C.C. the scaredy cat....

I adopted a cat named C.C. who is painfully shy (along with her brother Fin). Today is her first day home and I created a little 'nursery/safe room' for the cats (I also have a dog named MiAmor). Everything is going according to plan, put them in their room, spent time with them. Left them alone for a while, spent some more time. Brought dog in my room and opened the cat's door. Fin went out exploring almost immediately. I knew C.C. wouldn't, but she hasn't gotten out of bed or eaten. She cried for a while when she got here so I covered her bed with a scarf creating a tented area she can hide. She hasn't moved from the covered bed....how long before I should worry?? Who am I kidding...I am totally worried about her.

Advice appreciated nailbite_smile

 

When I have integrated cats, I usually take it more slowly than one day and then allowing the door to be opened. Sometimes, it has taken several weeks to months before my cats could be integrated, let alone if you have a dog.

What kind of dog do you have? Is the dog aggressive or hyper? That could scare the cats, especially C.C.

How old are these kitties? I read some of your other posts, and they seem they are at least several years old?

Have you been able to handle C.C.? Hold her or pet her? Is there a litter box in the same room? Plenty of food and water? If these were my cats, I would allow them some solitude for a few days, and not allow the dog near them, or vice versa. I had a beagle at one time with several of our cats, and one day all hell broke loose, when the dog caused a major cat fight. I had to give my poor dog to my daughter, as there was just no way that they were going to integrate peacefully.

Has C.C. not eaten anything? If she hasn't, you may have to try to offer baby food (no onion), even tuna people food, or small bits of chicken. If you have some Hill's A/D canned, you could mix some water into that and place it in a small bowl or on a plate, and put it near her. Make sure to warm up some food, to make it more palatable. Can you check her scruff to lift and see if it springs back? Hopefully she is not getting dehydrated, as you may have to take her to the vet's for fluids, because you can't let her go without eating or drinking.

Could she be constipated? Has she been looked at by a vet recently? I guess I would be very worried also, when a cat has shown no signs of eating or drinking or using the litter box.

Does she do well with her brother, Finn? They get along well, is what I mean?

Keep us posted, but worse case scenario, I would have her looked at if she is truly lethargic and absolutely not eating or drinking. She could go into hepatic lipidosis, and that is something not easy to deal with.

I am not a vet nor vet tech, but have had a lot of experience with stray and feral cats. My cats are all indoors once I adopted them.

Jean and Charcoal (GA)

 

Dont rush it. Fin might be able to handle meeting the dog but CC clearly is not ready. Slow down. Use any foods in your arsenal to get her to eat. Its normal for cats to not eat in a new environment. I would say to worry about the not eating on day 3, day 2 if shes overweight. Overweight cats are at increased risk of hepatic lipidosis. It sounds like you made a nice hidey spot for her. If that doesnt work, try a cardboard box with one side open, and put her bed in it. Make is so you can work with her but she feels secure.

Shy cats are going to need a longer separation from the household. Keep them in the one room with the door shut until CC is more comfy.

 

I have not introduced the animals, nor will I for quite a while. The dog goes in a room on the other side of the house and she does not bark as she is part Basenji. She is curious, but not spazzy and she is six years old.

Fin and C.C. are nine years old. They seem like they get along, but it is hard to tell because C.C. is usually hiding. But Fin seems pretty protective of her....but also of the food and water dish (he is a diabetic). She is petite and is at an appropriate weight for her size.

C.C. did come out last night to explore. She let me pet her and pick her up to carry her back to the room. She does let me pet her but I haven't done too much, trying to go slow. She gives me the slow blink back when I do it to her when I peek in to say hello. She has not hissed or scratched. I checked her scruff and it doesn't seem slow to spring back. She is currently in her hidey-hole curled around one of the bean bags from her foster. They were with the foster for between 2 - 3 years, so I imagine she is dealing with that too.

I don't know when they last went to the vet. I do know that their shots are behind because everyone has been so focused on Fin's diabetes. The vet is making a house-call on Wednesday (less traumatic I figured).

 

C.C. let me hand feed her wet food that I added water to. I am thinking Fin may be hogging the food....

 

Awww, they are really cute! Love the names, especially since C.C. is one of my nicknames only I'm not shy :lol: Sounds like you are doing a great job welcoming them.

 

Their names were Muffin and Cupcake, but the foster Mom had been calling her C.C. for a long time. I wasn't too keen on Muffin for my little man, but I wanted to keep the sound of his name familiar so we cut the Muf and stuck with the Fin... :smile:

 

OHHHH...I misread your post. I thought the dog had met them.

 

Give her time.

I've adopted several cats throughout the years, and the older ones simply miss the family/person/environment they came from.

I adopted one cat, Baltazar, who had been with a family for 7 years, since he was a kitten, and ended up in the shelter for adoption. He hid, he was simply scared, depressed and missed his family and didn't understand what had just happened to him. When he eventually ventured into the livingroom, he'd hide under a blanket on the sofa (large cat-sized lump, who did he think he was kidding?), we gave him time and calm attention. He adapted, then he was fine, no more hiding.

He did initially stop eating though, he had been dumped in the shelter with no vaccinations and picked-up cat-flu, which erupted nicely in time for the day after I took him home. I was worried mindless at first as to why he was not eating, but the flu passed and he was fine. I did ask, via the shelter, what foods he was used to getting at his original home...

Had another female cat I adopted when she was 5. She was so scared about being away from her original home that she spent the 2 or 3 nights hiding in the turkey roasting pan in the kitchen cupboard... (yes, the jokes about roast cat for Thanksgiving circulated in our household for a looooong time).

Sounds like you are doing the right things - calm, gentle attention, take it slow. She'll get there. She might be more interested in eating in privacy? Like at night, when no-one is looking and she dares creep out a bit? (I've been there too with another adoptee...)

They are both lucky kitties to have found a good home, and good for you for adopting a pair of homeless ones!!!

Maria & Suzie (oh yes, Suzie is the one who slept in the turkey pan, I still have her, she's 15 now)