On Saturday, June 25th, I picked up my new 8 month old Bengal. After the 3 hour drive home he was extremely scared and always tries to hide. My biggest worry is that he hasn't eaten anything since then and has barely drank any water. I'm currently trying to feed him Purina kitten chow but I also put out some wet food and even diced up chicken breast but he doesn't seem interested. Should I be worried? Or is it just because he needs to get used to his new surroundings. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

He is still extremely skittish. For example, this morning he was pretty laid back and I was able to have a little play time with him. After that, he just walked around the apartment and smelled things and checked stuff out. I ignored him while I was getting ready for work, but as soon as I went to pet him before leaving he fracked out. He acts like I'm a zombie or sometbing and is terrified. Should I just continue to ignore him during the day? Should I put him in the bathroom at night with his food/water and liter box? Or should I let him roam around freely?

If at all possible he should be in a quiet room with his food, water & litter box at least for the first few days but up to a week. You should go in and sit with him but don't try to force contact. Let him come out and investigate you but don't try to remove him from his hiding spots. That will just make him leery and it will take longer for him to acclimate.

Toys are good if you can get him interested in them. Just play, but don't try to pet unless he comes to you.

Once he's feeling comfortable in this safe room you can open up the rest of the house to him - expand his territory but keep the safe room available to him so he can retreat when he's feeling scared.

He's 8 months old so this is probably really scary to him, being uprooted and moved, he'll start to come out of his shell but it needs to happen at his pace.

_________________
Dallas, TX USA
Diesel - snow Bengal born 09/01/2013 adopted Feb 2014
Tuck, Chloe, Buddy, Lewis & Tia - rescue kitties
Clyde, Bleu & Coal - Great Danes

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your bengal baby! Know that going to a new home and owner is extremely stressful for the kitty -- regardless of its age! You have to be patient! The new arrival needs to be in a safe room -- with food, water, litter box, bed, cat tree -- and allow the kitty to acclimate to the new area. Go in a sit quietly and let the kitty come to you. So many times, we expect the kitty to want to snuggle and play -- and even eat! But, when a baby is stressed out, it has no desire to eat! This is really common for around the first 24 hours. If he continues to have no appetite, take him to the vet to be checked out! As long as he is eating something, he should be fine and his appetite will improve daily. Water is essential.

You should be feeding him whatever he had been eating previously. Changing a diet upon arriving in a new home just adds to the stress. It's possible, he does not like that particular food. Or is not used to it.

Bengals are an adventure -- and I'm sure soon enough he will he energetic and playing and eating just fine. You really should take him to the vet as a precaution just to make he is in good health and to start a medical history on him.

I wouldn't completely ignore him - I would go and sit in the room and let him get used to you being there. It sounds silly but even reading a book out loud will help him get used to your voice and your presence. He will come around but it's going to take him a little bit.

Bengals are not like any other cat we've ever had, they definitely doing things in their own time and you can't rush them. It will pay off though, once he's comfortable he'll be all over the place.

_________________
Dallas, TX USA
Diesel - snow Bengal born 09/01/2013 adopted Feb 2014
Tuck, Chloe, Buddy, Lewis & Tia - rescue kitties
Clyde, Bleu & Coal - Great Danes

My advice is to try not to be so focused on him not "getting used to chicken" or "getting used to being under the bed" etc. Instead work on doing what you have to do to get him acclimated and trusting you and bonding with you, because that sounds like that is kind of at the root of his problems right now.

So first convincing him that you are not a threat is the first thing. That means "being around" in a completely un-threatening and benign capacity. So no yanking him out of his hiding places, avoid making loud noises or gestures which could be construed as threatening, not touching him until he comes to you and wants that, etc.

For food, similar thing. If you can feed him a "jackpot" treat like Chicken, with you nearby, that's a huge plus. Eventually out of your hand is an even bigger plus.

_________________
The little monsters 3

_________________
The little monsters 3

Right - go in and spend lots of time playing with him. If you don't have other pets you can probably start letting him out of his safe room to be with you sooner rather than later. We let our kittens out (we got them 4 months apart) within 3 hours (we couldn't stand knowing they were alone!) and they adjusted quickly.

Keep posting updates -- and within two weeks, I bet there is a tremendous change in him. Don't worry about him hiding all the time. He has to gain confidence to be in the big wide world -- it will happen. Play with him, sit near him and talk to him all the time. He needs to trust you and the bonding will follow. Then he will be following you around all the time and have to be in the same room you are. Still it's only been a few days that you've had him. Patience is the key word!!!!

Thank you both for the continued advice. Last night, I was able to coax him out from under the bed with the wand and feathers. I spent a good amount of time playing now with him and tossing toys around for him to chase. I didn't attempt to pet or hold him at all, as I didn't want to scare him again. I was also able to play with him this morning before work. He seems like he's comin around, but is definitely going to be a while before he's following me around and allowing me to pet/hold him.

He is also eating a lot more now and using his litter box. Although, he did pee on the bed in my spare bedroom last night. Not sure why he did that, as I've seen him pee/poop in the littler box that is in the same room, several times prior.