New adoptee suddenly skittish - help!

HeartClubQueen

Absolutely at my wits end and hoping for some sound advice, please!

Two weeks ago the SO and I adopted a lovely 12 year old cat who had just spent 4 stressful months in a shelter after his elderly owner passed away.
He came home to us and for the first week he was grand - talking, cuddling, eating normally. He was always a bit skittish, and the shelter said he's a hider, but seemed pretty calm.

Tuesday morning he took a scare when SO tried to play (kitty was having none of it) and bolted into a hole in the wall. He spent the whole day in there, wouldn't come out for anything, and when he did emerge he was a different cat.
Since then he hasn't been interested in being around us and refuses to be anywhere near SO. We've tried leaving the telly on (he seems calmer), treats, extensive brushing (which he loves) - all with no result.

It's only been two weeks, but this week has been so different I'm starting to despair of him ever getting comfortable with us. I've spritzed calming spray around the place, but I don't know if it's worked at all.
Is there anything we can do to turn this little guy around?

TLDR: newly adopted 12 year old cat has decided he doesn't like us much, how can we win him back?

planetX

maybe the playing was too full on? If he had an elderly owner he may have had a very quiet life...
2 weeks is not long. My advice would be to stop trying to turn him around and let him come in his own time. The attention might be making him nervous, some cats don't even like eye contact. He'll come to you if he wants interaction.

HeartClubQueen

planetX wrote: »

maybe the playing was too full on? If he had an elderly owner he may have had a very quiet life... He'll come to you if he wants interaction.

I was thinking the same (between bouts of believing I'm a failure at cat ownership) and we're giving him his space. He pops out to check on the ground floor of the house every few hours then high tails it back to the hiding spot.
I have high hopes of one day having the proper cat back in place of this lodger
Thanks so much for the reply!

Stheno

From experience of both rescue cats and dogs, for up to the first six weeks they can behave erratically, and then they start to settle.

Your new pet might love a little bit of play with different toys that you control from a fishing net type apparatus, so you start to bond that way but they don't feel you are invading their space?

planetX

HeartClubQueen wrote: »

I was thinking the same (between bouts of believing I'm a failure at cat ownership) and we're giving him his space. He pops out to check on the ground floor of the house every few hours then high tails it back to the hiding spot.
I have high hopes of one day having the proper cat back in place of this lodger
Thanks so much for the reply!

Far from a failure, it's a rare person that resists the kittens and gives a home to an older cat. Hope you have lots of happy years with him:)

Themadhouse

Leave him to his own devices and he will settle down. It will take at least 6 weeks for him to settle in. You could try building up trust by sitting near his hidey hole with little pieces of chicken in your hand. You just sit quietly holding it out to him, not looking at him. Let him come to you. He gets it if he takes it from you otherwise not. It sounds cruel but it is a good trust builder. When he takes it just praise him and don't touch him.
Good luck!