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My newly adopted cat hides under the bed. How do I help her?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Mediumhair | Female | spayed | 2 years and 3 months old | 9.92 lbs

Hello, A week ago, I adopted a cat called ‘Taffy’, and I am really concerned about her behavior. Most of the time she is under the bed, but at night she could come and sit with us for a couple of minutes and then go back. She just comes out from under the bed when I come to give her food. I have been advised to prevent her from going under the bed and keep her in a reachable place. Unfortunately, I have been trying to block her way but, everytime, she manages to find her way under it. Thanks!

5 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Debi Matlack

Answered By Debi Matlack

Veterinary Technician

Published on February 28th, 2021

Offer her a carboard box or a cat condo with a hiding place in it. It may entice her from under the bed. That she is coming out to sit with you is a good sign and I think, as she settles in to her new home, she will come out more and more. If you can entice her from under the bed and then limit her access to that room it may force her to seek a new hiding place of your choosing, but don't make a big deal out of it or it may make her want to hide more. Take your time and be patient, it may take some time for her to acclimate and get braver. She may be timid by nature. Move her food out of that room if it is practical to do so so that she needs to come out to eat. Even if no one is awake when she comes out to eat, it will still give her a chance to explore while everything is calm. Provide her with plenty of toys and see if she likes treats, you can use these to entice her out and reward her for getting braver. Make sure she has plenty of places to hide around the house, places to scratch and perch to look out the window. I had a very timid cat that hide for weeks when we moved but she eventually came out of her shell and ended up being even more playful and social that she had ever been before so it can be done. Good luck with your new friend!
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Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 29th, 2017

    Poor Tina! If she lived with 59 other cats, it's likely that she wasn't socialized well at all, and probably had little human interaction. It will take time for her to adjust to her new home and become more comfortable with you. I would not force her to come out from under the bed. If she does, act calmly around around, but praise her and give her treats. If she approaches you, also praise her and give her treats. You want her to associate any interaction with you as positive, and giving something yummy will help her see that getting attention from you is a good thing. Take it slowly and at her pace, and hopefully she will adjust over time.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By Elva Ma DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 16th, 2017

    Hello, and congratulations on your new kitty! It is not unusual for new cats to hide in the first few days after arriving at their new home. I would provide a bit of food and water in the nook where she is hiding, and gradually try to increase your interactions with her over the next few days and weeks. For example, you can try offering her a tasty treat in her nook, and let her sniff your hand. Provide other safe nooks in the house that she can choose from. Offer two litter boxes in two separate, quiet areas, and close to where she is hiding. Eventually, she should know that your presence means food, safety and companionship, and she will come out of her shell. You can also consider a kitty pheromone spray called Feliway, which can help to reduce stress for cats in new environments.

    With patience and diligence, I am sure that Salem will eventually come out of her shell! Good luck and I hope this helps!

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By Lindsey Edwards MVB, BSc, IVCA

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 28th, 2016

    Cats can take some time to settle down and allowing her space and time to hide is an important step in her gaining an awareness of her new environment; I recommend you leave food and litter close to where she wants to hide and slowly bring them out as she settles down. Calming diets such as royal canin calm, supplements such as kalm aid and pheromone diffusers are all helpful in encouraging cats to acclimatize to a new house

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By Karly Macon, DVM, MS, CVA Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

    Veterinarian

    Published on September 30th, 2017

    Give them time--sometimes it takes cats weeks/months to become comfortable enough to play together. As long as your original young cat has a place to hide and be comfortable away from the new cat, she should become less skittish with time. I would make sure all three cats have their own litter boxes and their own hiding places/cat beds in order to have their own space and alone-time. Try catnip with all three cats, and Feliway cat pheromone spray in all the rooms. These techniques can help fearful cats to become more confident. Hope that helps!

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

New Pet
Adopted kitten hiding under the bed. Should I leave her alone?
Best let her settle in. Imagine going to a new place that smells different, has different sounds, without mommy aand the siblings. This is terribly scary. So best let her hide, put food and water in the bedroom where she is. She will likely come out at night to eat and drink and go to the litter box. She will get more courageous every day. If you manage to catch her outside of the hiding place after a few days, you can try to pick her up and hold her quietly and pet her provided she does not panic. But time will help...over time she will feel secure and come to you. Talk to her when you enter the room, Say her name and don't make scary noises. She will get used to you not being someone who wants to eat her.. Time and patience.
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My cat hides under the bed after moving. What can I do?
Poor BB! I would recommend putting his litter box, food and water bowls, etc. in the room with the bed and leaving him alone with the door closed for now. He will eventually come out to eat, drink, and use the bathroom when things are quiet and he feels comfortable - many cats wait until nighttime when everyone is asleep to do this. A Feliway pheromone diffuser in the room may also help. It may take a week or two for him to be comfortable enough to come out from under the bed for more than a moment or two, so I would be patient for now and give him time to adjust. Once he's acting normal again, you can transition his food and water bowls, litter box, etc. to wherever you would like them to be in the long term :)
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New kitten hiding under bed, not eating. How to help her adjust?
Congrats on your new kitten! Moving to a new home is very stressful, and adding on flying to this new home, and Adelaide will be very stressed. It will take her a couple of days to get used to her new home. She may be coming out at night when you are asleep, and I would make sure to leave out food and water at all times for her to have when she decides to come out. I would leave her be for now, don't try to get her to come out to you, she will come out in her own time. Leave out some boiled white meat chicken (no bones) or you can soak her kitten food in tuna juice to tempt her to eat. When you do see her moving around, don't make sudden movements towards her, or make a big deal of it. Ignore her until she comes to you, and gently give her pets and praise. Be patient, it will take time for her to adjust, but she will get used to her new home :-)
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My shy adopted cat hides under bed. Should I block his hiding spot?
Since it is his safe zone, I would not block it off all the time but it is very reasonable to block it off for an hour or so and get him acclimated to new areas and realize they are just as safe. Just remember to take it slow and give lots of treats or rewards when he stays out and be socialize.
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My 5-week-old kitten is hiding under the bed. How do I get her out?
Start by coaxing Shunu out from under the bed with a bit strong smelling food - such as canned tuna or chicken. Cats are often fairly responsive to smelly foods and warming up these foods slightly may make the odor more prominent. Once she comes out, try to block off this area so that she cannot go back. Young kittens should be confined to a large crate or small, safe room when they are not directly supervised, as they tend to get into trouble. Kittens also require a lot of sleep throughout the day, so she may have been simply seeking a quiet place to rest. If Shunu seems overly lethargic or is not eating or drinking normally, she should be examined by her vet. I hope that all goes well!
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How to get my shy feral kitten out from under bed & use litter box?
She is very unlikely to come out until she boosts get confidence, so earning her trust in the bedroom is most likely to be beneficial. It can be very helpful to confine on a half covered crate with bed and litter tray and handle frequently when offering small meals so she builds positive associations with you and uses tray
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New Pet
My new cat is hiding after adoption. How to help her adjust?
I'm sorry to hear that Tippy is having a hard time adjusting. I would recommend a couple of things. I would try to decrease stress as much as possible. That may mean closing the door to the room that Tippy is in during the day to give her a "safe" place to be. You could also add a Feliway Diffuser ( https://www.feliway.com ) to your house. This is a calming pheromone that will work for a month. I have also had luck with Rescue Remedy ( http://www.bachflower.com/rescue-remedy-pet/ ) which can be added to the water. You could also consider calming music specially for cats ( http://throughadogsear.com/tace/through-a-cats-ear-1-music-for-calming/ ). But Tippy may just need more time, so don't rush things. I would leave her food in her "safe" area and just give her time. I know it seems like 6 weeks is a long time, but hopefully some additional calming techniques will help. If they do not help, you can always consider discussing an anti-anxiety medication with your veterinarian. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and gives you some ideas. Thanks for using PetCoach.
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