| Paw Colors | Points |
|---|---|
| Grey | 0-49 |
| Red | 50-149 |
| Orange | 150-299 |
| Green | 300-599 |
| Magenta | 600-1499 |
| Purple | 1500-4999 |
| Blue | 5000-9999 |
| Brown | 10000-24999 |
| Black | 25000+ |
Hi, I just adopted sibling cats and they have been in hiding since they got home. I’m plenty worried because they haven’t eaten or had water and don’t look like they have any intentions to. What should I do?
Keywords: behavior, Help!, hiding, Siblings
Answers to this question
7 Answers
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11 Ways to Welcome Home Your New Cat
11 Ways to Welcome Home Your New Cat
Congratulations! You have just begun a relationship that’s bound to be filled with fun and affection. Keep in mind that cats often become stressed when they enter a new living situation. You can minimize the stress and prepare your household for a smooth welcome with the following guidelines:
Cat-proof your home before giving your new feline run of the house. Lock up harsh cleaning produces, human medications and household poisons. Anchor, move, or otherwise safeguard delicate items that could break if tipped. Remove all poisonous plants. For detailed cat-proofing suggestions, please see our “Cat Proof Your Home” guide, also found in this packet.
Offer the cat a safe place to hide while she gets her bearings. When you first bring the cat home, plan for it to live for the first week or more in an enclosed room, such as a bedroom. In the room, create a small, dark, cozy space from which the cat may safely observe the sights and sounds of its new family. A cat carrier, with a soft towel inside and another towel covering the sides makes a good hiding place, as does a cardboard box with two holes cut on opposite sides and a blanket placed on the bottom. Place the cat’s food, water, and litter box nearby. The cat might create its own hiding places behind furniture or under chairs or beds; block off any areas where you don’t want it to go. Do not disturb kitty in its hiding places since it needs a special place where it can get privacy if needed. As the cat becomes more comfortable, it will show itself and eventually approach you. At this point, you can let the cat explore the rest of the house–but make sure it can still return to the room. Some friendly, playful cats will adjust quickly, but older cats or shy kittens might take longer.
Go slowly at first. A new cat may need two to five weeks to relax in his/her new environment. It’s a truly memorable and rewarding experience to help a new kitty adjust to your family, and even though it may take some time, you will be rewarded with a truly special bond! Be sure not to dote on the kitty, and just go about your normal business as usual so that kitty can slowly learn the new sighs and sounds around her and naturally integrate into her new family. Let your cat adjust to the room, and to you. Don’t force, but instead, coax the cat with cat toys, special treats and grooming, or stay by her food bowl at mealtime. Save meet-and-greets with friends, neighbors and relatives until the cat is eating and eliminating on a normal schedule.
Ease stress. Help relieve stress by sitting with the kitty to brush or pet him. Also, ease anxiety with natural relaxants, such as “Comfort Zone with Feliway,” a plug-in that emits an odorless pheromone that calms cats. Drops of “Rescue Remedy,” an all-natural floral essence that relaxes pets, can also be put in kitty’s water to calm him.
Provide the same diet as in the foster home, at least for the first few weeks. If you wish to switch to a different cat food after the kitty has adjusted to your home, slowly make the switch over one to two weeks, starting with a quarter ration of the new food mixed into the old favorite. From there, increase the ratio of new to old about 10% each day.
Locate the litter box in a quiet, low-traffic area. Your cat’s litter box should be in a place that’s quiet, easy to clean, unobstructed, and well-ventilated. Start off by using the same litter that the foster parent used. Make sure that the litter box is cleaned at least once per day, and entirely changed every few weeks, and be sure to leave the litter box uncovered.
Provide appropriate scratching posts. Cats must scratch, so make sure to provide yours with a sturdy, rough-textured scratching post to save your furniture. Place the cat’s scent on the scratching post by gently stroking his cheeks with a towel and then rubbing the cat tree or scratching post with the towel.
Once settled in, your cat will probably be eager to play! Stock up on interactive cat toys, such as feather wands, fake mice and kitty fishing poles, which will engage attention and direct energies toward positive pursuits. Check the house for unsafe toys such as loose strings, mini-blind and electrical cords, and balls of yarn; and monitor the cat’s play regularly to make sure it isn’t attracted to anything unsafe.
Prepare a comfortable cat perch on a sunny window sill. Cats love to bask in the sun! If the cat perch overlooks the birdfeeder, all the better! Observing live birds and squirrels beats out kitty videos any day!
Keep your cat indoors to insure its safety, and protect it from cars, animal attacks, disease, accidents and human malice. If you’d like to let kitty have outdoor time, consider training it to walk on a lead, build a cat enclosure, or use cat fencing products to insure that your cat is confined to your yard (available at: http://www.catfence.com, http://www.catfencein.com).
Choose a veterinarian and plan to take your cat in for annual check-ups and vaccinations. We also recommend getting your pet micro-chipped.
We wish you a lifetime of love and enjoyment with your new family members!
Comments to Answer
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Good answer. In short keep the cats in one room. Moving them out with time. My cousin moves all the time and her cats will hide out for 3 weeks until they adjust to the new place.
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Excellent answer, johnisgood.
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You just have to show them love and that you don’t want to hurt them , they will adjust to you and the place soon , show them many affection
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it definetly just takes time and patience. They will come around just don’t force it. If you’ve got one getting braver the other may follow his/her lead. Your best bet is actually to not give them too much atttention and let them come to you. If you hound them trying to get them to come out,it may make them feel threatned. You don’t have to completely ignore them,just let them know that you are there when they are ready and when they are comfortable it will happen.
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Thanks a lot for all the answers. I did what John told me to do but shortly after they made their way into hiding again. >_< Good news, though… They are coming around and one of them even came to play with us 
The other is very very shy.
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If the cats are shy, leave them alone for a while. If that doesn’t work, try to figure out what their favorite toy is, then try to play with them for 15 min. to 1 hour each day. Try to take them to the vet if none of this works, and figure out how old they are. if they are below 6 weeks– 9 weeks old, try to be very gentle and patient with them.
Source Link: Answer 6
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you should probably try coaxing them out with a treat and if that doesn’t work then ask a vet to come over, or if those do’t work then try to figure out where they hide and leave there food over there.
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