My new cat is hiding after adoption. How to help her adjust?

Question

Hello, We adopted a 7 year-old cat about 6 weeks ago. Since we brought her home, she has been hiding under a bed, coming out only to eat, drink, and use the litter box. She sometimes plays with a couple of toys, but she still runs back under the bed if someone enters her room. Yesterday, we moved her food to another room to see if she would look for it, but she did not as of this morning. We have played soft music and tried talking to her. What else can we do? Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 7 years and 2 months old | 10 lbs

Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH · Accepted Answer

I'm sorry to hear that Tippy is having a hard time adjusting. I would recommend a couple of things. I would try to decrease stress as much as possible. That may mean closing the door to the room that Tippy is in during the day to give her a "safe" place to be. You could also add a Feliway Diffuser ( https://www.feliway.com ) to your house. This is a calming pheromone that will work for a month. I have also had luck with Rescue Remedy ( http://www.bachflower.com/rescue-remedy-pet/ ) which can be added to the water. You could also consider calming music specially for cats ( http://throughadogsear.com/tace/through-a-cats-ear-1-music-for-calming/ ). But Tippy may just need more time, so don't rush things. I would leave her food in her "safe" area and just give her time. I know it seems like 6 weeks is a long time, but hopefully some additional calming techniques will help. If they do not help, you can always consider discussing an anti-anxiety medication with your veterinarian. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and gives you some ideas. Thanks for using PetCoach.

My new cat is hiding after adoption. How to help her adjust?

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