New cat hasn't eaten in a week, has made zero progress!

[blackcatfan]

We adopted a 3 year old cat who arrived last Friday. It is now Friday of the next week and she has remained hidden under the wardrobe like she did since she arrived. She is sectioned off in a quiet room of her own, like online advice suggests. We have also been completely ignoring her, not looking at her at all, like advice suggests.

Now I know this is normal for cats, but she has not eaten a single thing. We give her the exact food, including raw meat, she is used to, at the times she is used to, and she won't eat. We leave the food out for her to free feed, and she won't eat. We try different food, she won't eat. We try different bowls, she won't eat.

She still will NOT at all shape to come out from under the wardrobe if we are in the room. However, my boyfriend has slept in the cat room for a few nights. Around 5am she will come out to sit on the window and use the litter tray, and has even began meowing. However if my boyfriend meows back or even looks at her she darts back under the wardrobe. Even if he doesn't acknowledge her, she simply goes back under at around 7am anyway and remains there until 5am the next day.

We are both very worried about her not eating. Where she has decided is her "safe" spot is VERY closed off and we fear its not forcing her to accept her new environment enough. Is it worth moving her to a cat cave shaped bed? Or will that set her back more? We are really confused as to what we're meant to do. I have heard from others we should block off the wardrobe to force her out into a better place, or even lift her out to pet her.

Basically: new cat here a week, made zero progress, hasn't eaten. Please help!

 

[molly92]

You probably need to get her to a vet a soon as possible. It can get very dangerous for a cat to go for long periods without eating. They can develop something called fatty liver disease (hepatic lipidosis). At this point she at least needs to be syringe fed whatever you can. Wet food, or meat baby food (no onions or garlic) would be good, just get something in her, and then take her to the vet. After you're sure she's okay you can work with getting her more comfortable, but right now her health is going to have to go before her comfort.

 

[blackcatfan]

 
You probably need to get her to a vet a soon as possible. It can get very dangerous for a cat to go for long periods without eating. They can develop something called fatty liver disease (hepatic lipidosis). At this point she at least needs to be syringe fed whatever you can. Wet food, or meat baby food (no onions or garlic) would be good, just get something in her, and then take her to the vet. After you're sure she's okay you can work with getting her more comfortable, but right now her health is going to have to go before her comfort.

I'm not sure how we're going to get her into a carrier. She is still absolutely terrified. She is quite a lean cat anyway so she could be a slippery fish to catch. How urgently do you think we need to take her to the vet? 

 

[catpack]

If she has not eaten anything at all, it is very urgent to get her to the vet.

Have you tried some meat baby food? Chicken or turkey, no garlic or onion, just meat, broth/water and maybe some corn starch as a thickener.

You could also try tuna in water or even saradines packed in water.

What is this kitty's story? Did she come from a breeder, rescue/shelter or pet store? If she is accustom to eating a raw diet I tend to think she is from a breeder?

 

[molly92]

 
I'm not sure how we're going to get her into a carrier. She is still absolutely terrified. She is quite a lean cat anyway so she could be a slippery fish to catch. How urgently do you think we need to take her to the vet? 

Very. Hepatic lipidosis can develop after 1-2 days (generally in more overweight cats) or several days without eating, but it's different for every cat. You're probably going to have to corner her and scare her out from under the wardrobe somehow, maybe with a broom handle or something similar, and then grab her by the scruff of her neck or wrap her in a towel to protect yourself and put her in the carrier that way. You can wear gloves to protect yourself as well if she's lashing out. 

If you have Feliway spray or loose catnip you can use that in her carrier/on the towel to calm her down a little bit.

 

[blackcatfan]

If she has not eaten anything at all, it is very urgent to get her to the vet.

Have you tried some meat baby food? Chicken or turkey, no garlic or onion, just meat, broth/water and maybe some corn starch as a thickener.

You could also try tuna in water or even saradines packed in water.

What is this kitty's story? Did she come from a breeder, rescue/shelter or pet store? If she is accustom to eating a raw diet I tend to think she is from a breeder?

Haven't tried baby food, will look into it. Have tried freshly cooked chicken breast, wet food, raw meat (which she's confirmed to love), and dry food. 

We do not know a lot about this cat. We saw an ad for her on Gumtree from a woman who did not imply she was a breeder at all. She said she was rehoming this cat as she was beginning to get bullied by her other cat. We received the cat and it was a different cat to the image she used on the advert. I did some research and it turns out the woman is a full time pedigree cat breeder, something she never told us or mentioned

 

[blackcatfan]

 
Very. Hepatic lipidosis can develop after 1-2 days (generally in more overweight cats) or several days without eating, but it's different for every cat. You're probably going to have to corner her and scare her out from under the wardrobe somehow, maybe with a broom handle or something similar, and then grab her by the scruff of her neck or wrap her in a towel to protect yourself and put her in the carrier that way. You can wear gloves to protect yourself as well if she's lashing out. 

If you have Feliway spray or loose catnip you can use that in her carrier/on the towel to calm her down a little bit.

Is this going to scar her for life? She's already very shy, we're terrified we'll never have a bond with her over doing this. Obviously there's no choice, but how likely do you think it will ruin her forever towards us? 

 

[catpack]

Very interesting.

She HAS to get nutrition in her. She *will* get very sick very soon, if she is not already. A vet visit is a must. 1.) to check for fatty liver and 2.) just to check her over in general. There could be so many things going on.

it you are unable to reach under or have someone lift the wardrobe up to get the kitty out, you will need to use a broom or something similar to get her out. You will have plenty of time to work on building trust with her after the vet visit.

I am also going to suggest confining her to an extra large wire dog crate or a bathroom that does not have places for her to hide in which you cannot access her. Many of us have had great success with crating cats in an effort to gain their trust and build up their confidence.

 

[blackcatfan]

Very interesting.

She HAS to get nutrition in her. She *will* get very sick very soon, if she is not already. A vet visit is a must. 1.) to check for fatty liver and 2.) just to check her over in general. There could be so many things going on.

it you are unable to reach under or have someone lift the wardrobe up to get the kitty out, you will need to use a broom or something similar to get her out. You will have plenty of time to work on building trust with her after the vet visit.

I am also going to suggest confining her to an extra large wire dog crate or a bathroom that does not have places for her to hide in which you cannot access her. Many of us have had great success with crating cats in an effort to gain their trust and build up their confidence.

It is currently 2:30am here (can't sleep for the worry) so I will try and get her to the vets first thing tomorrow morning. I only hope it is not already too late. How does crating work? Do you handle them at all while in the crate? Would a room with no hiding areas be okay? 

 

[zed xyzed]

Have you tried canned tuna? Something really stinky would help. Is she drinking ? using the litter box?

 

[catpack]

As to whether this will ruin your chance of gaining her trust...absolutely not! Right now, the important thing is to make sure there are no medical issues that need addressing. This alone may be the cause of her reclusiveness.

Once any health issues are taken care of, you can move forward with gaining her trust and boosting her confidence. It sounds as if she has had some traumatizing experiences with the previous owner. And, perhaps lack of socializing.

I find that kitties like this can become the most bonded cats you have ever had. It just takes some extra time, patience and TLC.

 

[molly92]

 
Is this going to scar her for life? She's already very shy, we're terrified we'll never have a bond with her over doing this. Obviously there's no choice, but how likely do you think it will ruin her forever towards us? 

It's definitely going to frighten her right now, but in my experience cats can learn to trust even after we've put them through a lot! She will learn that you're taking care of her and providing for her and she will bond with you, don't worry! It will take time, but she will get there.

If you decide to give her access to a room, you can close off the hiding places that you don't want her going into, but then provide her with hiding places like comfy cardboard boxes that you can access her from. An entire room might be a bit much for her to handle at first, which is why a large crate with everything she needs is a good idea. This page has a really helpful guide for socializing scared cats, which it sounds like she might need: http://bestfriends.org/resources/socializing-very-shy-or-fearful-cats. I've used some of the methods for semi ferals with good results. You can look through it after she's been to the vet, or now if you think it will calm you down.

 

[catpack]

Yes, a room without furniture for her to hide in would certainly do. You can offer her boxes or covered beds to hide in, but still allow you to have access to her.

Yes, with the crating, you can get them setup either in a quiet area of in the main part of the house. And, yes, you interact with them. Get them on feeding schedules (the fact that your girl is already accustom this this can help) and associate you with positive things.

Plus, it somewhat forces them to have interaction with you.

It's quite possible that your girl came from a home where she was crated and this may give her the security she needs to feel safe.

There are several threads on here that talk through the steps of crating a cat for the purpose of socializing/gaining trust, including a kitten from a breeder that was not properly socialized.

I am not where I can link to that thread right now; but, the user's name was @Nacho and the kitten's name was Nook. You can do a search for them.

 

[catsnip404]

As to whether this will ruin your chance of gaining her trust...absolutely not! Right now, the important thing is to make sure there are no medical issues that need addressing. This alone may be the cause of her reclusiveness.

Once any health issues are taken care of, you can move forward with gaining her trust and boosting her confidence. It sounds as if she has had some traumatizing experiences with the previous owner. And, perhaps lack of socializing.

I find that kitties like this can become the most bonded cats you have ever had. It just takes some extra time, patience and TLC.

I totally agree with CatPack.  I have what WAS a semi-feral that did nothing but hiss at me in the beginning and that I couldn't touch.  Even after feeding him outside, then "betraying" him by trapping him in a raccoon trap (last mid-October), getting him neutered (at which point they labeled him "vicious"), keeping him in a cage for 10 days, and then taking him into the vet at a later but "mid-point" in the process of socializing him to me, he has turned out to be a mama's boy, overall.  He has his "feral tendencies" at times, but he has become very bonded to me.  Just today, the gutter cleaning guys were out there with the leaf blowers, and while my other cats ran to their respective hiding places, he ran to me, like "Save me!  Save me!" and crawled into my lap on his own for the first time.

Point is, do what you need to do to get this baby to the vet and she will forgive you later, for sure.  Chase her out of her hiding place and throw a towel over her if need be.  But please keep us posted!

 

[blackcatfan]

 
Have you tried canned tuna? Something really stinky would help. Is she drinking ? using the litter box?

She isn't drinking either, but she is using her litter box every night. Her poop looks normal and she's peeing a good amount. Maybe she is eating tiny amounts secretly? 

 

[blackcatfan]

 
It's definitely going to frighten her right now, but in my experience cats can learn to trust even after we've put them through a lot! She will learn that you're taking care of her and providing for her and she will bond with you, don't worry! It will take time, but she will get there.

If you decide to give her access to a room, you can close off the hiding places that you don't want her going into, but then provide her with hiding places like comfy cardboard boxes that you can access her from. An entire room might be a bit much for her to handle at first, which is why a large crate with everything she needs is a good idea. This page has a really helpful guide for socializing scared cats, which it sounds like she might need: http://bestfriends.org/resources/socializing-very-shy-or-fearful-cats. I've used some of the methods for semi ferals with good results. You can look through it after she's been to the vet, or now if you think it will calm you down.

We will definitely close off the wardrobe area next time she steps out. If she is hiding in a bed, is it okay to approach her? Or would you recommend we still do not approach?  

 

[blackcatfan]

Yes, a room without furniture for her to hide in would certainly do. You can offer her boxes or covered beds to hide in, but still allow you to have access to her.

Yes, with the crating, you can get them setup either in a quiet area of in the main part of the house. And, yes, you interact with them. Get them on feeding schedules (the fact that your girl is already accustom this this can help) and associate you with positive things.

Plus, it somewhat forces them to have interaction with you.

It's quite possible that your girl came from a home where she was crated and this may give her the security she needs to feel safe.

There are several threads on here that talk through the steps of crating a cat for the purpose of socializing/gaining trust, including a kitten from a breeder that was not properly socialized.

I am not where I can link to that thread right now; but, the user's name was @Nacho and the kitten's name was Nook. You can do a search for them.

After we close off the wardrobe area, we suspect she will move into one of the hooded beds we have set up. What level of interaction do you suggest while she is hiding in one of those? Can we approach her at all? Or should we continue to ignore her and let her approach us? 

 

[ellag]

the first cat my husband and i adopted together acted the same way. we got him from a rescue at petco. they didn't know any history and he seemed friendly enough at the store but when we got him home, he was terrified. we didn't see him for weeks! i could tell he was eating a little at night and using the litter box. he eventually started coming out during the day but it was months before he would let us touch him but he ended up being a very loving cat to us but he remained scared of strangers for his entire life. he was never really a lap cat but he would sit right beside us and he always slept at the foot of our bed. we found a very sickly 3-4 week old kitten who had been abandoned that we kept and he loved him! he was like a little mama to him. your cat will come around, it just takes some cats a little longer. but if you are sure your cat isn't eating at all, then yes you will have to take her to a vet .

 

[catsnip404]

I know your first concern is getting this baby to a vet.  But I wanted to add on to some of the other posts about getting her to trust you.  I kept my semi-feral boy in a large dog crate with everything he needed for the first 10 days while he recovered from his surgery.  This crate was a few feet away from my bed, so that he could see me laying quietly for 8 hours a day in a non-threatening manner.  When I could during the day, I went in and sat next to the cage and just talked to him like I was reading a story to a child.  This definitely helped, as he started to feel comfortable enough to fall asleep in my presence, etc.

But towards the end of his confinement, I discovered Feliway, which is a synthetic pheromone, and even though the insert says it could take a month to see results, I saw a difference in him in 24 hours.  While I was sitting there, he rubbed against the side of the cage as if he wanted to rub against me.  That's what made me decide that I could give him a chance and I let him out in my room.

We still had work to do after that.  But the Feliway made a huge difference during this period in terms of reducing his anxiety.  I know that because the first time it ran out, he was more hissy and afraid.  Not as bad as in the beginning, but there was definitely a difference without it.  However, now he doesn't seem to need it.  Feliway helped us get over that "anxiety" hump and he's now bonded to me very much.

Please keep us posted on your baby!

 

[blackcatfan]

 
the first cat my husband and i adopted together acted the same way. we got him from a rescue at petco. they didn't know any history and he seemed friendly enough at the store but when we got him home, he was terrified. we didn't see him for weeks! i could tell he was eating a little at night and using the litter box. he eventually started coming out during the day but it was months before he would let us touch him but he ended up being a very loving cat to us but he remained scared of strangers for his entire life. he was never really a lap cat but he would sit right beside us and he always slept at the foot of our bed. we found a very sickly 3-4 week old kitten who had been abandoned that we kept and he loved him! he was like a little mama to him. your cat will come around, it just takes some cats a little longer. but if you are sure your cat isn't eating at all, then yes you will have to take her to a vet .

We suspect she may actually be eating teeny tiny amounts, and that the problem may come from being exposed for too long. My partner just checked and he said that the little pieces of dry food we flicked under for her are gone. She apparently just ate about 5 mouthfuls of wet food too. Still very worrying if she has eaten enough or not. I am praying that some day she will be a loving lap cat, as she apparently was with her previous owner

 
I know your first concern is getting this baby to a vet.  But I wanted to add on to some of the other posts about getting her to trust you.  I kept my semi-feral boy in a large dog crate with everything he needed for the first 10 days while he recovered from his surgery.  This crate was a few feet away from my bed, so that he could see me laying quietly for 8 hours a day in a non-threatening manner.  When I could during the day, I went in and sat next to the cage and just talked to him like I was reading a story to a child.  This definitely helped, as he started to feel comfortable enough to fall asleep in my presence, etc.

But towards the end of his confinement, I discovered Feliway, which is a synthetic pheromone, and even though the insert says it could take a month to see results, I saw a difference in him in 24 hours.  While I was sitting there, he rubbed against the side of the cage as if he wanted to rub against me.  That's what made me decide that I could give him a chance and I let him out in my room.

We still had work to do after that.  But the Feliway made a huge difference during this period in terms of reducing his anxiety.  I know that because the first time it ran out, he was more hissy and afraid.  Not as bad as in the beginning, but there was definitely a difference without it.  However, now he doesn't seem to need it.  Feliway helped us get over that "anxiety" hump and he's now bonded to me very much.

Please keep us posted on your baby!

I have actually just plugged in a Feliway adapter about 35 hours ago now! She already seems a bit less skittish. Fingers crossed it keeps working