Need reassurance about my new kitty

[Marcia]

We have adopted our 6th cat. I normally adopt old throw-aways, usually over 10 years old, but this little 3 year old Himmy just stole my heart. So...logically I understand that the older the cat the longer it takes for them to acclimate, but this little girl seems to be just so unhappy to be here. She came from a very good rescue org and lived in a home setting with a loving care takers. I brought her home almost 5 days ago, but she is so timid and scared I'm concerned if I did the right thing by her. Do you think I broke a bonded relationship? Are Himmies harder to acclimate than other cats? I don't recall having this much concern before and I hate to see her so unhappy (tail dragging and wild eyed). Thoughts?

[Jetlaya67]

I think she just needs time to adjust. You may try to bribe with little treats and a feathery toy. My son and daughter in law adopted a one year old girl from the pound and it was over two weeks before she would venture out from under the bed or under the couch. She is probably shy and a little overwhelmed but she will come out of her shell.

[maggie23]

6th cat? does this mean you have 6 cats at home right now? or do you just have 1 at a time? if the former, i can understand her being timid and shy. but 5 days doesn't seem like too long yet and although i would also be sad that she's not happy right away, i wouldn't worry just yet. maybe she remembers being shuffled around from home to home before you adopted her and thinks that might be happening again. i'm sure once she realizes she's in her forever home that she'll be as happy as a clam. hopefully she'll start marking everything and claiming things as her own and her true lovable self will start shining through.

and that is so wonderful that you usually adopt the older kitties. that was our plan as well when we adopted our first who was 10 1/2. she seemed so forlorn and resigned to a vagabond's life when we saw her at the shelter (she'd been there for 2 1/2 yrs already), that we just could not resist her. so, the 2nd cat we brought home is 14 yrs old. but our 3rd cat who is only 7 and stole our hearts as well, happened to be pretty bonded with the 14 yr old, so we ended up adopting him 3 months later, too.

good luck with your himmy!

[jawramik]

It takes different cats different periods of time to adjust. Both my cats adjusted very quickly, but plenty of people on here can tell stories of it taking months for their kitties to fully come out of their shell in a new home.

Just take things slow, don't force anything, and try to gain her trust and affection with treats and creative play time. I'm sure that once she starts to feel comfortable, she'll show herself to be a loving companion.

Is she an only cat, or do you have other cats in the house? If you have other cats, getting everyone happy and used to one another may take extra time, and she may feel intimidated by the cats you already have, but this too should pass with time and careful introductions.

[anie]

it's not unusual for cats to take few weeks to adjust.
when I brought my two home, one didnt hide at all, but second hid under the bed for two weeks. then another two weeks it took her to leave the room where i put them, to walk around our place. it's been 7 weeks with us, but my cats still feel safest in the room i placed them in the beginning and spend most of the time there. and they did not have to get familiar with other cats, since I have only them and they are siblings, always together.

so I would give her some more time.

it might be harder for her as she has to adjust to new place and 5 new cats.
I would recommend giving her room with litter box and food, where he can be safe and where other cats dont bother her. when she feels safe in one room, gets used to new smells and you, I will let her out to the rest of your place.

some good strategies for adjusting to your cats would be good too, but I am sure you know what to do, since you have 6 cats!

[Marcia]

Thanks all for the great help! Yes, I have 6, all of them old except Jack who is 3. The new girl, the Himalayan, which we have renamed Nanna is also 3. Everyone is a bit stressed - nothing major, but everyone here is right about this taking time. It's just so sad to see her so distressed. She bonded with her care giver and that makes it just so much harder for her to adjust. Sometimes I think caged shelter cats adjust faster than those adopted out of homes. She does seem a bit better today than yesterday, and definitely better that several days ago so we are on the right track.

[grrawritsjordi]

I had a himalayan when I was younger (about 12 or so) and she was 4 or 5 at the time (she lived to be about 15). I remember it took her over a month to get used to us. There were days where we couldn't find her, but would just leave food out and hope she would come around. After a month, she finally started coming out, but was never a very loving cat. I always used to say "She hates to be looked at" which my friends thought was funny, but it was so true.

I would just give her time. My mom was a baby sitter, which may have been why it took Miss Kitty so long to adjust. Plus, the lady that had her before only used her for breeding purposes and didn't really care about her other than that. We took her in and gave her an amazing home for 11 years. She just passed last summer when my dad was moving into a new house. I think she knew that he was moving and didn't think she would make the trip. She was a good ol' girl.

Good luck with your new baby! Himalayans are, in my biased opinion, the most beautiful cats in the world.

[Straysmommy]

To reassure cats that don't let me touch them or come near and are terrified, I use my voice. I've seen some videos on YouTube that show how to talk in a calming, reassuring way, and boy do they help.