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Help... Any advice?!
- Thread starter Nala
- Start date
How long has this cat been there?
Remember she's been taken away from everything she knows, sometimes the best way to help them is to leave them alone. Giving a cat a couple days of no contact can give them the time to calm down and absorb the smells and sounds of the new environment, and get bored enough to be interested in you. Of course during that time you replenish food and water and clean the litterbox. If she is hiding, make sure that the bowls are not far. Make sure you are offering the same food she was eating before (even if you wish to change the diet make that a project for a few weeks down the road), and the same litter. You want to give some familiarity when possible.
Where is she hiding? Is it a good hiding place, a nice cozy cave where she can feel safe and secure?
And her background...you say that she was gifted by a friend, did you know this cat at all before? Was she used to your presence visiting your friend? Was that her original owner who had had her since kittenhood? How did you exchange her...did you go over there or did your friend bring to your place? Was she a friendly outgoing cat at your friend's place?
Is she spayed?
Remember she's been taken away from everything she knows, sometimes the best way to help them is to leave them alone. Giving a cat a couple days of no contact can give them the time to calm down and absorb the smells and sounds of the new environment, and get bored enough to be interested in you. Of course during that time you replenish food and water and clean the litterbox. If she is hiding, make sure that the bowls are not far. Make sure you are offering the same food she was eating before (even if you wish to change the diet make that a project for a few weeks down the road), and the same litter. You want to give some familiarity when possible.
Where is she hiding? Is it a good hiding place, a nice cozy cave where she can feel safe and secure?
And her background...you say that she was gifted by a friend, did you know this cat at all before? Was she used to your presence visiting your friend? Was that her original owner who had had her since kittenhood? How did you exchange her...did you go over there or did your friend bring to your place? Was she a friendly outgoing cat at your friend's place?
Is she spayed?
Nala
Savannah Kitten
Thank you so much for taking the time and replying..
She been with me 3 days going on 4. I feed her 3x day and change the water bowl daily. At first she was hiding in the closet, now she under the bed. My friend had her on canned and dry food. But i started her on a grain free diet. I feeding her Bravo canned and Taste of the wild dry food. And she gorged herself on only on the dry food.
A little about her. She a F3 Savannah 2 1/2 years old. She had kittens twice before. As i recall she had 4 kittens the 1st time and 5 kittens the 2nd time. I met her once prior to receiving her. Yes my friend the original owner, he had her since kittenhood. The day i got her i went over to his place and spend some time with her. She is not spayed.
My friend told me she is very friendly but gets territorial at times. She is very loud at night almost like she crying.
Any advice would help.
She been with me 3 days going on 4. I feed her 3x day and change the water bowl daily. At first she was hiding in the closet, now she under the bed. My friend had her on canned and dry food. But i started her on a grain free diet. I feeding her Bravo canned and Taste of the wild dry food. And she gorged herself on only on the dry food.
A little about her. She a F3 Savannah 2 1/2 years old. She had kittens twice before. As i recall she had 4 kittens the 1st time and 5 kittens the 2nd time. I met her once prior to receiving her. Yes my friend the original owner, he had her since kittenhood. The day i got her i went over to his place and spend some time with her. She is not spayed.
My friend told me she is very friendly but gets territorial at times. She is very loud at night almost like she crying.
Any advice would help.
It will take a while for her to settle in. Do you have a tv or radio you can keep on in her room? Also can you go back to the food she wss on and transition her slowly, so she doesn't get an upset tummy?
And you will have to get her spayed if you don't want her to howl... Also it is better for her and will help make her a better pet.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
And you will have to get her spayed if you don't want her to howl... Also it is better for her and will help make her a better pet.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Changing the food is disorienting, and as Paige mentions can well cause stomach upset. Do not be surprised if her poops are quite loose now she has suddenly changed her diet like this.
I am sure she has chosen under the bed as being more protected. When you come in to feed her have you been attempting to talk to her and interact with her? I think giving her some space makes more sense at this point, she is obviously quite thrown by all this change. Be aware that staring at her is not reassuring but a sign of aggression for cats, you want to only give quick glances or be sure to blink slowly to reassure her.
I would schedule her spay asap. The sooner you are not dealing with hormones the better, cats tend to settle better after a spay also, so it will help her become the pet you want.
Given she was a breeding cat, how did your friend keep her? Some have their breeding cats as pets in their house and others keep them in cages and so what is your cat used to? This can be useful knowledge and might tell us how quickly you might expect her to adapt. If she has grown up in a cattery situation not a home pet situation then this is a much bigger adjustment for her.
I agree with Paige that having some ambient noise such as radio or tv can really help. There is a "too quiet" for a nervous cat..while some background noise can be soothing. Give her a couple days more of little interaction then you might just go sit in the room quietly for an hour or two at a time, read a book or watch tv but continue to ignore her. Sleep in the room possibly, sometimes they find the middle of the night a good time to come out and sniff you over as when you are asleep you are less of a threat. It might not be a peaceful night for you if she wanders around a lot but it might help her adjust to you.
I am sure she has chosen under the bed as being more protected. When you come in to feed her have you been attempting to talk to her and interact with her? I think giving her some space makes more sense at this point, she is obviously quite thrown by all this change. Be aware that staring at her is not reassuring but a sign of aggression for cats, you want to only give quick glances or be sure to blink slowly to reassure her.
I would schedule her spay asap. The sooner you are not dealing with hormones the better, cats tend to settle better after a spay also, so it will help her become the pet you want.
Given she was a breeding cat, how did your friend keep her? Some have their breeding cats as pets in their house and others keep them in cages and so what is your cat used to? This can be useful knowledge and might tell us how quickly you might expect her to adapt. If she has grown up in a cattery situation not a home pet situation then this is a much bigger adjustment for her.
I agree with Paige that having some ambient noise such as radio or tv can really help. There is a "too quiet" for a nervous cat..while some background noise can be soothing. Give her a couple days more of little interaction then you might just go sit in the room quietly for an hour or two at a time, read a book or watch tv but continue to ignore her. Sleep in the room possibly, sometimes they find the middle of the night a good time to come out and sniff you over as when you are asleep you are less of a threat. It might not be a peaceful night for you if she wanders around a lot but it might help her adjust to you.
I imagine it will take your girl a bit of time to settle in and feel comfortable in her new home. Spaying her will probably help but I suspect this will be technically difficult to get her to the vet if she is still untrusting of you and not allowing you to get near her. You say she hides under the bed, is this by chance your bed? If so, that is a good place to start, that means she has several hours a day with you while you sleep at night. During waking hours you should spend time sitting on the floor as others have suggested. Don't try to make direct eye contact, and don't try to reach or grab for her, because she will see these actions as a sign of aggression. Instead you can read a book aloud or simply work on your computer so that she gets used to your presence and voice. You can also try waving a wand toy about on the floor in her direction from time to time to see if you can distract her enough to engage her in play - this may be the first interaction to occur between the two of you. I think with time and patience you will be able to win her over, just let her be the one to decide that she wants to get closer to you, not the other way around.
Nala
Savannah Kitten
Hi everyone,
I want to start by saying Thank you so much for all the help.
I appreciate every single one of you for taking the time and replying with all that helpful advice. I didn't know what i was getting myself into. With that being said Nala is adjusting just great. She stopped hiding, She roams the house freely. It feels like i had her since the beginning. She at home and feels all the love.
I want to start by saying Thank you so much for all the help.
I appreciate every single one of you for taking the time and replying with all that helpful advice. I didn't know what i was getting myself into. With that being said Nala is adjusting just great. She stopped hiding, She roams the house freely. It feels like i had her since the beginning. She at home and feels all the love.Attachments
Very glad to read that she's relaxed and settled in so well