new cat hiding all the time

by Diana

I now have a four year old cat that was given to me. he was with the same family all his life and now is seriously depressed. he will not come up from the basement at all. he has found hiding spots in the ceiling so we can not find him all day. when we go to sleep at night, he comes up and starts crying thru the whole house keeping everyone up. I dont know what to do and my husband is ready to kick him out. What should i do!!!


Answer by KAte
Hi
you need to catch him and keep in a closed room for about two weeks, during that time he will need lots of new and interesting things to keep him stimulated and distracted from his distress of moving. He will also need quiet times with you where you just sit with him in the room. Don't try to approach him, let him come to you and also entice him with games like chasing string etc. Over this time his confidence should grow and his bond to you should also become stronger.

Some cats do need time to settle in, but as I say given time, lots of distractions and some bonding time and they should be fine in the end . I do have a page about bonding and also one about keeping indoor cats happy. here they are

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/new-cat.html

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/indoor-cats.html

best wishes kate

Comments for new cat hiding all the time

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Sounds like my cat!
by: Anonymous

My cat has been in our household for 3 yrs.After I came back from a holiday,she hid from other people except me.She refused to eat so we left the house and she finally ate! Skittish little cat!
This sounds familiar!
by: Anonymous

i wen thtrough this not long ago myself! My sis ter gave me her cat, who is about four years old. She had him since he was a kitten, and when he came to us, he hid for over a month in our basement. He lost a large ammount of weight and reacted with terror and even aggression when we tried to catch him to hold and love on him. There were days on end that we could not find him at all. Eventually, after several weeks, he suddenly had a breakthrough and came out and jumped up on my husband's lap! He is now our most affectionate cat and has gained his weight back. I agree that you should catch your kitty if possible and put him someplace where he has less room to hide and he is forced to interact with you more.

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