Our mother's cat has come to live with us....?

Question

My mother-in-law's 3 year old cat has come to live with us. He has been in the house for an hour and is still in his crate. I know he will be scared at first and we just check on him. Can you give us any pointers to make him more comfortable? It is very quiet here, no kids, and we are just letting him do his thing...which seems to be hiding! Thanks

Answer 1

A new home can be overwhelming for a cat, they are sensitive creatures. Hiding is normal. You might want to move him (in his crate) to a smallish, quiet room in the house, maybe a spare bedroom? Put litter, food and water in there with him, so he doesn't have to go far for that. Eventually he will come out and explore and become more comfortable with the house. Don't worry, he'll come around and will soon find his favorite comfortable spots in the house.

Answer 2

He will be all right. A cat has two prized possessions: his territory and his person, and right now, this little boy has lost both. If you can, just leave him in his crate for a while longer, to watch and to listen and to smell. If his crate is large enough that you can use it as a kind of cage for a few days, then just do.

The crate maybe smells of home, so he should feel better about being in it than loose. If there is room for a little potty, food and water, just put that in there (as they do with cats for sale or adoption), and leave the door closed and go about your business. Just let him watch and smell and listen. If possible, wait until tomorrow morning to open the door of the crate. But don't disturb him. Let him come out and explore as he wishes, when he wishes. Let him use the crate as his safe house, respect his sanctuary, and be gentle with him. As he acclimates to your home, he will gradually forsake the crate.

It won't take long. In a week, you'll see a whole different cat.
Don't worry. He's just fine.

Answer 3

When my wife and I bought our house and moved out of our apartment we had the same difficulty with our cat Puff. He had lived with me in the apartment for almost two years since he was just a kitten. He had stayed in the crate for a long time, so we finally decided to let him adjust to the house one area at the time. The litter box was in the upstairs bathroom, so we took him and his crate up there, put food and water in sight of him, put a shirt I had been wearing that day on the floor (he likes to lay on top of things that have my scent), and then closed the door to let him have some quiet. I checked on him about every half hour and he finally decided to come out to eat and investigate after about an hour and a half. He was still skittish, so I left him alone and left the door open. He gradually began to explore more areas of the house for short periods of time before returning to the bathroom but was still pretty nervous. After about 3 days or so, though, he began to act like his old self again.

I hope this helps!

Answer 4

open up a can of food:) That always cheers cats up! :)
Pet him o the head, gently, and talk to him in a calm, warm, uniform tone...

buy some cat toys to lure him out of the crate. He'll soon adjust...you just need to be very patient for abt a week or so.

Don't let him alone for long periods of time..I think just locking him in a room will prolong the adjustment period. I;d take him out now, pet him and bring the can of food under his nose. Then give him some space..and let him explore.

Answer 5

Put him in a single room with a litterbox, food and water so he doesn't get to scared at first - let him out when he starts showing signs of wanting to explore.

When you let him out, he might hide for a day or two or three, or a week, depends on his temperment, but keep him company, read a book, throw him treats. He's only three, so I bet he will like to pounce on a toy. Get a toy on a stick and play with him that way. Wadded balls of paper are always good, and so are paperbags.

Good Luck on the new addition.

Answer 6

I agree with thedivineoomba. Give him a chance to make himself at home. Provide him with a nice quite room in the house, food, water, and a few toys, etc.. The smells in your home are completely new to him. He just needs a little time to adjust.

Also maybe see if there's an old shirt or something from your mother-in-law that you can have at your home. Her scent may make him feel more at ease.

Answer 7

your doing the right thing so far just let him explore in his own time i brought my girl home from her mama and she hid under a bed for about 7 hours before she finally came out and explored on her own just dont rush to have a bond let her come to you and also you might see her start rubbing up against everything this is a good sign shes marking her territory in otherwords making herself at home dont discourage that if the cat starts spraying thats a whole other issue which you can contact me about if it becomes one just make sure its spayed or nuetered and you should be able to avoid that problem all together

Answer 8

Put him in a room, with food & litter box. Open the cage & just let him be for a few days. Visit & pet, if you can. After a few days, open the door, so it can come out & explore. It will know where food & litter is, & know it can get to them.

Answer 9

It will take him a little bit to get used to his new home. Try getting in the floor with one of his toys and see if he'll come play. Just try and show him attention and let him get used to things.

Answer 10

Let him be for a while to get used to his new surroundings. Offer him some cooked chicken after a while - cats go crazy for it!