Adopted cat wont eat or drink?
Hello, I have worked for an animal shelter for over 8 years and what you describe is very common. Many cats hide for the first couple of days. Hopefully (if possible) you have isolated the cat in a small room with a door. This is what we advise our adopters to do, regardless of whether they have other pets or not. This is a good idea for several reasons: cats are much smaller than us, so from their perspective our homes are enormous and presumably, overwhelming places. Giving them a small area for their initial introduction is much less intimidating and often, the cat will return to this initial area when they become frightened in the future. Moving the cat from the area he finds "safe", under the chair, will probably frighten him more, so I would leave him where he is. Placing food and water near the area or if possible where he has hidden is a good idea, and putting the litter pan nearby, but not next to the food and water is also a good idea. Most likely, unless you have been watching the cat for 24 hours or videotaping him, he has or will sneak out and drink water if not eat, most likely at night. I would level out the dry food in the bowl, that way if it is disturbed you will have a better idea of whether he is eating. You might also try offering him canned food. If there is a lot of open space under the chair, I would try draping a sheet or towel over the edge to make a cave for him. Cats find hiding spaces like this comforting and the more comfortable he feels , the more likely he will come out. Try to avoid making loud noises near his hiding area, if you have children encourage them to be quiet around him and keep contact with other pets if you have them to a minimum. Assuming the cat is of a normal weight, I would give it about a week to emerge from under the chair, having done as much of the above items as possible. I would also call the people you adopted him from and see if they can give you any additional ideas on making him comfortable. Good luck and please be patient with him.
6 week old kitten will not drink water...HELP!!!?
Let nature work! Cats who eat canned food sometimes don't drink any water at all, they get all their moisture from the food. Give him dry food and you'll see if he'll drink or not! Just make sure you have fresh water available for him at all times, and he will drink if he needs to. Oh, and don't give him any milk now that he eats foo, milk can give him diarrhea.
New cat won't eat, drink or use her litter box?
She's probably just scared and not sure where she's at and why. You're right in putting her in one room for now so she isn't overweled but a bathroom's a rather cold and boring place to be. And lonely. Can you move her into your bedroom? Have you taken her to a vet yet to be checked out? To rule any health issues that's the first thing you should be doing when getting a new cat or kitten. One thing you can give her that will help stimulate her appetite and make her very happy is some plain chicken or chicken and gravy baby food. I haven't met a cat yet that doesn't love it and it's very good for her. And if she's feeling a bit stressed and her tummy's bugging her it's very bland and easy to digest. I do hope you realize that Persians can't be brushed - they need to be COMBED - and they need to be combed at least every other day all year long. Since they're so high maintenance this is why they're one of the breeds most often dumped at shelters. If you need some grooming tips or general Persian cat care help here's a link to an answer of mine on another post about Persians http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?... Good luck with your cat and thanks for adopting an adult. I have a Persian I adopted at 2 1/2 years old and an Exotic Shorthair I adopted at 4 years old. Sweetest cats EVER! edit: please don't take the ridiculously dangerous suggestion of feeding her sardines in tomato sauce. Tomatoes are TOXIC to cats!!!!!! http://www.wisegeek.com/which-foods-are-...
6 week old kitten won't drink water, but eats food just fine. help!?
It has been years since I've had a kitten. Just got a 6 week old kitten yesterday and she hasn't drank a drop of water, but eats canned food just fine. Will she get enough fluid from the food, or should I supplement with kitten milk from pet store? Does anyone know for sure. Our first vet visit isn't for 4 days and I'm worried she may get dehydrated. Any real answers are appreciated. Thank you.
How long can a cat survive without food and water before dying?
Cats can last a short while without food and can potentially survive for weeks without eating. Water is far more necessary to their health and physical well-being however, and a cat that goes more than a few days without anything to drink might not survive. If you're worried that a cat hasn't been eating or drinking, and it's not showing any signs of being starved or dehydrated, then try offering it a can of tuna water - don't buy the tuna in oil - and see if you can encourage them to drink that way. Not only the water will hydrate them, it'll also contain some much-needed nutrients from the fish. Otherwise, you should take the animal to a vet. The consequences of inadequate food and water can be dire.Why? A cat who hasn't eaten for a while is considered to be starving, and starvation may have a damning physical effect on the cat's entire system. The same is true of dehydration, only the onset of dehydration is much quicker - and far more severe - than that of starvation. Every organ in the feline body relies on water and the nutritional content of food to properly function. Every single one. Starved and dehydrated organs will steal energy and water from the rest of the cat's body, a process that slows as the cat's bloodstream becomes less liquid itself. When feline organs lack sufficient food and fluids to function on the most basic level, they dry up and begin to shut down. Not only could this send the body into shock, it might cause irreversible damage to the cat's organs. If a starving and/or dehydrated cat does not receive swift treatment, it may face permanent health issues - if it survives at all. These are uncomfortable thoughts. They're scary. But it's important to state them as blankly as possible because you never want to take chances with a cat's intake of food and water.
Is it normal for a cat to hide in one place in a new environment (we just started fostering)? When should we be worried?
Don’t worry at all. It’s normal for a cat to hide for a few hours, or even for a few days, after arriving in a new place.Typically, the moment the cat is let out of the carrier, it will dart into hiding— often at lightning speed, so you don’t even know where it’s gone.The cat is hiding somewhere where it feels safe, most likely under or behind furniture. Simply give the cat time. It will come out when it’s ready.In the meantime, leave food, water and a litter tray in that room. When the cat is hungry, thirsty or needs to use the litter tray, it will wait until nobody is in the room, quickly dart out to grab a bite or do its business, and go back into hiding.Most cats come out after a few hours. Some take days. A few very shy ones may take weeks.My cat Sulu hid for about 7 hours after I adopted him from the rescue shelter. He was a nine-month old kitten, and he hid under the recliner chair, in a space so narrow that I wouldn’t have believed he could fit there. A few days ago, a new kitten adopted me, and walked straight into my home to take up residence. She’s about three months old, and didn’t hide at all, which took me by surprise. I’ve heard of only one other cat that didn’t hide when arriving in a new home.Before coming out, the cat will watch you from its hiding place to assess whether you’re a threat. You can assure the cat of your benign intentions by moving very slowly. Very slow movement is how cats signal to each other that they pose no threat. The cat will understand it when you do this.I hope this helps. :-)
My new kitten won't eat, drink, or use the litter box.?
I can help you here - we got a new kitten recently. Don't worry this is perfectly normal. My kitten didn't hide, but he didn't eat, drink or use his litter tray for the first day or so. Different kittens adjust to new lives at different times - particularly if your kitten is very young, under 12 weeks of age. The GCCF recommends not to take a kitten away from its mother before this age because it can have serious problems adjusting. Just make sure that your kitten knows that it's food there - bring her over to her food bowl as soon as you fill it up, make sure she sniffs it. If the food is a different brand to what she's used to she might not take to it - it's a good idea to ask the breeder what food she's used to and buy some of that. The same goes for litter - my new kitten didn't understand what his new litter box was for at first because we used a different brand of litter to what he was used to. He soon got used to it though. When your kitten does start eating (which won't take long- if she's hungry, she'll eat) put her in the litter box after each meal, take her little paws and make scratching motions in the box so that she gets an idea of what it's for. If she's been litter trained by her previous owner already she'll soon catch on again. One more thing, don't worry if she doesn't drink much. If you're feeding her wet food, she'll get all the moisture she needs from that, and probably won't drink. My old cat is toothless due to gum disease so he can only eat wet food and not biscuits, and he hasn't drank a drop of water since he stopped eating biscuits. It's perfectly normal. If she only has dry food and isn't drinking, though, one way to check if she's dehydrated is to pinch the skin on the scruff of her neck (not too tightly!) and let go. If the skin falls and goes back to it's normal shape, she's fine. If the shape of the pinch stays there, she's dehydrated. If this happens take her to the vet, but I'm sure she'll be okay after a day or so of love and reassurance that everything is okay. If she runs and hides, give her her own space until she comes out and wants attention. She'll soon get used to you. Good luck and enjoy your kitten - they grow up so fast!
Kitten got shots, now won't eat or drink anything?
Hi Melya, Yes it's normal. Even my adult cats are drowsy, listless and refuse food for a day or so after getting their booster shots. If she is still refusing food by Monday morning though, please do contact your vet. You're a special soul for giving a home to this baby!