Cat Not Reacting Well To Move

[thebugsmomma]

hi guys! So this is going to be long, but I’m a little worried... We all had a major life changing move last month and one of our cats is not taking it well.
So she came to us as a feral kitten, along with her sister and she has always stayed much more feral. Her sister does great with all of us, even the kids, just hides for strangers. But Anna hides all day long. She did before kind of. She would come out when the kids were quiet, sleeping or watching a movie or something. Well now she doesn’t come out ever. Except for when everyone is asleep and even then not for long. So we went from a really tiny 1 bedroom house to a quite large house. We’re upstairs and my youngest brother in law lives with us now too (although he is never home, except to sleep). Downstairs is where my inlaws live and right now we are having to share my laundry room so my mother in law is in and out during the day. As I sat and watched her sister eat dinner today I noticed she ate both cans! She’s always been a little greedy but not that much. So I started really worrying about her Anna realizing she’s not getting her share of food. So I went and got her and brought her to her food, petting her and talking to her while she ate a little. And I noticed her collar is looser than it was so I feel awful for not noticing earlier. So I’m going to sit with her and bring her to her food each meal which will be hard with a new baby and a house to keep up, but she obviously needs it. I’m also going to buy them a nice new cat tree with a cubby for her to hide in since she still hides all day long under our bathroom sink. I feel so bad for her. Any other ideas to help her he more comfortable? She will always be scared. She’s terrified of my husband and always has been. But she used to come out and nap with my daughter everyday and follow me around in the kitchen at breakfast, now nothing and she’s wasting away and getting 0 exercise

 

[MattD]

OMG. My cat is basically doing the exact same thing! We moved from a one bedroom, to a three bedroom. She hides ALL day under the blankets in our bed - which is new for her!

One thing that has worked really well for us is that I sit in the room that she is in, and read my book aloud. When she comes out to see what I'm doing, I say hello and give her a little pet, and then go back to reading. I ignore her as long as she is not touching me - this is giving her confidence in her ability to explore unnoticed. You could try that?


On a separate note: Peg (my cat) hadn't used the litter box in over 24 hours. Last night, she peed and pooped under the bed on her mat. I luckily woke up right after it happened, and could clean it before the pee when everywhere. Got any tips for dealing with that? She's never peed out of her litter box before!

 

[Freedom]

Cats in general do not approve of change - unless of course, it is THEIR doing.

The best thing to help in this situation: confine the cat to one room for about a week. In there she should have food, water, litter box, toys, maybe a climber or scratcher. Go in and visit regularly, but always on a schedule; sitting and reading aloud is a good idea as suggested by MattD. This allows the cat to adjust to all the new sounds, smells, and routines. And this limits the new sights, to help reduce input overload.

If there is another cat this one gets along with, have that cat go in for an hour or so frequently. It is important that you do this on a schedule, not just randomly! Cats adore routine so they can anticipate, expect, and not be shocked / surprised.

After a week of this, the kitty should have calmed down quite a bit. From there you decide whether to just open the door, or to start the visits being random rather than routine.

My Mandy lives in ONE bedroom. The door is open, she is free to roam the house; she has NO desire to leave her safe zone. We've lived here over 2 years, now! Some cats, they are quirky lol.

 

[fiorya]

My sister installed Feliway plugins in her new house. It really helped her kitties get used to the place. Feliway releases cat pheromones that signal a cat's sense of safety and security. You could try that and see if it helps.

It's good that you're spending more time with her, too. That should help. And maybe enlist others in the family to spend a few minutes more with her every day, if she usually enjoys their company.

And I agree with the above ^ that confining her to one room could help make her more confident, too. That way she'll have at least one room in the house that feels familiar to her.

Hope she settles in soon! Poor thing.

 

[Freedom]

Great suggestion! I always forget Feliway. Comes in a spray as well. I know one friend who made a fabric 'sleeve' for a cat collar, and would spray the Feliway on the fabric. Do NOT spray it directly on the cat!!! Anyway, this meant the kitty always had the calming scent with her wherever she went. She did this after the cat was in one room for 3 weeks, and kept the sleeve for about a week as the cat roamed the house. Also a cat who had been an only child and now was living with several other cats. So that is another idea.