New Cat doesn't seem to be eating very much.

[Stuart]

When Olivia first came here, she basically stayed in the spare bedroom for two weeks 
and 8 very little ( and that was without the presence of other cats )

just give her time to settle in, and her colours will shine through eventually 

[Rosella moggy]

I would guess she is more concerned about the other cats than eating and would also therefore suggest she is allowed to relax in her own company and definitely fed on her own esp with a kitten about.  We always feed our kittens seperately (and they are now 9 months) coz kittens have hollow legs! 

[Gillian Harvey]

I agree with Gill, she would be better in a room of her own for now (best thing to do when introducing a new cat anyway). That way you can monitor what she is actually eating and it will give her more of a chance to settle in without worrying about other cats which may be putting her off eating initially. If you can give her a room with her litter tray, food and water bowls and a comfy bed, at least you will be able to see monitor things a bit better. As Gill said, it can sometimes take months for new cats to settle in, maybe you could get some feliway diffusers plugged in to help things a bit too. I wouldnt do intros to the other cats until at least she's more settled and you know she's eating properly. 

[nicter]

I had the same concerns when we 1st got Maisie our rescue cat. She wouldnt come out from under the settee at all while we were around so I put her bowl of food under the settee with her ( Makes the carpets a tad dirty but at least you know theyre eating ) Have to say several months on shes the 1st of our 4 at the food bowl and a little butterball ! 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I think she needs to be kept somewhere by herself right now and she needs places to hide like boxes with holes and bedding in.

Sometimes it takes a long time for a cat to come round and am talking months not days or weeks.

Like trigger says you need to make sure she doesnt lose too much weight , When she comes out do you offer her some food, if not try it 

[Kay and Penny]

you might like to weigh her, so you can keep a check on her weight - but it may be she is so happy for fuss when you are around food takes second place

she is most likely to eat at night, as the other cats may put her off - did she have to compete with other cats before you had her?

but if you are finding solids in the litter tray, and know they are from her, then she must be eating

[LilyandGary]

I`m sorry to hear your new girl seems to be off colour.

I dont know if its any use to you , but I took in an older cat for fostering in January who had been abandonded at the vets as they couldnt/didnt want her any more. Her coat was matted and patchy with scurf galore. She certainly didnt look anything like the British Blue I was expecting to take.

She was very "switched off" emotionally, if you know what I mean. She didnt come out of her pen for about a month, even though I left the door open as much as I could to give her the opportunity. Eventually she did, and so I put the pen away, but she was still very nervous. Thens she began to loose weight, and wouldnt even eat tuna or sardines in the end. I tried everything I could think of to tempt her.

By Easter she was very thin, and I was so concerned I put her back into the pen to monitor her eating and drinking. Suddenly she started eating, and so I suspect she was back into her "comfort zone" again.

After a month, she decided she was fine! Her fur came out in clumps leaving bald bits, but it is thick and shiny now it has grown back. Since then she has been outside in the sun which she loves, and is feeling so much better. I have seen her try to climb my tree, and have shut her in with the chickens on more than one occasion! She uses the cat flap, and will tolerate other cats unless they come too close. She eats anything and everything, and I`ve just put her on a diet as she is looking a bit routund.

I think that at 11 yrs old, being abandoned in the vets for a week then coming to live with my lot, after what I suspect is a long time of neglect, really took its toll on her mentally, and therefore physically. She needed time to chill and get her head around what was going on.

At the mo she is sleeping on the back of the sofa, 2nd favourite place to my knee. She is going to her new home this weekend, and I`m glad she`s been with me this long, as it was just what she needed.

Could you put your newbie on her own over night, so you can see how much she is actually eating and drinking, and to monitor what come out the other end? You could leave a selection of wet and dry food out to see what she prefers to eat. She may just take a while to adjust to her new home.

[alison10]

Sorry I put this in the wrong topic

My little Trio who we have had for just over a week doesn't seem to be eating very much, she is still hiding under the sofa but ventures out every now and again, when she is out and we can love her she seems to be very happy purring and loving us back but she is still very jumpy and keeps hiding. She is using the litter tray and we are leaving some food and water out for her but at meal times she just runs away and hides again. I am hoping she eats when we are either in bed at night or out at work but I can't be sure as we have 3 other cats in during the day but 2 of them are usually asleep upstairs and the third little Harry 12 weeks old is a food monster like an angel any other time of the day just a monster at meal times. Do you think I should be worrying or give her a little longer, when she first came she would eat quite a bit off the plate but just doesn't seem to like eating while we are around. Thank you for your help.