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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

How long did it take for your new cat to come out of hiding?

78 replies

Cherryblossom1985 · 05/06/2023 18:56

We got a rescue cat on Thursday night.

She had been in the shelter since early January. Around 14 months old. I think she was found living outside with her 2 kittens.

I brought her home on Thursday night and she went straight under the kick board at the sink.

I knew to expect this as we took MILs cat (who knew us) when she died and she hid for 2 days.

Yesterday, she spent most of the day sitting on the window sill looking out the window. Progress I thought, but I spooked her working outside and she's been under the sink all day. Only coming out to eat when we're out.

This is day 4 and no further forward.
Any advice?

OP posts:
Gettingbysomehow · 16/06/2023 11:40

Thank goodness you found her!!!!

lndnbrdge91 · 16/06/2023 11:55

She is so lovely! My cat hid for about a week. First in a shoe cupboard and then behind chairs or sofa. It wasn't until around 6 months she fully trusted us and started to sit on laps or come for a stroke. Here she is...

lndnbrdge91 · 16/06/2023 11:56

Photo won't work. But she is not shy any more!

WhenImSixtyFour · 16/06/2023 18:34

Fantastic news! I’m so glad she is safely back. It’s going to be difficult having windows shut in this heat but you now know what an escape artist she is.
I hope she soon settles now she’s back.

Polis · 16/06/2023 18:39

No time. He wandered in from outside at about eight weeks old. He was already feeding himself. Lizards mainly.

123wdcd · 20/06/2023 21:13

Brilliant news @Cherryblossom1985 Hoping she rewards you with purrs and snuggles soon.

Original poster
Cherryblossom1985 · 21/06/2023 09:05

Still hiding. Only coming out for food. She's especially nervous when she hears DH and DS, not surprisingly as they're like a herd of elephants and talk very loudly.
She came to me this morning and sniffed my hand, but wouldn't let me touch her.
Slow process but we're getting there.

OP posts:
SallyWD · 21/06/2023 09:08

Cherryblossom1985 · 21/06/2023 09:05

Still hiding. Only coming out for food. She's especially nervous when she hears DH and DS, not surprisingly as they're like a herd of elephants and talk very loudly.
She came to me this morning and sniffed my hand, but wouldn't let me touch her.
Slow process but we're getting there.

Patience and time. She'll get there eventually.

pointythings · 21/06/2023 09:43

Hand sniff is absolutely progress, well done!

Florissante · 21/06/2023 09:45

pointythings · 21/06/2023 09:43

Hand sniff is absolutely progress, well done!

Agreed!

Iwantcakeeveryday · 21/06/2023 09:50

Nice to see you managed to get her back. This will take some time, I have had feral cats before. Much easier to take a feral kitten than a cat but you will get there, with lots of patience and time. There are lots of rescues out there providing instructions and videos to help you. A hand sniff is excellent! Just give her everything she needs in a room you can keep secure and slowly slowly she will come round. Good luck and thank you for rescuing too :)

WhenImSixtyFour · 21/06/2023 23:11

Do post a photo once you manage to capture one of her OP. A hand sniff is a positive step.

viques · 21/06/2023 23:18

current cat came out of the travelling box, walked around the sitting room, went into the hall, found his litter box, had a wee,went into the kitchen, ate a few biscuits. Came back and lay down on the sofa.

Previous cat came out of the travelling box and shot up the chimney. Fortunately couldn’t get up very far.

DDs found a tiny gap where the skirting hadn’t been put back properly, somehow squeezed through and disappeared under the floor for three days.

They are all different!

viques · 21/06/2023 23:27

Forgot about a cat we were looking after, who completely disappeared in the house. I thought he must have somehow got out. Searched everywhere. It wasn’t until I crawled on my hands and knees and shone a torch into the darkness underneath a very low down wardrobe that I spotted two eyes right at the back. Black cat, black space. He came to stay a few times and it was always his preferred space, though he got friendly and would snuggle.

dartsofcupid · 21/06/2023 23:45

We had a ten week old hide and seek champion, we could hear him eating, playing, but as soon as any of us came in he’d secrete himself under a unit. We got DD to just sit in the room he was hiding in and totally ignore him. She read, watched her iPad etc. After two hours he came out and sat near her, she gave him a treat, then a little while later he sat beside her, but not too close, so she petted him, still looking at her iPad, then a bit later he climbed up and fell asleep on her beanbag beside her. No eye contact or overt, focused attention seemed to be the thing. We also got a feliway plug-in, it said it could help a cat settle but it might have been due to happen anyway. He got over his fears quickly after deciding DD was safe. Now he’s a big softie and loves being carried about the house and staring into our faces.

dartsofcupid · 21/06/2023 23:50

Sorry, should have said the hiding went on for a week. After a few days he’d leave the room but run like hell and then hide somewhere else. Sun-Sat to get him on the beanbag

Hand sniff! she’s thinking about it 😍

Original poster
Cherryblossom1985 · 22/06/2023 14:02

This is the woman herself.
Still a little skittish but she's let me stroke her a few times.

I've got a good look at her and she's smaller than I first thought. Looks not much more than a kitten, although the rescue said she was around 14 months old, albeit an estimation.

She's always looking for food and I'm wondering how much I should be feeding her/if I'm feeding her enough?
She's getting 2 pouches a day plus a bowl of cat biscuits

How long did it take for your new cat to come out of hiding?
OP posts:
BlueKaftan · 22/06/2023 14:05

She might warm up for a couple of Dreamies?

Pixiedust1234 · 22/06/2023 14:10

Oh my goodness...she's in the open!! Keep up the good work Grin

ifshe's been a stray then her small size could be from malnutrition so maybe she needs more food to grow? Our rescue stray ate like a teenage boy for six months then settled down to a pouch in morning and one in evening with dry biscuits for a snack. She never grew bigger in size but her fur grew thicker and her spine and legs straightened a bit and she got stronger (her bunny kick used to wind us) so I assume she was putting down bone and muscle strength instead of growing iyswim.

Iwantcakeeveryday · 22/06/2023 14:11

Seems like progress? Lick e licks treats are all my various cats favourite over the years and my local vet nurse uses dreamies to give the long haired cats a good brush. Treats are a great way to make friends!

pointythings · 22/06/2023 14:14

She's lovely and what good progress! 2 pouches and biscuits sounds about right. Make sure if you can that they're high quality biscuits. I feed James Wellbeloved or Lily's Kitchen, they're expensive but they do combat the stinky poos because they digest better. She may still have growing to do, one of my boys grew both taller and heavier between a year and 18 months.

Original poster
Cherryblossom1985 · 22/06/2023 16:16

Thank you everyone. You've been so supportive and helpful.

She let DS stroke her too today. The crunchy treats may have helped 😍

OP posts:
Pixiedust1234 · 22/06/2023 17:16

It can be funny when you find the cat switch. We had a stray that hissed and hid from us for months. I eventually managed to give one stroke when feeding her then after a week of that i managed three strokes, she suddenly started purring and headbutting. I had found her switch 😂

I regret giving her to CP tbh, she was lovely.

Original poster
Cherryblossom1985 · 26/06/2023 17:03

I contacted the rescue and asked about feeding amounts. They said they'd been giving her 2 pouches per day and a bowl of cat crunchies but to up it to three pouches as sometimes a spayed cat will eat more.

She's coming along great with me but still no progress with the males in the house.
My sister suggested that maybe men/boys had been cruel to her in the past and that's why she's frightened.

My next question is how much longer do I keep her in for? I didn't plan on keeping her as a house cat, but don't want to act prematurely.
She's into her 4th week with us, but a week of that she was missing.

What preparations can I make when I do let her out to ensure she comes back?

OP posts:
pointythings · 26/06/2023 17:27

The recommended minimum is 6 weeks, but with a cat whose trust in humans is so fragile I'd go double that.

When you let her out, sprinkle little piles of used litter from her tray here and there in the garden - she can smell it from a very long way away and find her way home.