Just Moved

does anyone have any tips on acclimating a cat to a new apartment? peanut has always been extremely social & curious but since we moved here last week she's been sleeping and hiding under the bed all day, and her appetite has dropped dramatically. i expected her to be a bit 'off', but now i'm concerned about her eating habits... we feed her iams wet&dry, but she has absolutely -no- interest in her kibble right now. any tips on how i can get her out of her shell?=)

You really want this cat to eat, she is just in shock because her world that she was so comfortable with has changed so drastically. Try her with things you don't normally give her, baby food- chicken or turkey, mixed with a bit of pedialyte, canned cat food, tuna, sardines, kitty kaviar, whatever you can come up with that is safe for her to eat. Boil a chicken and feed the the broth and the shredded meat.

She will adjust, but she could become ill due to the change in her routine, so I would keep a close eye on her and take her to the vet if she doesn't eat by tomorrow. I don't know how long she hasn't been eating, but anything past two days in my book, is cause for concern.

The new apartment smells differently. All the furniture is in a different place, including her litter box. Under the bed is her safe place. Your cat needs something recognizable as comfort. Wear a teeshirt or sweatshirt around the house while you are lugging boxes or painting, get it good and smelly, and put it under the bed with her. Spend some time sitting next to the bed, reading to her.

All of Hissy's suggestions are great. Try coaxing her out with some of the boiled chicken. Then just sit there with her. Let her climb into your lap and just snuggle. Gradually move toward the door. She'll eventually leave the room.

well we've been here for 4 days, and after the first day when i saw she hadn't touched her dry food,i tried the wet. she has been eating that for the past 3 days, just not in large amounts. i'll try the baby food/pedialyte and tuna this afternoon. i've found that she seems to want to eat if i bring the food to her under the bed, as opposed to bringing her into the kitchen where i normally feed her. i hope that's not a bad habit to start...the smell of ocean fish isn't a pleasant thing to wake up to=) she's still drinking normally, she just seems to completely avoid the dry food, i 'd just prefer not to have to constantly be feeding her wet food & tuna.
thanks for the advice!

She will come out over time, I would take a large cardboard box and put it in your room upended with lots of pillows underneath and cat sized hole she can hide in.Open your house up to her gradually so that she doesn't feel so overwhelmed-

Originally posted by Sweets
Your cat needs something recognizable as comfort. Wear a teeshirt or sweatshirt around the house while you are lugging boxes or painting, get it good and smelly, and put it under the bed with her. Spend some time sitting next to the bed, reading to her.

Click to expand...

thanks, i'll try that, she has a 'blankie'(otherwise known as my old sweater) usually in our livingroom but i'll throw it under there for her. i've been spending the afternoons in there with her and usually manage to coax her out, but she invariably retreats under there again. on the one positive side, she hasn't had any litterbox issues.

I moved four years ago with two cats. One of them is a very fraidy cat. Any small sound sends her running.

They both hid under the bed for almost a week. One came out to eat and explore in the evening when the house was quiet and dark. The other came out when the first kitty said it was ok I guess.

It does help to spend some quality time with her -- speak to her softly, leave your socks or clothes around for her. She will come out eventually. Some cats take longer to adjust. A few times when I got her out from under the bed I carried her around and talked softly to her. I told her what each room was. Showed her the big window. Then took her back to the BR and laid on the bed with her.
Seemed to help.

I have read that giving cats baby food - the squash is good for them when they don't eat. Stimulates something but is jammed packed with goodies.

When I came home with two additional cats, I had to feed my cat in the bedroom for about two weeks before she came out. And she was fine during the new cat adjustment when the newbies were in the one room alone.
Good luck, be patient with her. Hugs N Purrs, Dorina