Adopted cat not settling at all

[BlueBirdsNest]

We had the addition of a new cat to our house at the end of last week.

See is the most timid cat I have ever met and is hiding under a book shelf in the living room.

She has ventured out a few times but will not let anyone approach her.

She is so nervous that she is spitting and growling if anyone gets close.

I am experienced with cats however I have never met such a scared cat so am a bit lost really.

I am wondering if we should contact the previous owner to say she is not settling but then I'm not sure what we would do?

Does anybody have any advice?

I would get the cat-calming pheremone from your vet, that helped one of my cats, and put the homoeopathic remedy Ignatia 200c in her water for half a day. Really seems to help rescued animals calm down (homoeopathic pharmacies like Ainsworths or Goulds will stock it and post it out but good health shops might have it too.

Perhaps try and get hold of one of those feliway pheromone plug ins they r supposed to help. Also clear her a shelf/top of a cupboard/ window sill etc so she has somewhere up high to sit and watch etc. And obviously make sure its positioned so she can easily get to it so say all she has to do is jump up on back of sofa or something and then jump up. Have u got any toys for her like one of those rod things with a mouse/ball thing on end that u can wave about to tempt her to play and gain that trust and make her feel she can display her pent up instincts. A week is still early days though give her a bit longer :(

Thank you both.

I think I'm just a bit nervous that she is unhappy and scared, I hate to think of an animal being unhappy.

I wouldn't want to give up on her but it has sort of thrown me a bit as we have always had cats that get thier paws firmly under the table within minutes.

I just feel like a bit of a failure and that she hates us

Have you tried luring her out with a bit of catnip?

Shell settle eventually.poor puss doesn't yet know you are lovely

she didn't like the catnip but have stocked up on toys for when she eventually ventures out

Did you know your rescue cat was timid Toughasoldboots?

She briefly popped out and let me clap her, and I got a small purr but she went diving away again after a minute

A small purr is a really good sign. She must be starting to trust you. Is she eating etc? Some cats do take quite a bit of time to settle into a new home. I've had the bold (sauntered out of cat box, lay on rug, but then she was pregnant) and the terrified (hid under the cooker with kitten sibling, took days to tempt them out) but they all settled down in the end. I think with lots of talking to her and treats she will start to get bolder, but do try the pheromone if you can get one, and/or the ignatia.

You may have been lucky with your other cats. I wouldn't say our boy is especially timid but he spent the first 3 days with us hiding under my sons bed. Do you think he's been exploring at night?

I think she is exploring when no one is around. Albeit it cautiously

Her food is being eaten, in small amounts, but still nibbled on , and she has had a poo in her her tray

It's day six and she is coming out a bit more if it's just me but runs off and spits and hisses if anyone else in the family comes into the room

I think I'm confused because, as I mentioned, all our previous cats have been people cats and this wee thing just seems to hate people

far too early to say yet - we have cats when we moved here 12 years ago two lived under the bath for a week

I think one of the things that is playing on my mind is her owners wanted to keep her but they are moving abroad and thought it would be cruel for her to be in a small space for 12 hours

But she has spent about 72 hours under a book shelf so I'm wondering whether to contact her owners and say 'she is not settling , i'm sure she'd be fine travelling, would you like her back so you can take her?

so do I Toughasoldboots

I'm just not sure what to do for the best?

I just want her to be relaxed and happy but she is so scared , and presently I'm thinking that's my fault and she hates us

I will give her a home , of course I will , but I have never had a nervous cat before and I just feel like she hates us at the moment

She probably does, she has been removed from her people

But, and I will admit this, I thought she would be like my previous cats and be all cuddley and friendly

I have never dealt with a nervous cat before so I'm a bit lost

I dont want to re-home her but when she bites, spites,hisses and attacks everyone I'm wondering if it is a 'wrong' match'

Some cats are very frightened when they go to new homes. To be honest, you've been lucky if your other cats have always seemed at home so easily. Think of it from her perspective - she's been taken to a new home with new people and she has no idea. Perhaps she isn't used to children and dogs and so it's a bigger adjustment than you thought. Give her time, and don't try to force things, and she will come round.

A week is nothing to worry about, I promise.

Last September we adopted two 5 and 6 yo girls one very timid and one very friendly. Our timid cat went straight under the day bed in our conservatory as soon as she got out of the travel basket, and didn't really come out for two weeks. She made occasional forays a few metres out into her little bed that had come with her, but would scurry back in alarm at the drop of a hat. She would wedge herself right at the back against the wall, and we would spend hours crouched on the day bed with an arm stuck down the back stroking whatever bit of her we could reach, She would respond with purrs, but was just too shy to come out.

Most days we had to push her food under the day bed to get her to eat. Gradually we put the bowl further away from her until she was eating with her head and shoulders sticking out from under the day bed. Gradually she got more comfy in that room, and would curl up on a chair in there and started eating in the kitchen. However for another several weeks she wouldn't venture beyond the kitchen. She'd occasionally inch timidly down the hallway and even into the living room, and when she did we had to freeze and not look at her - if she could see we had noticed her she would race back to her hiding place. We begun to wonder if she'd spend her whole life in the conservatory!

Very slowly over about 4-6 weeks she explored the house, and 10 months later is a delightful, chatty, friendly, affectionate cat with fairly bossy moments! She sashays around the whole house like she owns it, she miaows at us to demand strokes and greets us every morning by lying on her back and asking for a tummy tickle. She is still very nervous around most other people, but nothing compared to the terrified cat she used to be. She is uncrecognisable but it did take a lot of time and patience.

It's not abnormal at all, I don't think, and cats vary a lot. Our other one was settled in in about 5 minutes - hopped straight out of her basket, onto the sofa and started purring!

Don't take it personally - she will just be feeling terribly lost and frightened. Rehoming is a huge trauma and 5 new people and a dog is a lot to get used to. A purr is a really good sign and it sounds like she's getting used to you. The rest will also take time. Sorry for the long post but thought my experience might give some reassurance.

thank you.

we are both making progress with each other, I'm growing to love her.

Have been speaking to her previous owners and, to be honest there were are few things that have transpired in her previous home that personally I don't think is a great way to treat a cat, but maybe that's just me?

She arrived healthy but I don't think happy

We don't have a dog reluctant I think that's confusion with another person replying

One question for all cat experts though? If a cat was born to a feral cat and someone took the kitten in would that kitten grow up to still be a bit ferral and not trust people?

I've just leant she was taken in at five weeks old from a feral mum

I recently came across a thread that recommends "buttering" your cat. No idea if it works but you could search for that thread.

thanks stargirl , i'm not sure but I guess butter their paws only works if they are already your cats and you're moving moving to a new home?

If i'd tried or even today thought about butter this cats paws she'd rip me off

In a year or two though, if I move home I'd hope to have her with me and might butter her paws then.

I'm falling in love

Sorry for not reading properly!

Re feral mum, not necessarily but in her case probably a factor as she wasn't taken in til 5 weeks. The crucial period for socialising a kitten I believe is the first 6 weeks. Huge progress can be made later in life but I have been told that there's a limit to how much you can undo a lack of socialisation at this age. She'll probably be great with a bit of reassurance and attention, but just may not not turn into a total lap cat, for instance.

What did the previous owners do bluebird? This is sounding very like ours. She was handed into the shelter in very strange circumstances - owners were getting divorced and neither seemed to want them. The lady brought them in and apparently told the foster carer to 'watch' the shy one as she'll 'take chunks out of you'. The fosterer, and now us are both as she is the most gentle cat I have EVER encountered. I play with her paws and put my fingers between her toes! We started forming very strong suspicions of mistreatment because she was utterly petrified of belts and even now sometimes will wince if your hand is at a certain angle as you go to stroke her head.

This thread and your other one (that was you right?) make me sad for the cat, it seems like you want an instantly friendly cat which fits with your preconceptions, and if she doesn't fit then you don't want her. It's a very early stage to be talking about giving up.

That said, you do sound like you are doing the right things - she will need some time to learn not to be scared of you, but you are making progress, and she will get there.

My family and I had a rescue cat when I was young who took a long time to fully accept us and learn not to be afraid. She was fine once she did, but always remained a bit more likely to be scared / startled than other "normal" cats.

If you don't have any room for compromise in your ideal of what you want her to be, I would rehome her. She will almost certainly come to accept you but will you accept her if she's not perfectly friendly? Are you prepared to commit time and patience to making friends with her? If no, then the sooner she moves on the better for her.

If you do want to keep her and want to make friends, I would sit near wherever she's hiding for short periods at a time, talking to her and making affectionate noises. Obviously try not to surprise or startle her. Don't look at her too much, staring is aggressive to cats - drop your eyes first if she makes eye contact. Don't stay in the room for too long else she will feel she can't come out to eat or use the litter tray.

Otherwise, as long as she's eating and drinking, just stay patient.

I think that's very harsh. To me it's very clear that the OP is just lost in an unfamiliar situation, and concerned that the cat's reaction is her fault and that she's doing something wrong. She's also concerned that the previous owners didn't want to rehome the cat and given that she's not settling that makes the rehoming seem less of a good idea for the cat.

Yes she said that she wasn't expecting a cat so timid, but she's also said she wants to keep her and she's growing to love the cat and she's obviously making a huge effort!