New member, first time owner and very worried, please help.....

Hello to all of you, nice to meet you and I'm glad I have found you. I was very excited because I was going to get a cat, at first I thought of a kitten but then I thought I would have to train it and to tell you the truth I have no time for that, so I read a post in the local paper giving away an 8 year old female cat to a loving home, so I said "bingo!" and called right away.

Well the cat has been here for 3 days and I'm very concerned because she is not eating or drinking at all, on the other hand, she is comming around, she is wondering around the apartment, she is playing with her toys and seems "happy" but she doesn't eat and I'm worried because I don't want anything bad happening to her, she is a sweet heart....what can I do? My niece said that I should give her some time because she's been with the same owner for eight years and a sudden change is kind of stressful even for a cat but I still worry....any suggestions?????

I can't give her back to her previous owner because she is moving on with her life and can't have her and I don't want her in a shelter....please help.

Loving Cryckett:-)

Out of curiosity, what are you feeding her? Do you know what she used to eat?

Welcome to the site!

Is it possible that she's eating when you can't see her do it? Is she using the litterbox at all?

It sounds like she has a wonderful new home.

I'll move this to Health & Nutrition for you where our health experts can help.

Do you know why the owner gave her up after 8 years?

Oh thanks for answering, well the lady gave me all the food she was feeding her, treats, toys, well everything I didn't have to buy anything at all. She told me to feed her this moist food (Wistkats, Savory Pate)first thing in the morning then she is supposed to eat Iams Hairball care for adult cats, and some other treats. But there is no way she eats any of that, and I have no clue what's going on.......

Loving Cryckett

If she has really eaten nothing at all for three days then you need to be worried because cats can get liver damage very quickly from not eating. If she is only eating a mouthful or two at a time then I would not be too worried as the cat is probably feeling very stressed, having her whole world and companions change suddenly. I would confine her to one room, with food, water and litter box, and a comfortable place to sleep, leave her alone to get used to it, and feed her at the same times each day, when you should go in and sit down and talk to her quietly. Maybe leave a radio on between times. After a day or two you can put a sweater with your scent on it under her bowl to get her used to you. Then you can start leaving the door open so she can explore gradually at her own pace. I am sure she will relax soon.

If she is genuinely not eating or drinking then you need to get her looked at by a vet and shemay need fluids injected under her skin to prevent dehydration. Welcome to the wonderful world of cats and I hope you and your new friend get along just great.

Originally Posted by jennyranson

If she is genuinely not eating or drinking then you need to get her looked at by a vet and shemay need fluids injected under her skin to prevent dehydration. Welcome to the wonderful world of cats and I hope you and your new friend get along just great.

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Welcome to TCS!