How long does it take for a cat to adjust to a new apartment?

The hiding under the bed part is normal, but I wouldn’t camp out in the room trying to coax them. My cat did the same thing after a move and I made the mistake of checking on him every hour. That just kept him spooked longer. Once I left him alone and just went about my normal routine, he came out on his own after about four days. What surprised me was that he adjusted to the new place faster than I expected, but he was still jumpy for a couple weeks after that. So hiding is one thing, being fully settled is another. I didn’t buy any special calming stuff, just kept his old blanket and food bowl in the same spots. That seemed to matter more than anything else.

Mine actually adjusted faster once I stopped giving her the whole place at once, but weirdly she hated being shut in a single room. What worked was leaving her carrier open in the living room with a worn shirt of mine. She was out and exploring within four days.

Mine seemed happier once I put her blanket on the new couch.

The hiding is usually the easy part honestly. What caught me off guard was the second week. My cat came out, acted totally normal, ate, sat on the windowsill, and I figured we were done. Then a delivery guy knocked and she vanished for another four days. So it comes in waves more than one smooth adjustment.

What I did that seemed to help was keeping her stuff in the same spots. Same litter box position relative to the room, same food bowl corner, same scratching post by the door. Not sure it mattered to her, but she stopped pacing the kitchen at night after I did that.

Also, the first few days I sat on the floor reading instead of trying to pet her. She came to me when she was ready. That took about a week and a half before she’d sit next to me again.

Some cats just take longer. Mine is fine now but still hates the vacuum, new place or not.

A week or so is pretty normal, but some cats take longer. Mine spent the first few days under the dresser and then just wandered out like nothing happened. Leaving a worn t-shirt of yours near the hiding spot helped, I think, but who knows. Just go about your day and let the cat come to you.

I’d just leave the cat alone and keep the routine boring for a bit. When I moved, mine stayed under the bed for like four days and I mostly ignored him except for food and litter. He came out when he was ready.

I actually don’t think the hiding is the main thing to focus on. Mine adjusted to the new place way faster once I put her in one small room with her own stuff instead of giving her the whole apartment right away. The whole place seemed to overwhelm her more than the actual move did.

When I moved with my cat, the hiding part lasted way longer than the actual adjustment part. She was under the couch for almost a week but was totally fine once she started coming out at night to explore. I just kept her food and litter in the same spots and let her do her thing.

Mine took almost three weeks to fully settle.

I’d say the whole “just give it time” thing gets pushed too hard. Mine actually did better once I stopped waiting around and just went about my normal routine, noise and all. She came out way faster than when I was tiptoeing around trying not to bother her.