Your First Two Weeks With a New Cat
Most first-time owners are surprised by the same thing: the cat does not want to meet them. Hiding for the first several days is not a sign that anything went wrong.
Days 1–3: she hides
Put her in one small room — a bathroom or a spare bedroom — with food, water, a litter box, and a box or a covered bed to hide in. Not the whole house. A full house is too much space for a cat who does not yet know where anything is, and she will spend the whole time looking for cover.
Sit in the room and ignore her. Read something out loud if you like. Do not pull her out from under the bed. You are trying to become a familiar, boring presence.
Days 4–7: she comes out when you are not looking
You will start finding the food gone in the morning. She may come out at night. This is progress even though it does not feel like it.
Now is a good time to start handling her paws for a few seconds at a time, if she will let you. Clipping nails is much easier if it starts before it becomes a negotiation.
Days 8–14: she starts using the space
Open the door and let her explore on her own schedule rather than carrying her out. Keep the original room set up as it was — she will keep going back to it, and taking that away too early sets things back.
Around here you will find out what she actually likes: which surface she scratches, where she sleeps, whether she cares about toys. This is why buying a cat tree on day one is usually wasted money — you do not yet know where she wants to sit.
Two things worth doing early
Book a vet visit. Even if she came from a shelter with paperwork. A baseline exam is worth having, and it means the first carrier trip is not also an emergency.
Put the water somewhere away from the food. Cats tend to avoid drinking next to where they eat, and low water intake is a slow problem that is much easier to prevent than to fix.
What not to worry about yet
Not eating much on day one. Hiding. Not using toys. Not wanting to be held. All normal in week one.
Not eating at all for more than 24 hours is different, and it is a vet call — cats can get seriously ill from a short fast in a way dogs do not. When in doubt, ask a vet rather than the internet.
