New Kitten in Home?

hi there,

i'm new to the board and thought i'd join to get some wonderful insight for a first time cat owner! (i hope i posted this in the right section, if not, my apologies).

i adopted an 8-month old kitten on sunday, he's a beautiful bombay cat named SHADOW. from what i was told of his history, he was previously adopted, but the owner gave him back to the adoption place after 4 days because he was by the door meowing all night. the lady at the adoption place told me that he was a bit shy, but eventually warms up you. he was neutered and is up-to-date on shots. at the adoption place, he was a bit shy but was playful with the other cats and absolutely adored the laser light. the minute we brought him home, completely different story.

i know it's natural for cats to be scared of their environment and done the following - isolated a room where he has food, water, litter box, scratching post, bed and toys. he hides under a dresser and i come by to talk to him, and he'll let me pet him (somewhat) but continues to hide. last night, he came out of hiding and explored a bit but was constantly meowing the past 2 nights. this is normal, right? i don't know how long it generally takes for them to adjust (obviously i know it differs upon each cat.) when he purrs, he shakes his tail slightly and will let us pet him but then won't stay near us. i'm assuming he's trying to get used to us? but i'm worried because he's not eating or drinking water nor using his litter box. yesterday, i hung out with him at a low level by laying on the floor sweet-talking him and placed a treat under the dresser and he did eat it but generally isn't eating ANY of the food we've provided him.

it's just driving me crazy with the constant meowing all night. we try to hang out with him, but he still meows. during the day, he just hides under the dresser. but at night, he'll come out and i know generally cats are nocturnal but i don't know what to do? i'm a first-time cat owner so i'm not sure how it takes for cats to adjust to new surroundings. i'm assuming he's lonely and scared but from what i described, are these things normal? how long should i wait before i take him to a vet to see if anything is wrong? i know it's only been 2 days and these things take time, but my bf is ready to give up and i told him to be patient. anyway, any insight would be great.

You're right - it can (and often does) take longer than this to settle down - it's only Tuesday! So, it's a bit early to be worried that he won't settle in.

If he was at the shelter pretty much his whole life, he may be "calling" for the people/cats he knows - probably all you can do is be patient.

Also, some cats are very chatty - I'm not familar with Bombay as a breed, but some quick research has indicated that Bombays can be very chatty, it's not at all unusual.

He's probably not coming out at night because he's noctural (cats aren't noctural, they're crepuscular, ie most active at dawn/dusk) but because he's shy and unused to his surroundings, and it's when you are in bed.

Try sitting quietly in the room he hides in and read aloud so he gets used to your voice. When you look at him, don't look directly into his eyes, or half-close your eyes if you do. Looking away from him or down his body may make it easier for him to approach you.

thanks! i figured it was a bit early, but i suppose since it's the first cat i've owned, i'm being overprotective and motherly!

i'm just a tad bit nervous because he's not eating. does that tend to be normal for kittens/cats adjusting to new environments?

If he's not eating at all, taking him to the vet is a must - their livers can shut down even after only a few days of missing food.

What kind of food are you giving him? It's probably a good idea to leave out some dry kibble, and then give him some wet in the morning and evening. If you don't know what he's used to eating, he may not even recognize other food as "food." Don't leave the wet out; it goes bad pretty quickly.

we are giving him both wet and dry food - the place we adopted him from gave us a list of what he was eating prior to being adopted. he actually is eating now, so that's a relief and seems to be making progress... coming out of hiding and starting to approach me a little more.

it's just the darn meowing that won't stop! so maybe i overreacted with my worries - but thanks all for the feedback!

You can get felliway plug in and refills at a good deal on amazon and I think that would be useful.
I never meet a cat so scared after the first day that didnt come out to play with pole based toys, rings, etc. I think that would be a good idea to wear him out actually for a full hour before bed. My first cat Kelly cried for four days(my stepdad was not please) and that was with me sleeping with her in 10x12 room. She did settle down but I think when you have a cat that cries right away on ride home, then cries at night its a sign your going have a vocal buddy verses a mellow one but it doesn't mean there wouldn't be an improvement.