new kitty in our home

[ramona3828@yahoo.com]

Sure hope someone can help. We have gotten a new kitty three days ago. She came from a home where there were a lot of dogs and she was terrified of them. We know it will take a awhile for her to acclimate but we've barely seen her in three days. If we do see her and try to speak she streaks under the nearest furniture. How are we going to be able to connect with this poor thing?? How long , on average, should it take for her to at least be curious? Thanks for any input.

[jason]

has this cat been seen by a vet? i would be totally sure that medical issues are ruled out before investigating behavioral ones.

there are alot of possibilities behavioral wise, some of which may be:

• your cat is non-social
• your cat is trying to get adjusted to the new surroundings
• your cat doesn't like something or someone in her new house

all of them can get better over time (even the first) with at least her primary care giver, that's my experience at least and also what i have heard from others.

[ramona]

I should have elaborated on the new cat. She is 2 yrs. old , has been seen by a vet twice, is spayed. What my worry is is that she has lived her kitty life so far hiding from everything and we are concerned this will not change .She is pretty good sized and yet has not hardly eaten anything since last Friday. She is absolutely terrified if she spys my room mate or me. We are at a loss to know how to find her if she did need medical attention. We even moved furniture yesterday in an effort to see if we could find where she is hiding. No luck. Thanks for any input.
Ramona

[jason]

it's still pretty early (appox 4 days today) and it sounds as if your cat is slow to acclimate herself to new surroundings due to some past issues (a guess). you mentioned her "kitty life", do you know the previous owners? what else do you know about her past that may be pertinent?

you do want to be sure she is not "caught" somewhere in the house/apartment so i would make a rather serious effort to locate her (might want to try tapping a fork on a tuna can, an opened tuna can ). hopefully she did not get out, locate her today.

your cat will not survive (literally) without eating for too long (no matter her current size), water even shorter. first and foremost before trying to get her to adjust well and accept her entire surroundings is to locate some areas or rooms that she retreats to and place her essentials there so that her stress level is not elevated due to poor nurishment or having to hold her waste. the lack of nurishment/essentials is going to add to how long it will be before she feels safe.

on to getting her feeling safer.

i would again isolate a "safe room" for her, a place/area she seems to retreat to (probably will be the least traveled area in the house). place her essentials there and allow her to slowly extend her "safe zone" beyond the underneath of a couch (or whatever) to the entire "safe room" area s l o w l y before anticipating her to extend her safe zone to other parts of your house.

basically, you want to give her time by allowing her to roam small and (what she percieves as) safe(r) areas and her guard will hopefully begin to lower.

i would expect her to stay put in one local area for at least a couple weeks or so before she moves out without so much fright.

you want to remember that not only is she uncomforatable (this part is obvious) but all the stress she endures can have potential medical related effects so its in her best interest to be patient with this for many reasons (im not saying your not, loosing patience is a fact of life and im just reminding).

keep us updated and take your time.

[ramona]

Jason,
Thank you so much for all your help and knowledge.I did locate the cat today. It wasn't easy! It was a place I didn't think she would fit into. I have put out water, food and a second litter box in the laundry room area where I think she is spending most of her time. Hopefully she will come out and eat something tonight. I feel for her tremendously but of course feel helpless at this point. She came from a home where there were too many animals and her next stop was going to be the Humane Society if I didn't take her on, so I thought I would give it a try. Previous owner said she liked deli turkey so it is out on a dish!! I am hoping for the best! and Thank you so very much for your interest and help.
Ramona

[ramona]

Jason,
A small step has been taken. I managed to get Kitty to the place I talked about. During the night she moved around and seemed to be checking things out. She did EAT and used the new box. I think your suggestions will be the key!
Thanks again.
Ramona

[jason]

great, she is responding quickly thus far (in my terms) but keep in mind they are small steps and dont expect a great deal for now. whether its an issue of trust for you, her new surroundings, a combination of both or other issues it's clear that she is learning that things at your home can be a safe place for her...over time her safety net will get larger and hopefully she wont even notice how relaxed she will become .

i would refrain from non-cat food (deli turkey, tuna, etc etc) and keep her on something a bit more normal...maybe mix up her daily diet with offering canned feline food at times to be sure she is getting proper liquid. from my experience, dry food is just fine and i would recommend science diet if your able. i have a thin cat that i keep on adult formula (good mix with appropiate fat content) and a post p/u boy that eats cd (formerly cd/s).

keep up the good and patient work, i look forward to hearing more good reports (or bad ones too)...just keep us updated.

[ramona]

Jason,
Well we are at day 7 and I feel some progress has been made. When I arrived home today from work I found KItty in my clothes closet resting very serenly, she even allowed me to talk to her without bolting. She then walked to the laundry area (no running) and ate a little. She continues to eat well (we'll give up the turkey) and is using her box on a daily basis. My roomate has behaved in a very horrid manner regarding this poor creature and some of her behaviour has contributed. Now that Kitty is somewhat isolated from her she seems much more comfortable.
I am very hopeful all the apprehension will resolve in time. I am in NO hurry.
Thanks again.
Ramona

[jason]

Well we are at day 7 and I feel some progress has been made. When I arrived home today from work I found KItty in my clothes closet resting very serenly, she even allowed me to talk to her without bolting. She then walked to the laundry area (no running) and ate a little. She continues to eat well (we'll give up the turkey) and is using her box on a daily basis.

great update, things seem to be moving along very well. just keep on and let her decide what is comforatable for her. her curiosity will eventually be stronger than her fear.

My roomate has behaved in a very horrid manner regarding this poor creature and some of her behaviour has contributed. Now that Kitty is somewhat isolated from her she seems much more comfortable.

yeah, that happens alot...usually there is at least one person in the household that is not so into the "whole cat thing" (as i have heard it before) so it's good your kitty is a bit more isolated for now.

btw., what is your kittys name?

[ramona]

Hi Jason,

Well today I come home and have looked in the usual places and no cat. I think she has found another sleeping spot , possibly upstairs. I noticed she has used the second litter box up here. Maybe later tonite when I get up I'll see her. Should I still let her pick and choose contact at this point? or could I possibly try to pet her??? If I see her!!

Ramona