Hey! New cat owners need advice!

meowinator

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Hey everyone, my parents just got a 1 year old cat last Friday and we've been having a great time with our cat so far. The people at the shelter told us that the cat is pretty shy, that when they took her in (stray), they had to syringe feed her for a few days. The lady told us that as long as the cat feels safe and loved, we probably won't have to resort to that. Well, in the beginning when we got our cat, as soon as we let her out in the bathroom (our sanctuary room), she ran out and hid near our DVD player which was well concealed in our TV stand. We got her out and put her in the bathroom where she hid and slept behind the toilet for a while until my sister and I showed her the nice new comfy bed we got her
. Well, about 2 days after we got her, we opened the bathroom door just a little so she can see the house that she lived in. She was scared and ran back in the bathroom and life moved on. The thing is, that night and last night we left the bathroom door open. At night (or sometime while we were asleep) she crept our and hid under the china cabinet in our formal dining room (a sizeable distance from her room). Yesterday my mom was able to get her out by picking her up. But today she just refuses to come out. Keep in mind our cabinet's bottom has only one way to come in and out and its from the back facing the wall. The front and other 2 sides are too narrow for the cat and barely big enough for us to stick our hands in. My mom is worried that the cat won't eat or drink and wants to take her out tonight and put her back in the bathroom where the door will be closed. We don't want to scare the cat too much while trying to get her out but if we leave her there, my mom is really afraid she won't eat or anything and might need a visit to the vet. Should we just leave the litter box, food, and water near her and let her do her stuff at night? My mom is also worried that the cat may think thats her new "room" and refuse to take meals or bathroom breaks or whatever in other rooms. Thanks!
 

hissy

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She is understandably scared and overwhelmed and she needs to be in a room that gets little to no traffic for awhile until she adjusts to everything. If you have a small room that isn't being used and you can set up places in there for her to hide: cardboard boxes draped by blankets, and with soft bedding inside, or even buy a covered litter pan and put bedding inside of it instead of litter, she might have an easier time of it.

She is hiding because she feels safe, so if you do move her, you need to move her to a more contained area and try and block her off with baby gates (stacked on top of each other) so she can see you, smell you and not feel so alone.
 

coaster

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And if you can't move her, just leave food and water out and easy access to a litter box. Probably she'll eat while you're asleep and the house is quiet and you'll wake up next day to find the food all gone.
 
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meowinator

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Hey everyone thanks for the suggestions. My mom is acting all weird saying we will get rid of the cat tomorrow because she can't take this stress etc etc. Forgive the caps but, SHE IS BEING THE BIGGEST DAMNED HYPOCRITE EVER!! She said this cat will need love and patience, and right now after 4 days she is already talking about giving away our cat. MAYBE she is acting this way because she once had a cat when she was really young that she had to give away. I will tell her you guys suggested leaving the stuff outsite and MAYBE she will listen instead of showing me the effects of bi-polar disorder!
 

coaster

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Getting a cat is a new addition to the family. There's bound to be stress and problems as the new addition and the family get to know each other. It takes patience and commitment to work through these. I know there's been more than once when taking them back to the shelter went through my mind. But I didn't...and I'm glad I didn't. And I think you and your family will be, too.
 

yosemite

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When we got our Simba he was so scared he hid behind our headboard for a month. We didn't try to force him out, just spend time in the room talking to him and just being there. After the full month was up and he came out, he was a total lap cat and loved to be carried around like a baby in our arms.

You need to stop forcing him out of hiding and do as Hissy says - put him in a room with food and water at one side and his litter on the other side and visit him, sit or lie on the floor and quietly read to him or talk to him. Let him get used to you and comfortable. You are scaring him more by dragging him out of hiding all the time. You really need to leave him be and let him adjust at his pace. Also don't look directly into his eyes as cats see that as a challenge.

Please, please, be patient, kind and loving and he will come around. He'll also be able to feel your mom's stress so try to get her to be calmer and more accepting of his fear right now.
 

KitEKats4Eva!

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Originally Posted by Meowinator

Hey everyone thanks for the suggestions. My mom is acting all weird saying we will get rid of the cat tomorrow because she can't take this stress etc etc. Forgive the caps but, SHE IS BEING THE BIGGEST DAMNED HYPOCRITE EVER!! She said this cat will need love and patience, and right now after 4 days she is already talking about giving away our cat. MAYBE she is acting this way because she once had a cat when she was really young that she had to give away. I will tell her you guys suggested leaving the stuff outsite and MAYBE she will listen instead of showing me the effects of bi-polar disorder!
And don't be too hard on your Mum...it can be very stressful, and if she was an uncaring person she may not be taking it so hard.

I have Bipolar, too, and sometimes it's not easy to control the stress...
 
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meowinator

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Forgive me harshness, but it seems my mom gave her back today (even after we got her out by her own will, it seems her stomach is stronger than her fear ^_^). My mom said she ran away and can't find her but she made herself look really stupid saying that knowing that my sister and I aren't gullable or idiots (the fact we never believed in santa/tooth fairy/boogey man at any point in our life should prove that). So my mom tried to lie make excuses about allergies (no one had any at any point during this whole thing) whatever. Don't make a damn promise then bail out on it halfway. I guess I'll be done here, I'm really dissapointed and coming back here would only make me more angry. Bye
 
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