[Rebecca Ripple]

Hi, everyone! I'm Rebecca. I'm a 36-year-old human who has recently adopted a new brown tabby girl named Belle. She's just over 2 years old. I've attached a photo from the transition house I adopted her from, since she's still in that hiding-under-the-bed (or in our case, the sofa) phase and I can't get her to willingly come out of there.

I joined here looking for help... You see, my new roomie isn't eating or drinking her food or water at all. I give her wet and dry food in separate ceramic bowls, and she has a bowl of room-temperature water nearby and a running fountain in the kitchen... And she doesn't seem to want any of it! I'm so confused and getting very worried... If a human can only live for a few days to a week without water, how long can a small cat survive without it? I'm scared... I just adopted her two days ago, and I can't coax her out of her hiding place to eat or drink or play or be petted. What else can I do?

 

[lcordaro]

Are you placing the food next to her in her hiding place? Bring the food to her. You may have to try different wet food brands until she finds one she can’t resist. Try anything. Treats. If she still hasn’t eaten anything. Call your vet.

 

[Rebecca Ripple]

Are you placing the food next to her in her hiding place? Bring the food to her. You may have to try different wet food brands until she finds one she can’t resist. Try anything. Treats. If she still hasn’t eaten anything. Call your vet.

Thank you for your excellent advice, Icordaro! I really do appreciate it. I am thrilled to announce, however, that ma Belle cherie has just come out of hiding, as of 4:30pm EST yesterday! I am soooo happy. She comes over and nuzzles me, marking me all over as her human. I gleefully pet her from nose to tail-tip in response, assuring her she is my Little Princess, until she becomes distracted by something else and walks away of her own accord. I love my little girl so much! She is a lovely fluff filled to the brim with cuddles!

And she's eating! Though she never comes close to finishing her food, but we'll see. I'm hoping time really was all she needed. Hopefully she'll get to finishing her meals when she feels even more comfortable here.

Again, thanks so much for your help! Now I need to focus on finding some more treats Belle might like. As it is, I only have catnip and a packet of silvervine sticks. I'm not even sure what to do with the catnip yet. Do I mix it into her food? Or just pour some of it onto the floor / in a dish for her to enjoy? Or what? What do you usually to with a bag full of catnip?

 

[lcordaro]

Glad to hear she came up to you and is eating. As far as the catnip. Usually the catnip goes inside a toy were you stuff the catnip inside. You can also put a little bit of the catnip in the palm of your hand for her to taste. I wouldn’t give her too much of it. Don’t put it in her food. She should only have a little as a special treat. She will teach you what and how she wants things. Haha

 

[Rebecca Ripple]

Thanks again! I'll do that. I appreciate your help very much.