New cat won't eat or drink

We got a new cat a couple days ago. He is a very shy cat, so he has been staying inside the house part in his cage (he finally moved this morning). I gave him litter, water, and food but he hasn't touched any of them. I tried mixing wet food, dry food, and water, so we'll see how that goes. I'm just a little concerned because I don't want him to get dehydrated. I've had cats before, but we got them all as kittens, so they weren't shy at all. He is 1.5 years old Maine Coon 

Where did he come from?  Are you feeding him the same food he was used to?  What is it like where you have him caged?  Noisy?  You need to try to give him as much quiet and peaceful area as possible.  Do you have the cage door open or what?  What are the circumstances there and why do you have him in a cage anyway?  Do you have other animals there?   Maybe cover part of the cage?  Is it a large dog crate? 

It's very dangerous for cats not to eat for more than say 36 hours.  Are you sure he hasn't even nibbled on any of the food?  Even during the night?  Is he a thin cat?  Thinner is better if he's not eating, because Hepatic Lipidosis can set in quickly, but it sets in more quickly on fatter cats.  Try putting some toppers on the food...tuna juice, even a little tuna itself, parmesan cheese from the green can, crushed cat treats, dried bonita flakes.  Really try to find out from wherever you got him from what he would eat (regular food AND treats and use that to tempt him into eating)

Someone was giving him away near our house. We don't know what brand of food he's used to. It is pretty quiet where we have him caged. We have him in a cage so that he doesn't run away, since we got a cat before him, but as soon as we let it out it bolted. We never saw that cat again. The only other animals we have are chickens, and they are about 50 feet away from him, and don't seem to know hie's there. I will post a picture of the cage. 
He's inside the house part right now. When I came to check on him this morning though, I found him in the wire part, inside the carrier we brought him home it. He went back inside later. He may have eaten a bit of food at night, but i'm not sure. He is definitely not a fat cat, he's about average weight. I will try giving him tuna. Thank you for your help! (:

If he is not used to being outside he may be very scared. A cat won't eat if he is scared.

We can't bring him inside because he sprays (although he is neutered. He seems to be getting used to me, since he lets me put my hands near him. I haven't tried petting him yet, I don't want to scare him. He doesn't refuse his food, he just isn't interested. I tried giving him tuna with tuna juice, I put it near his face and he sniffed it a couple times, then didn't look at it again. He has been moving around inside the house though. I also gave him an old t-shirt of mine, and he seems to have gotten used to my scent, as he was sitting on it earlier. I will keep you updated if he eats or drinks.

So is your plan that he will stay outside permanently in that structure?

Yes. We have never had cats inside the house. We always kept them outdoors, and they are alive and well. There was a cat we had named Mama cat, and she was 15 when we last saw her (the people that bought our old house take care of her) and she is still alive. She lived outside her whole life, and never went to the vet once. 

I wonder why he is spraying. That would greatly concern me. I am no expert & maybe others will chime in, but surely that structure is too small for an animal to live in? Are you saying he is going to live inside it permanently?

I just re-read your OP. It does seem like you intend for him to live inside it all the time. I'm sorry, but that is cruel. Forgive me if I am misunderstanding here.

Oh no! I did not not mean he would live there permanently! I'm keeping him there while he adjusts to his surroundings. I will let him out during the day, keep him in the cage at night, so he is safe. I find it a bit sad that people keep big cats like Maine Coons indoors. They were originally bred for mousing and they lived in large outdoor areas. I plan on letting him out in a week or so, after he knows this is his home. He lets me pet him now! He seens very relaxed, and I think he's been drinking water! He had a little wet spot on near his neck, and there was about 7 of his hairs floating in there. Also i used to have another male cat who was fixed and he sprayed every once in a while. Thank you guys so much! I hope he starts eating soon.

Phew, that's a relief. But you said your other cat bolted. What makes you think this one won't?

That one got really scared. The current one is much calmer. He still hasn't eaten though ): i tried feeding him one piece of dry food, but he wasn't interested. I tried to give him wet food on a spoon, but he kept turning his head away. Im not sure what else i can do.

He'll eat when he's ready. Probably best to leave him alone until tomorrow & let him quietly adjust to his new surroundings.

I've already gotten really attached to him now. I hope he eats soon. I've been doing some good old crying ;_;

I'd definitely try to find out what brand/type of food he was eating at his first home. It's stressful enough moving to a new place; changing his food just adds to it. Of course, it is also very important that he drinks water, so the fact you found some hairs floating in the bowl is great :-)

You probably already know that you need to offer tuna infrequently because of the mercury level. Tuna water is okay, though, I think.

If you really want to get him interested in food, try giving him a few bite-size pieces of raw (organic) chicken. My two love the stuff and will go anywhere I go if I have a baggie of chicken in my hand.

And before anyone starts telling me off for feeding my two raw chicken meat, they have been eating it every day for two years and have never had any problems. In fact, it's helping - Bertie boy had to have two teeth removed when we first brought him home from the shelter about 16 months ago. At his last visit, the vet praised his healthy teeth and gums. And Bertha, the older, has never had  her teeth cleaned, but she goes to the vet once a year for a check-up (or if she is acting poorly).

Good luck with your new addition. I hope he settles in well. Keep us posted on your progress.

AppleGirl said:

 
We got a new cat a couple days ago. He is a very shy cat, so he has been staying inside the house part in his cage (he finally moved this morning). I gave him litter, water, and food but he hasn't touched any of them. I tried mixing wet food, dry food, and water, so we'll see how that goes. I'm just a little concerned because I don't want him to get dehydrated. I've had cats before, but we got them all as kittens, so they weren't shy at all. He is 1.5 years old Maine Coon 

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I am a human doctor, not a cat doctor and any advice that I give you about your cat should be checked with your vet.   From your post it appears that the cat has not eaten for a few days now and could possibly be at risk for Feline Hepatic Lipidosis (FHL)  This disease is much commoner in obese animals but any cat can develop it - although this is less common.  The failure to eat could well be due to the stress of moving but I suggest strongly that you consult your vet as soon as possible even though there are no signs of FHL at present (FHL is much easier to treat if the vet has it early) or there may be some other illness causing the refusal to eat.   I also suggest you do not waste time (and money) trying different foods but just get him to the vet.

With best wishes,

Geoffrey

he's all alone in a cage with no way to bond with you and no cats for company, so when you decide to let him out, he has no reason to stay and in the meantime he's got no reason to be happy..   if he was an indoor cat, he's possibly terrified, and he's surely lonely.  my 100% indoor cats fear anything outside the doors.  there may be coyotes around, and he may be scared of them, too. 

some cats love it outdoors, some really hate it.  maybe getting two kittens from a barn litter would be more practical, as they'd be used to being outside and semi outside, and having two would mean they wouldn't be lonely. 

Has he eaten YET?  If not I'm going to agree with Geoffrey in that a Vet visit may be in order.  Something other than stress may be going on with this little guy.