HELP...CAT HATES NEW HOME....WHAT CAN I DO???

[nibby]

I gave my 7 year old cat away on Sunday....3 days ago.... to a wonderful family because I am moving across the country and he doesn't travel well. He's not an extraordinarily shy cat, but they say ever since they took him home, he is hiding under the bed.

Will this eventually stop, or what can I do? I really don't want him back, but I don't want them to take him to a shelter, either. I sent all his familiar things with him.

HELP PLEASE!!!!!

[Auntie Debbie]

What the new family needs is patience with your kitty. It is imperative that the kitty does eat and gets fresh water. Someone should spend time in the room talking nice and soothing to him so they can build a friendship. Tossing treats under the bed, tossing them closer and closer to the outskirts of the bed is a good idea. The kitty may begin to move out a bit. Someone once left a trail of treats to encourage the cat out.
As long as kitty does eat, drink and come out to use the litter box, patience is the key. If the kitty is not eating, then his new owners need to pull him out from the bed and set him in a room where he can't hide but will still feel secure. A little force feeding may be necessary if the kitty truly isn't eating or drinking.
I hope your kitty will settle in soon and be happy in his new home.

[davet]

she will adjust...there is nothing like TLC for any cat treatment...i guess Time should be added to the TLC,, time a patience...

[NIBBY]

Thanks, Debbie! He's sneaking out at night to use the ltter box, so he must be eating too. They are throwing his favorite treats under the bed too.

Will he get over this ever? I read somewhere on the internet that this can last 7-10 days to a month....even longer....I'm just concerned that he ever gets over it!

Any other suggestions?

[Phoebe's human]

Fear not! I adopted a 7-year-old cat last April, and it took many months before she came out of hiding much at all (under the bed).

The vet I took her to cautioned me that it could easily take 6 MONTHS.

It was gradual, but it didn't take quite that long. I was trying very hard, though, and have a small place with no other animals and very few visitors--so my kitty might have adjusted more easily than she would have otherwise.

Tossing a few treats under the bed is a good idea--that worked well for my kitty too. I even shoved her food and water dishes under the bed when I was worried that she might not be even eating.

I took the vet's advice and made sure she had a room to herself. I put her litter box, toys, and food and water all in the bedroom. I made sure that the food and water weren't too close to the bedroom door.

The vet warned me about doors. They make a new and skittish cat especially nervous, she said. This has turned out to be right on the mark. It took a long time before my cat would go near the front door of this apartment.

Nowadays she's all over the place. She almost never hides under the bed. She has about a dozen favorite places she naps in. I gradually moved her dishes and litter box to other locations, and she has no problem with that either.

It took time, but it was well worth it. She's a very sweet cat with a very agreeable disposition.

[gsc4]

Patience. When I got my first cat (a 2 yr old from a shelter) she basically hid under the bed for 2 weeks. She would come out while I was at work and eat and use the litter box. But mostly she just hid under the bed or other hiding place for a couple weeks.

[flanders94]

When I got my 2 kittens, the female was so scared of people, that she hid all the time. After about 2 weeks, she started to come around and now she rarely leaves me alone. A new place is frightening for most animals. Once they start to feel comfortable, they'll settle in.