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

Another thing--when you are working with her, don't stare at her.  For the most part, don't look at her at all, and don't point your body in her direction.  Act like you don't even care that she's there.  But on occasion, just look at her and give her a slow blink, with relaxed body posture.  Do that once or twice, then look away.  Eventually, and it might take awhile (could be weeks), she'll do that back to you.

blackcatfan said:

 
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?  

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I'd recommend just taking things slowly. Sit next to her in her eyeline but not too close that you're crowding her, and talk to her for a few minutes at a time. Then after she gets more comfortable, you can get a little closer, offer her treats and smelly food like tuna, and pet her gently with the end of  a wand, and then graduate to a couple fingers, etc. Keep sessions short and sweet so she doesn't get too stressed, but once you notice her getting comfortable you can move on to the next step.

Ok. So, she is eating *some* and using the litter box regularly? Where have you been placing her food/water dishes?

Putting them directly under the bed or wardrobe is ideal. Push them under as far as you can reasonably reach.

Try this tonight and see how it goes. Offer her a few different choices overnight and see what/how much she eats.

In reading back, I see that you know about not staring at her.  Do try the slow eye blinks to signal to her that you are "friendly" and relaxed posture (sitting on the floor with humped shoulders, etc.) if you haven't already.  I actually tried to mimic the posture of relaxed cats, as much as I could.

The background sounds so bizarre, with a possible breeder and yet this 3-year-old cat that is this timid.  I'm not sure what to make of all that.

But I would run down to WalMart and get her a cheap cat tree and put it by a window so she has somewhere up high to perch.  I found one there that had a "shower curtain rod spring" type of design that went floor to ceiling and had a variety of levels.  And my fearful boy liked that.  But I also put the bed that was in that room down on the floor so he couldn't hide under anymore, and that made a difference too.

I think Catpack referred to us in a previous post.

Nanook was ferral and displaying exactly the same behaviour you talk about in your posts. I understand how you are feeling, it's just so stressful for you both and the cat.

We followed the advice on here and used the crating method.
Some think it's not the right thing to do and it breaks the cats spirit. It may seem like this at first but in the long run it actually makes the spirit.

Nanook is now 2 years old and the most loving smooch cat you could ever imagine.

I am happy to offer any advice or help talk you through the process.

It truly does work.

Hey guys, just writing with an update.

I contacted the vets first thing this morning and have her booked in for a couple of hours. The vet asked for the cat's previous vet, which made us remember that the previous owner seemed to have "forgotten" to get that information over to us despite me asking about 3 times before the cat's arrival. I emailed the previous owner immediately and got a reply an hour later simply telling us that we should try different food. I emailed immediately back saying nothing but requesting the vet information, and got a reply another hour later. All she said was we should try Feliway. I replied AGAIN saying NOTHING but "Can we have the previous vet address?" and she replied saying we should not take the cat to the vet and let it "play out naturally." I replied one more time wanting the vet info... and have not yet received a reply.

We blocked up under the wardrobe when the cat came last night to try and move her to a bed or more open hiding area. This has stressed her a bit and she let out a few stress meows, but eventually settled in one of the cat cave beds we set up for her. She is very shy and clinging to the wall of the bed. 

I am dreading have to move her to the carrier later. I am very used to dealing with outdoor and feral cats, so actually achieving it isn't the problem. It's seeing the fear on her face and knowing how far back she will be set. 

blackcatfan said:

 
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? 

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She must be eating small amounts if she is still pooping. From memory after mine was spayed she didn’t poop for days because she didnt eat for over 36 hours. 

blackcatfan said:

 
I am dreading have to move her to the carrier later. I am very used to dealing with outdoor and feral cats, so actually achieving it isn't the problem. It's seeing the fear on her face and knowing how far back she will be set. 

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Try leaving the carrier out with a little pillow in it. Will you vet visit?

Grrr Cat said:

 
She must be eating small amounts if she is still pooping. From memory after mine was spayed she didn’t poop for days because she didnt eat for over 36 hours. 

Try leaving the carrier out with a little pillow in it. Will you vet visit?

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If she is eating small amounts they must be fairly small. Is that enough? Is this fatty liver thing caused by not eating enough or not eating at all? Will leave the carrier out in the room but I highly doubt she'll move, she seems very anchored down to the bed now. I don't think the vet does house visits

Did you adopt from a shelter? They should have some records. 

If you did a private adoption, then I think you should forget about getting the records. 

It appears the previous owners either did not have a Vet or just want nothing more to do with this cat and this situation. 

Could you at least find out who the previous Vet was? That is, if you do not get a false name...

Wondering if this cat was traumatized by something which is making it be very afraid of life.

Yes, I would keep feliway running in her room, and a soft radio playing some classical music or some talk radio. 

Spend some time just in there, sitting, reading, or reading out loud, or just talking to her.

I am not a Vet, but I would think she has to be eating something, otherwise she would be extremely weak and shutting down at this point. She would not be peeing and pooping normally.

Keep the carrier out. That is how I got my guy used to it. While it is not his favorite thing to be locked in it, he is not fighting me as much as he used to. 

He even goes into it, uses it as a 'safe' place.

I have to get going now.. I will check in on this thread later...

You might want to just confirm with the vet about the fatty liver question. when leaving out food for her, spread a small amount over a plate and leave no spaces, that way if she eats you will be able to see it. It is difficult to tell if you leave them a heaping bowl. One thing that is really special is that she poor girl as scared as she is, is using the litter box. What a good kitty. When you get a chance can you post a few pictures of her.

Artiemom said:

 
Did you adopt from a shelter? They should have some records. 

If you did a private adoption, then I think you should forget about getting the records. 

It appears the previous owners either did not have a Vet or just want nothing more to do with this cat and this situation. 

Could you at least find out who the previous Vet was? That is, if you do not get a false name...

Wondering if this cat was traumatized by something which is making it be very afraid of life.

Yes, I would keep feliway running in her room, and a soft radio playing some classical music or some talk radio. 

Spend some time just in there, sitting, reading, or reading out loud, or just talking to her.

I am not a Vet, but I would think she has to be eating something, otherwise she would be extremely weak and shutting down at this point. She would not be peeing and pooping normally.

Keep the carrier out. That is how I got my guy used to it. While it is not his favorite thing to be locked in it, he is not fighting me as much as he used to. 

He even goes into it, uses it as a 'safe' place.

I have to get going now.. I will check in on this thread later...

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We adopted from a private owner. The private owner after much nagging has given us the name of the vet. However, the old vets cannot tell us anything by law, so we have to get our new vet to contact them to see whats going on. I told my partner about others suggested she may not have been socialised correctly, and he mentioned that the previous owner actually said she was kept in a cage. Perhaps she has never really been allowed out of a cage before in her life? 

I have set her carrier in the room with a pillow. She has a few hours to look at it and be near it before we move her. Will definitely post with any updates from the vet 

Zed Xyzed said:

 
You might want to just confirm with the vet about the fatty liver question. when leaving out food for her, spread a small amount over a plate and leave no spaces, that way if she eats you will be able to see it. It is difficult to tell if you leave them a heaping bowl. One thing that is really special is that she poor girl as scared as she is, is using the litter box. What a good kitty. When you get a chance can you post a few pictures of her.

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She really is a fantastic girl, you can tell she does not want things to be like this, and will make a fantastic family member when she is ready. She has used the litter tray with my partner being in the room even. She is a beautiful tuxedo cat who is very fluffy, I am very excited to share lots of photos of her when I can nab them! 

As I suspected. You are probably correct that this girl lived out most if not all of her life in a cage. This shows even more what a lucky girl she is to have landed in your care!

This is good to know too as recreating a similar setup for her can offer some security. And, thus, I am going to highly suggest getting her an extra-large size wire dog crate. Put a litter box (I often use a plastic storage box/tote so that the sides are higher than a similar sized litter box.

Put her bed, a small cardboard scratcher and water in the crate with her. (I like to use crate bowls that attach to the side of the crate.)

I look forward to an update after the vet visit! I think I would also inquire if this girl has been spayed.

If the Feliway you are using in the room is helping calm her down then I would suggest you try to get some feliway wipes too.  You can wipe down the carrier you are using you to put her in it for the appointment.  I have a 9 year old cat that hates the carrier, being in the car and is scared of strangers.  My hubby wiped down the carrier with a feliway wipe before her last vet appointment and he said she was a different cat.  She was calm once he got her in the carrier and she only complained a little in the car. She was also very good at the vets.  This cat will normally howl in the car non-stop and has peed on herself before.  The vet I take her to actually sprays herself with Feliway spray between patients.  Perhaps this is something you could ask your vet if they would be willing to do. I use a, mutli-vet practice and schedule my appointments with this specific vet now.

I also 2nd the suggestion to leave the carrier open and out.  I have been doing this and I recently found my 9 year old asleep in it.

Poor thing. It does sound like she was eating something, thank goodness! I hope the vet visit is going okay. I think fatty liver disease is a risk if less than 50% of the necessary calories are consumed daily, but obviously something is much better than nothing. I'm hoping for the best! I'm so glad this cat is in your care now, and she definitely will be too! Even though they're cautious, cats can understand when someone cares for them and loves them.

JUST packed her into the carrier and partner is away with her to the vets. Having her relocated to the bed made this ordeal A LOT smoother than if she were below the wardrobe! 

I approached her slowly, talking to her in a very hushed tone and reassuring her everything was okay. Neither of us had ever petted her before, and my partner tried to pet her earlier and she bore her teeth at him. I found that using my finger as a "cat nose" and holding it to hers, before giving a very gentle little bump, relaxed her a little, and she allowed me to pet her. I could see her eyes getting calmer and calmer with each pet. It was the best feeling, to finally get to touch that luxurious fur! 

I tried to gently tip her out of the bed, but it became apparent she wasn't going to respond to that. So I gently grabbed her scruff and with the other hand lifted her body. Not a single growl, snarl or hiss. This cat is so docile it is unbelievable. So shy, yet so gentle. Once out of the bed, she actually guided herself into the carrier and lay down on the cushion. I really was expecting to have an hour long ordeal, but she's clearly a very aware girl who knew the carrier was there for her. 

I will post again once OH gets back from the vets in an hour or so. We plan to let the cat chill out in her room alone for the rest of the evening just so she isn't completely overloaded. 

catlover73 said:

 
If the Feliway you are using in the room is helping calm her down then I would suggest you try to get some feliway wipes too.  You can wipe down the carrier you are using you to put her in it for the appointment.  I have a 9 year old cat that hates the carrier, being in the car and is scared of strangers.  My hubby wiped down the carrier with a feliway wipe before her last vet appointment and he said she was a different cat.  She was calm once he got her in the carrier and she only complained a little in the car. She was also very good at the vets.  This cat will normally howl in the car non-stop and has peed on herself before.  The vet I take her to actually sprays herself with Feliway spray between patients.  Perhaps this is something you could ask your vet if they would be willing to do. I use a, mutli-vet practice and schedule my appointments with this specific vet now.

I also 2nd the suggestion to leave the carrier open and out.  I have been doing this and I recently found my 9 year old asleep in it.

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She seems to have opened up a little since putting the Feliway in but we can't tell if thats due to the Feliway or if she's reaching that point anyway. I do not have any Feliway wipes to hand for this vet visit, but will buy some asap as they sound like a fantastic idea

blackcatfan said:

 
JUST packed her into the carrier and partner is away with her to the vets. Having her relocated to the bed made this ordeal A LOT smoother than if she were below the wardrobe! 

I approached her slowly, talking to her in a very hushed tone and reassuring her everything was okay. Neither of us had ever petted her before, and my partner tried to pet her earlier and she bore her teeth at him. I found that using my finger as a "cat nose" and holding it to hers, before giving a very gentle little bump, relaxed her a little, and she allowed me to pet her. I could see her eyes getting calmer and calmer with each pet. It was the best feeling, to finally get to touch that luxurious fur! 

I tried to gently tip her out of the bed, but it became apparent she wasn't going to respond to that. So I gently grabbed her scruff and with the other hand lifted her body. Not a single growl, snarl or hiss. This cat is so docile it is unbelievable. So shy, yet so gentle. Once out of the bed, she actually guided herself into the carrier and lay down on the cushion. I really was expecting to have an hour long ordeal, but she's clearly a very aware girl who knew the carrier was there for her. 

I will post again once OH gets back from the vets in an hour or so. We plan to let the cat chill out in her room alone for the rest of the evening just so she isn't completely overloaded. 

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What a good girl 

What a wonderful update about getting her in the carrier! I know this was a HUGE relief for you both!!

Hopefully all will checkout ok at the vet and you can move forward with this sweet girl!

OH is just back from the vets. I don't know where to begin with this. I really did expect that all that would happen at the vets is that they would pop them a pill to get them hungry, maybe take a little look around her, make sure she's okay, and she'd be sent home. Boy was I mistaken.

I'd like to start by saying that everyone at the vet's was saying what a good cat she is, and what a gentle nature she has. Anyone could tell that this cat has an amazing spirit, and again, we cannot wait for her to open up and join our family.

When the cat first arrived, she had a shaved side that females usually do from a spay. The owner pointed out immediately that she had been spayed, and that's why the shave was there. The vet looked up on the previous vet record she had and there is NO history of her being spayed. The vet said this is one of two things: she either isn't spayed at all and has been operated on for something else OR the vet we were given was her OLD vet and the owner was witholding us from the new vet for some reason. The vet told us that our new cat has actually been a mother! As I mentioned before, the previous owner is a cat breeder (something we found out on our OWN, she NEVER told us) and it is most likely our cat was used as a breeding female. Most likely she was given away as she was no longer useful to this breeder. The owner told us she was given away as she was "being bullied." Considering our cat was kept in a CAGE presumably on her own, I wonder how bullying happened? Hmm...

The vet took her temperature and she apparently has fever. She could of had it before she came here, or she could of got it through the stress of the move, there is no way to tell. Our vet will have the full veterinary record by tomorrow, as they could only get a very rough overview this evening (receptionist was off for the day or something.) I am dreading to hear what our little fluff's medical history has in it. 

In terms of her appetite, apparently the fever could be the main cause. So they injected her with something to induce appetite. She is currently still in her carrier in her room, with a heated pad and a nice fresh bowl of tuna cat food waiting for her whenever her hunger kicks in. The door is open for her to move to her bed if she'd like, but she seems very comfy with the big cushion in the carrier! 

She will be returning to the vets tomorrow and monday for vaccinations and antibotics for her fever. We are hoping she can beat the fever with these injections and not need anything further as she really deserves a break in this stress. By the sounds of it she has NOT had a good life, and the day she can begin to enjoy her new home and move on from her past will be a very emotional day for me indeed.

Sorry that I have written so much, but I'm sure many of you guys want to keep up with whats happening! I remembered we actually nabbed a photo of her one of the first nights she was here, so if any of you would like a face to put to this here it is!:


Look at that big paw!!!