Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi!
This past weekend my husband and I adopted a really cute girl from a shelter. She is about 5 years old and has spent her entire life in shelters. She basically picked me when we walked in and was loving and affectionate and didn't want to get off my lap, I fell in love and there was no looking back!

We were warned by the staff that because she has only known the shelter that adapting to a new home and a new cat (our other boy) may be a long process and we are totally happy to wait however long it takes. When we got her home and out of her carrier she immediately crawled under our bed and stayed there for a few hours, in retrospect we should have kept the bedroom door closed so that she wouldn't be overwhelmed but our boy was (and still is) so relaxed about having a new little sister we didn't think it would be a problem. Anyways, in the first day she started sneaking between hidey holes that she's found; under furniture, behind the recycling in the kitchen, back under the bed, and I even found her in the original covered litter box.
This morning when we woke up there were three seperates spots where she eliminated in the living room (peed and pooped). She's currently back under the bed and spend my time talking to our boy and her.
Heres my questions:
As happy as we are to have adopted her, are we inflicting undue stress on her?
Is there anything I can do to make her transition better? Is talking to her good or bad?
Is the elimination in the living room just a result from stress or what can I do to help her?
I can't tell if she's eating yet, how long before I start worrying?
Is it a good sign that she's moving and sneaking around the house already?

I am sorry this is so long and I have so many questions, I just want to help her any way I can. From our initial introduction I can tell that she is a lovely, quirky, loving cat...I just hope that taking her away from the only place she's known wasn't the worse thing we could have done for her.
Ok...i'm going to stop typing now.. Any help would be appreciated!!

Hi There,

I think it's wonderful that you and your husband have adopted this new little girl! I'm sure she will adjust fine as time goes on and she will be very happy in your home.

For now, what I would do is isolate the newcomer in one room with her own litterbox, food and water. Having the run of the house so soon is overwhelming to her. Once she is used to the room, and I would probably keep her in there for a couple of weeks, you can open the door and let her explore. Being confined will also help you to monitor her food and water intake and she will most likely start using the litterbox all the time.

While your new girl is confined, spend as much time in the room with her as you can. Talking to her is very good and petting her is fine, but not if she is hand-shy.....if she cringes when she is touched, try getting her used to your hand first. Let her sniff you so she gets used to your scent, but back away if she seems very frightened. She may not have had much attention while living at the shelter.

Another good thing would be to play with her with interactive toys. The fishing-pole types are excellent, as well as the wand-type toys containing feathers. Giving her some catnip might be helpful as well to help her adjust, and I'm sure some cat treats would be appreciated!

Once a cat has stopped eating, you should seek medical care after 2 - 3 days, and some kind of force-feeding should be started. Otherwise your kitty might develop fatty liver disease, which is very serious, and is fatal without treatment.

Good luck with your new baby, and please feel free to post anytime

Regards,
PHKitkat

Thank you for giving this little girl a loving home. I am betting that she will be fine with some time. She is not used to so much space and she is used to her litter box being about a foot away when she wants it. Not to mention she is most likely not used to household noises, like TV, radio, water running, washer and stuff like that running. Also seeing outside through a window is new to her. The fact that she is sneaking around exploring is a good sign, she is not petrified with fear but I agree with Kitkat, it would be best to keep her in a small room until she gets used to all the above new stuff and you and your husband as well. When I bring in a newbie, I read to them. It gets them used to my voice and since I am looking at the book and not them, I am not threatening to the cat. Good luck and let us know how things are going.
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Tessa Onyx, Foudini, Charlee, Spottie, ShyRaven, Buddy, Tuxie, Widdle Attila Sipowitz, Lizzie, Minnie, ET, Mylo,(We be house cats at last), and Salem, Wicca and Marmalade (We iz also house cats, we guess)and the 5 porch kits also Riley da goggie and Buddha da baby hamster too
Tabitha and Samantha..always in our hearts//Fly free Penny 12/12/07
A house without cats is like a garden without flowers

Hi! Thanks for all the great advice! I just thought I would give you an update on our Lucy Goosey!

We took her into the vet a few days ago because she still hadn't eaten. She was fine apart from a slightly elevated temperature and mild dehydration..both of which were taken care of. She was also given an appetite stimulant which seemed to work because she ate some wet food this afternoon...YAY! As for the rest of it..we figured out that she's happiest with our cat and the two have become pals already! She only comes out at night when we're in bed but she's a little hooligan! Every morning we find some mischief that the two of them have gotten up to, which I am easy to forgive because I would rather they bond and she explores than hiding under the bed for 12 hours at a time. Good advice on the reading and no direct eye contact, I'll try that tonight!

Thanks again!
N.

It is good that the cats have bonded and are getting along well. Even better that she is eating. Sounds like she is coming along nicely and that it will just take some time for her to get used to everything. Her fondness for the other cat may encourage her to come out during the day to be with him.
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Tessa Onyx, Foudini, Charlee, Spottie, ShyRaven, Buddy, Tuxie, Widdle Attila Sipowitz, Lizzie, Minnie, ET, Mylo,(We be house cats at last), and Salem, Wicca and Marmalade (We iz also house cats, we guess)and the 5 porch kits also Riley da goggie and Buddha da baby hamster too
Tabitha and Samantha..always in our hearts//Fly free Penny 12/12/07
A house without cats is like a garden without flowers