New shy adopted cat need advices

[cgar84]

I recently got a new cat from a previous owner. She is a mink ragdoll breed and over 1 year old. When i first brought her upstairs to my new room, I notice the cat being really shy and I can understand that she is adjusting to her new place. She quickly heads under my bed. I kneeled down, peeked under my bed, and tried talking to her but she kept hissing at me. That night she went to the window sill and tried to climb on the window mesh, i freaked out because i thought the mesh would break open and she will fall down. When i got closer she would hiss at me and looked like she was about to scratch and bite. THEN while i was in bed trying to sleep, i heard a lot of scratching n ripping going on under my bed as if shes trying to tear it apart... When i woke up, peeked under the bed, i notice the damage and a hole underneath my bed.. Then i saw her paw sticking out and i was worried! i thought she could be stuck under the bed and be hurt from the springs!?

Is this normal behavior for a cat because I have never owned a cat before. Should i just leave her alone in her new house under my bed ? How long will it take for her to get along with me? What should i do to make her like me more?

Thanks all in advance

[TeresaK]

When you say recently, I wonder how recently - day, week, month....

It can take a cat quite a while to adjust to new surroundings and new people. I would keep the cat (what's its name?) confined to your bedroom with its food and litterbox, and spend as much time in there just sitting quietly as you can. If you have any treats the cat likes, have those close at hand and maybe try to hand feed some if the cat comes close. I'm sure it will adjust, it will just take a while. What was it like with the previous owner, do you know?

[cgar84]

TeresaK Wrote:When you say recently, I wonder how recently - day, week, month....

It can take a cat quite a while to adjust to new surroundings and new people. I would keep the cat (what's its name?) confined to your bedroom with its food and litterbox, and spend as much time in there just sitting quietly as you can. If you have any treats the cat likes, have those close at hand and maybe try to hand feed some if the cat comes close. I'm sure it will adjust, it will just take a while. What was it like with the previous owner, do you know?

Thanks Teresa for the quick reply, her name is Daisy and i just got her yesterday.



this is what she looks like.

She is confined in my room, w/litter box, scratch post , n food. i was glad to see her come out of her hole in my bed to see she is safe but i left her alone.. but now she went back inside her hiding spot inside my bed.....

will try the hand feeding suggestion.

with the previous owner, she said she can be 'standoffish' and that was true. she said she is a loving cat after that but i came here just to be sure if it was normal with her behaviour cuz i never owned a cat before..

thanks for your suggestion

[TeresaK]

She's beautiful!!!! If you only got her yesterday, then yes, that is the behavior you can expect in some cases. However, with TLC you'll see her come around, she's just scared right now having been removed from her home into somewhere new and she doesn't know what is going on. I hope you stay on the forum and share with us as she adjusts and settles in. I'm sure she will given time.

Congrats on being a ragdoll owner - be careful though, they're addictive!!!!

You might also try some interactive toys with her. If you don't have any yet - even something like a shoestring, or aluminum foil rolled into a ball may work.

[cgar84]

this is where she is hiding under my bed.. I put some light under and my webcam.. i'll take more pics of her when she peeks n comes out again

thanks, and i was very happy to have Daisy. she is beautiful and i was very lucky..

I will try out the shoestring and foil, .. i tried playing with her with some feathers the previous owner gave me but no luck. she just kept staring at it with intimidation.. lol

[TeresaK]

Oh yes, she's found a good place to hide for a while. Maybe you can provide some other "hiding" places for her when she comes out so she won't go back up under there. Maybe a paper shopping bag or gift bag (handles cut off) - or a box with a hole cut out to go in. Until she feels safe, she'll want to hide, and giving her more places where she can hide but still look out a little better may help.

[cgar84]

TeresaK Wrote:Oh yes, she's found a good place to hide for a while. Maybe you can provide some other "hiding" places for her when she comes out so she won't go back up under there. Maybe a paper shopping bag or gift bag (handles cut off) - or a box with a hole cut out to go in. Until she feels safe, she'll want to hide, and giving her more places where she can hide but still look out a little better may help.

ok i just made one out of a USPS box, i cut a square hole on the side, so maybe she could hide in there instead.. thanks

[TeresaK]

You'll have to keep us updated on how it's going. Hopefully she'll come out soon. I hope so because I'd love to see more pics of her. She's gorgeous. I think I've only ever seen one other Mink Ragdoll and they were beautiful too.

[cgar84]

TeresaK Wrote:You'll have to keep us updated on how it's going. Hopefully she'll come out soon. I hope so because I'd love to see more pics of her. She's gorgeous. I think I've only ever seen one other Mink Ragdoll and they were beautiful too.

that's another one made by prev owner... I will definitely take more pics of her when she comes out hopefully she will be friendly with me

[JanH]

If she does not calm down in a day or so, you might want to consider moving her safe space to a bathroom where she cannot get to a place she cannot be reached. That way you can be sure she is safe.

Provide as much calm and non-demanding interaction as possible, even if it is only sitting on the floor and reading out loud.