New persian cat won't come out from hiding

Hello,  cat lovers out there.  I need your help.   I have recently took in a persian cat.  She is a year and 3 month old, beautiful flat faced torti persian- Cleo.  She used to belong to this persian breeder in my town.  I follow the breeder on facebook as I am obsessed with persian cats but hasn't had a chance to own one.   So when the breeder tried to rehome her on facebook, I grabbed her right away.   

  It turns out that Cleo was bred recently and had a litter of 4 babies.  She was probably confused and clueless as it was her first time giving birth.  She didn't know how to be a mom, didn't lie down with her babies to keep them warm, and her milk didn't come in.  I felt this is the reason the breeder re homed her and there might a bit of resentment towards Cleo. 

 When I took her home, I immediately noticed that she had a foul smelling huge mat at her private area extends to her thighs.  It was from her not cleaning herself after birth, it was so big that I doubt she was able to walk or goes to the bathroom easily.   So I took her for shots, bath, and shave her mat the very next day.  

She has been hiding under the bed in our spare bedroom since I took her home from the groomer.  She will occasionally let me touch her,,, only slightly.  She also hissed at me a few times.  Mostly she lies under the bed with her back facing me.  It has been a week now and she still won't come out to socialize.  She is eating, drinking, and using litterbox, just don't want to interact with me and my husband.  I am feeling very discouraged and am also worried that she will get mats again because I haven't been able to brush her at all.  

   What should I do?  It's sooo hard to be patient when you just got a beautiful persin cat!  Please share your experience on how you bond with your new kitties and give me hope!  Thank you! 

Try to be patient and let her come to you when she is ready. It will take some time for her to adjust to being in a new home. As long as she is eating drinking and using the litterbox I wouldn't be too concerned, it is very normal for cats to hide when they are in a new environment. She is probably just feeling anxious about all the changes. I know you want to be able to get near her and be able to groom her but it might be challenging for a little while.

Thank you so much for saving Cleo and giving her a home.

Cleo has been through a lot sadly so I am not surprised at her behavior.

Has she been to the vet to be checked out?

I would do a couple of things. You really want to build trust with her. Please let her go at her pace. I would sit in the room with her and talk very softly to her. I would let her initiate contact. If she comes close you can put your hand on the ground for her to sniff.  I would use wet food or treats to try to get her out from under the bed and to build trust. It may take some time for her to respond to the food. I typically try to block off areas under beds etc. Confident cats tend to go high (on beds, on cat trees). Makes sure she has plenty of warm and comfy beds for her to be able to get comfortable in. Be very calm and confident with her. Cats take on our emotions so the calmer we are the calmer they tend to be.

She has sadly been through a lot so it may take some time but it sounds like she found a loving home and that will be very helpful. The fact she is using her litter and eating and drinking is great. 

I am happy to help and answer any questions along the way. Please be patient but with love I don't see any reason why see will not come around and be a loving cat.

I hate to say it, but it sounds like she was neglected at her previous home. If so, she probably has some human trust issues to overcome and needs socialization. Was this a registered breeder? Did you get paperwork with her? 

If she had never been to a groomer before it probably scared her some but from what you describe it was a necessary evil. You don't say how long you've had the kitty but it can take weeks for a well adjusted kitty to feel comfortable with a new family in a new environment and in the situation you describe it might take a few months for her to become the cat you want her to be. You also will have to accept that she may never become the loving lap-cat you want. Each cat is their own individual and has their own comfort level. I have a cat you can scoop up at a whim and cuddle, one who loves to cuddle but only on her terms and one who hates to cuddle. I am not saying she is hopeless or can't get there. You prepare yourself that she might not be a cuddler.

Let her hide and let her come out at her own pace. You can certainty help her along by sitting on the floor and reading. Putting out food and quietly sitting in the room playing a game, reading or watching TV while she eats. Take a nap in the room she is in so she can come out and sniff you safely. You can also dangle wand toys just out of reach but within her line of sight in hopes that she will come out and play. At this point it is a slow and steady trust building task. Whatever you can do to convince her that you are her family and love her. 

Once she trusts you everything else will come naturally. I am sure you will find a wonderful personality well worth the effort. 

The breeder is not registered, only now I learned the lesson about the difference between a legit and hungry for money cat breeder. She has CFA paper but it didn't get it because she will only be a pet for the rest of her life. Thank you for the advice. I am now playing meditatiob music in her room and just lying on the floor reading book, this will hopefully make her feel safe!

It'a been nearly a year since we adopted a persian from a terrible hoarding situation.  We are not new to persians but this was the worst environmental  setting we've ever experienced.  In the beginning, Carleton, ran under the bed and would not come out, sound familiar?  He had access to our master bedroom and bath but that was all at first.  CalicosRspecial gave you the exact same advice I would offer.  I sat on the bedroom floor without making a sound.  Then I would utter a few soft words and wait patiently.  Slowly but surely Carleton came out and eventually but not overnight he flopped down next to me and purred.  I was over the moon and in love.   He slowly came out of his shell a little bit every day but it took awhile.  Persians have a very docile temperament and can be sensitive to negative or traumatic experiences.  You are giving her lots of TLC and in time I know you will have a wonderful relationship with Cleo.  Best of luck, please keep us posted on her progress.

I'm sure she'll be okay. My cat has behaved the same way for about 2-3 weeks since adoption. She always hid underneath the couch. Talia was really afraid of us, and she had lot's of pressure on her since she's entered her new home. Don't ever think your cat will be like that for long. Eventually, your cat will adapt to you and her new home. Despite the fact her behavior is this way, it may take longer than it usually takes. Once she is ready to expose herself, she will show you her true colors and her personality! Just shower her with love and be gentle. Try playing with her a bit; try to get her to behave playfully. Playful cats are the greatest! Things will get better. It's only the start. 

Thank you Carleton's mom!  I am excited to talk to a persian mom on the forum.  Your story is very encouraging to me! How long did it take for Carleton to allow you to touch him?  Do you have any other pets at home and how did you handle the process of Carleton adjusting to other fur babies?    

Thank you for all the wonderful advance here.  I updated a picture of Cleo.  The picture was taken by the breeder before I got her, but it truly captured her exquisite beauty. Although she is still under the bed but  here are some baby steps I considered great progress so far

1.  I put the food bowl under the bed, and drag it out one inch at a time as she started eating, she will follow it and stick her head out of the bead just a few inches to eat.  Then I picked up some wet chicken food and she ate directly from my finders and licked afterwards.  Then she will quickly retreat to the bed. 

2.  I found a old laser toy and played it with her, she had a lot of fun with it, well mostly under the bed.

3.  She came out and ventured a bit in the room when I was lying on the floor, reading a book and pretending not noticing.  She walked over to my feet and sniffed my toes from a distance and then ran away.  She did use her litter box while I was in the room and doesn't seem to mind.  Is this a good sign? 

3.  When I reach out under the bed, she flinches and tries to run away, but once I reach her and started to stroke her head and message her chin, she started purring loudly, but she won't get out of the bed.  I only give a short pet session.  Should I continue to reach under the bed to stroke her since she is purring and seemingly happy?  Will she consider this as a intrusion of her territory even though she enjoys the petting?   Maybe I should cut it out for now?

She is BEAUTIFUL!!!

You are doing a great job. A lot of positives in your post.

I would say, just take it slowly, it will take a little time but she came out from under the bed with you there. A very good sign. She will do more of that as she builds more confidence and trust.

I probably would not reach under the bed to pet her. Just to build trust. Eventually she'll come out and rub on you, then probably head butt you and then really ask for love. And I know she will get a lot of love then.

There is a lot of great advice in these posts and you are doing an excellent job. Just take it slowly at her pace.