What do I do?

wow, what a story! too bad i got here late!!!!

first, i want to say that if i was in your situation, I'd get anything like a broom, a rope around her neck, anything to get her out, to a point of calling animal control, who carry those animal control sticks that can grab a cat - it's totally unhealthy for a cat to be hiding like this, afraid of everything without food or water.

second, since she's out, HOPE, you need to breathe! It's OK, she doesn't hate you, she's totally scared out of her mind. YOU NEED to get her to a secluded room - bedroom with a door, bathroom, anything where you can have her food, litter box, water and yourself and slowly begin the 'real' introduction

trust me, it will be OK

I finally got to pet her. She was laying in the cubbard, and I looked up and said in a soft voice, "Hi pretty EvieLeigh", then I started petting her and she was so responsive and so lovable. She was still too nervous to come down from the cubbard, but she was rolling all around and rubbing all over my hand and arm, and just totally in kitty heaven. I guess the boys heard me talking to her, and they broke out of the room I had them contained in and I saw her ears perk up, I turned around and Shane was in the kitchen eating her food. Next thing you know, Simba came in. I shooed them both out of the kitchen, and even though Evie didn't seem scared of me anymore, the magic was broken. I want to get her into the other room, but I have a feeling I'll stress her out, if I try to take her out of the cubbard where she feels secure. I did put a board up across the bottom of the fridge. I can't say for sure if she's eaten or not. I know she spilled her water all over the floor. The food is there for her. I tried to completely ignore her, until this morning. when I saw that she'd to a few different places in the kitchen. I am afraid I'll break the trust I've gained with her if I try to force her to go in the other room. I do think she did use the litter box though, because Simba was totally fascinated by a dropping that was in there. I didn't clean out the box yesterday, because I didn't want to upset her, so there was a little something from Shane and Simba in there.

Awww there you go!!!. See! we knew she would come round in the end

You carry on bonding with her and she'll be a little lovebug before you know it!

If you wanted to, why not put some treats in her cupboard with her. You will be able to see if she eats them or not and it may help to convince her that she is hungry. Feed her in the cupboard if you have to.

I am glad she has come out from under the fridge and that she enjoys being petted. Those are all good things and I am sure she will come around soon. Good luck

Kathryn

Oh my I know how scary all of this must have been. When my Kiki came home with me, she wouldn't eat or drink anything. She was friendly, but started throwing up foam in the middle of her first night home and I was dressed and hysterical, about to take her to the emergency room when she stopped. Anyway, when I took her to the vet the next day, he said she wasn't sick, just being a VERY picky eater. He showed me how to force-feed her (not a good idea with your kitty so scared), but he also gave me some Nutri-Cal, which is a dietary supplement that's like candy for kitties. It's very high-cal, so a little goes a long way, and while Kiki wouldn't eat anything else (and I tried EVERYTHING), she would lick it off my fingers like a hungry kitten at mama's teat. I think you can get some at most pet stores (I saw it at Petco). If she's still not eating, maybe just put a teaspoon in front of her and let her be.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll all be a happy family soon enough.

I second putting food in her cupboard. Treats, dry cat food, anything really just to see if she will eat when left alone. I am glad she is still out and not under something again-

Puppy did the same thing under the treadmill for 2 days when we put her in her sanctuary room. When we finally lifted the treadmill she ran into her basket (covered bed). She would only use the litter box when she was sure we were not coming in any time soon. However, I laid on the floor in the room for 15 minute intervals 10 times a day. On the 2nd day she came onto my lap. I cried during this process like 20 times because I thought she was going to die from not eating and being traumatized. Do whatever you can to isolate the kitty...it seems very important to them. Good Luck ... and congrats on your new baby!

Oh Hope!!! You poor thing going through all that. Hopefully little Evie has turned a corner and things will improve from here *hugs*

my friend had a cat that lived under a cupboard for three weeks only coming out at night to eat and drink.

i'm so glad that everything worked out ok with Evie!

Tuesday update:

Well, she's still hiding, and still scared of me, although she's getting a little braver, and finding new hiding spots. Although I haven't actually seen her eat, I believe she's eating a little to sustain herself. When I came home from work this morning, the food I gave her in the cubbard, was spilled all over the cubbard, making a nasty mess I had to clean up. She is using the litter box, which leads me to believe she's eating a little bit.

This morning after cowering while I cleaned up the mess in the cubbard, she let me pet her, and just like yesterday she got really into it and kneeded the air and rolled around, and acted like she loved it. Then I left the room and when I came back, she was cowering again, and acted like she wished she could make herself invisable. I decided to leave her alone. Then she got brave and jumped out of the cubbard and ran across the kitchen to the window where she jumped up in the window. When I went in the kitchen she cowered again, but I scritched her neck and she started getting into being loved again, so I thought I'd see if I could pick her up. She let me. I brought her into the living room and held her for a little while. Then she wanted to get down. She found another place to hide. in the living room.

I couldn't keep Simba and Shane locked up, because they kept breaking out of the room, and if I tried to lock her in the room, they would break into the room, so they are all together, and there have been no problems between Evie and my boy cats. She actually seems more scared of me, than she is of them. I'm feeling kind of sad, because I don't think she really likes me very much.

Hope just give it time. Don't force yourself on her, just be there if she needs you to pet her and stuff. She has had a traumatic experience before she even got to your door. Air travel is difficult on cats. Don't take it personally that she doesn't like you. She is just waiting for the other shoe to fall. Just let her settle in and she will be fine, and so will you.

And don't feel guilty about falling asleep after she got there. She was getting along fine with your cats before you decided to close your eyes and get a nap. How were you supposed to know she would get scared and hide when the initial contact went so well?

Hope, I'm sorry I missed your thread on this forum. I'm glad to hear that she's out. These things take time and the fact that she let you pet her is really good. She will do just fine. Just let her stay in her safe spot until she's feels comfortable enough to come out. When she does, she'll wonder why she waited so long.

Hi Hope,

Congrats on the new baby. I hope she settles in soon!

It sounds like everything will be just fine. She likes you - she lets you pet her, but she is just not 100% sure yet and wants to keep her options open. Give her a little more time, and as said, don't force her.

Hope don't worry if it takes a few weeks for Evie to come round, she will get there in the end with you, but she is coming round already from what you say?!.

Patience is a vertue as they say, and my favourite motto, "Everything comes to those who wait!"

Just checking in with Weds. progress: There has been no progress at all. I know she's hiding, but I don't know where she's hiding. She still wants NOTHING to do with me. The only reason I know she's still alive is that I saw her run from one hiding place to another. She hasn't made a sound. I'm beginning to think that for the betterment of this cat, I might have to send her back to the breeder who sent her to me. The more she hides from me and has no human contact, the more feral she is becoming. I can understand the trauma she has gone through, but I would think that by now, she should be showing at least a minimal amount of progress. The bad part of returning her, is that she'll have to go thrugh the trauma of an airplane ride again. I'm at my wits end. I truly don't think this cat wants to be here, and I don't think she will EVER warm up to me. I am very upset about this, because I think she is going to die, if I don't get her back to the lady, and I don't want that to happen to her.

Admittedly, I have never adopted a full grown cat in the past, but I have never experienced anything like this. When I bought Simba, he was in bed sleeping with me that night. He never hid. He just made himself at home. Even Shane was totally at ease with me, when I bought him, and he was sleeping with me as well right away. This little girl, is really not happy with me, and honestly I don't think she ever will be. It breaks my heart, but for her benefit, I don't know what else to do. She's such a good hider, and I have looked just about everywhere and I can't find her. Sadly, I don't think it's going to work out.

Hope, with all due respect for how much you are concerned for her, and upset that you can not comfort her, you need to give this way more time. I would not even begin to think of sending her back, and I do not believe she is becoming feral, nor that she will die.

The cat who responds so wonderfully to when you've petted her, is one who sounds like she loves attention and is responsive. She still needs time to adjust, you need to keep following the advice here and stay the course.

Please do not give up on her!

Hope, you need to calm down. Ignore her for now, don't actively look for her. Be sure you have food set out all over for her to find. You haven't had her that long, and expecting her to jump into your lap and love you right off the bat is a tad unrealistic. You have no idea really about where she came from or what she experienced there. Sit down on the floor, or lie down on the floor near where you believe her to be, and just stay there. Sing to her, read out loud to her, talk nonsense to her-

I keep thinking of Franklin who lived in our rafters for over a year. I don't know where he got his food, but he got it somewhere, the food I put up in the rafters he never touched. But he probably came down at night and fed at the feral feeders outside. I tried to get him to like us for such a long time, then one day, I just gave up. I told myself there was no cat in the rafters, and I never looked up when I was in the garage again. Two weeks later he was down head bumping our knees- I still put food and water up there, I did it on a schedule and never deviated so he wouldn't be surprised.

Hope, please give yourself some time? I so know what you're feeling, I felt the same with Jazzie- I did seriously consider whether she was telling me she wanted to go home, and whether it was better for us all if she went back. Like you I'd never had a cat so nervous on arrival, the boys strolled into the house at three months old like they owned the place. It's so hard when you're worried about her and you're feeling so rejected. It doesn't last. It really doesn't last. She's traumatised, this isn't about you being the wrong person for her or her being the wrong cat for you. It took three weeks before Jazzie really was herself and she stopped hiding all the time- and nearly two months before she stopped taking off to get under the bed the second something went wrong. Today she came downstairs when one of my neighbours visited and let a total stranger pet her- I was so proud of her. And like your little girl, it wasn't that she didn't want to be touched. If I got down and reached under the bed to her to pet her she purred like an engine and loved it. She just needed time to learn the house sounds, discover the house inch by inch, and keep control over what was happening to her. She was so worth the wait and the stress, I couldn't imagine life without her now. You're doing everything right, keep reminding yourself of that, keep doing just what you're doing and hang in there for another week or better still two. You're going to see some progress- think how far she's come to how she was just two days ago?

Hugs and best wishes, thinking of you

I agree with Hissy and Ranger. We just brought Lilly home 3 weeks ago. After week 1 I was ready to throw in the towel. All Lilly wanted was to hide under the bed and at first I was worried she would not eat or drink. After 10 days I cried and cried. We tried moving Lilly's location to get her to come out more, and that backfired. So I did what hissy said. I put Lilly back in the bedroom, and pretended she was not there. Now she is still hiding most of the day, but when I come into the room and call her name now she comes out. She sleeps with me at night. Progress is being made, but its been VERY slow. I am excited to see this girl blossom with us though. Try giving Evie a little more time. I'm sure she will surprise you and bring lots of love to your heart.