drinking Or Using Litter Box

jackie.o

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Hello there, I came across this site and although I saw some similar threads on this topic, I wanted to post my own questions to get some help specific to my new kitty as I am a first time cat owner. I adopted Jackie O on Sunday through my local ASCPA chapter. She is a 4 year old cutie and is super affectionate and from her foster I was told she is totally healthy and never had any issues. It is now Tuesday and she has barely eaten or drank any water. She used the litter box to make #1 once and I scooped it. Based on my research, I put her in my bathroom/large walk in closet with the same dry food she had previously been fed, a water fountain, a few toys and the litter box (far enough away from the food). I also tried feeding her wet food (fancy feast that I heated up a bit in the microwave that her foster mom said she loves) and she sniffed it a bit but did not eat any. I can tell she is fearful of the new noises in my apartment, but the moment I go to her she is all head butts and demanding of belly rubs! She even sat on my lap to watch TV last night. I am hoping she eats/drinks/uses the bathroom while I am gone, but today I am at work and worried that she has not eaten or drank much, and I'm wondering if anyone has any other advice to encourage her. Any help would be appreciated :) thank you!
 

Margret

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You may want to try some Feliway. https://www.feliway.com/us You can get it from Chewy.com for a reasonable price, but if you don't want to wait for shipping you could try calling pet stores in your area and asking about it.

If she didn't have a cat fountain in her previous home she may be uncomfortable with that. You could try her on a plain bowl of water, changed frequently (every day or so, not every hour or so). She also probably needs a scratching post or pad -- one of those small cardboard ones should work just fine -- and you may want to put catnip on it. Not all cats like catnip, but those who do just love it.

Welcome to The Cat Site! :hellosmiley: :hithere: You've found the best community of cat lovers on the internet and we hope you and your new fur-baby will be part of it for a very long time. (We also hope you'll post lots of pictures. For some reason :headscratch: we're all suckers for cat pictures here.)

Margret
 
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Mamanyt1953

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I'm simply going to second EVERYTHING that Margret Margret said, and add that it can take several days for a cat to adjust to a new place. She is eating and drinking something, so I think that she will be fine in a few more days.
 
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jackie.o

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I'm simply going to second EVERYTHING that Margret Margret said, and add that it can take several days for a cat to adjust to a new place. She is eating and drinking something, so I think that she will be fine in a few more days.
Thank you both so much. I have set out water bowls in addition to the fountain, and also have as scratching pad that I saw her use once. I'm hoping some food and water is missing when I get home in a bit!
 

Mamanyt1953

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Keep us posted. It will be a bit at a time, but she should slowly gain confidence about the whole eating/drinking thing in a new place.
 
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jackie.o

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Update: she ate, drank and used the bathroom! I emailed her previous foster mom and she suggested trying some canned tuna, so I stopped at the store to grab some and the moment I brought it out, Jackie immediately began lapping it up! I even added a little extra water to it and then I added a couple of drops of the tuna water to her water dish, which helped too. She even started eating her dry food now! And she used the litter box two more times. I'm relieved! Thank you all for looking out for us :hyper::happycat:
 
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