New stable cats - help please!!

[Jericho]

Last Friday I took on two cats both about 1 yr old, a male and a female, both neutured, both from the same rescue yard (basically the lady takes on unwanted cats or had strays just arrive, she neuters, chips and vaccinates and generally keeps them on her yard or if she can find friends who want them then she gives them away) On arrival I put them both in a large feed room with lots of air, natural light, areas to hide and this will be their home for the next two weeks before I let them out. The boy is lovely and within an hour of bringing him to the yard he is happyily purring, talking to everyone, curling up in his new bed and eating well and using the litter tray - he clearly has been a loved pet at some stage and I am confident that he would be fine if I let him out as he already seems very settled. The girl on the other hand I have seen three times since arriving. I am not sure if she is eating or drinking as I am sure the boy is eating her food. I am leaving wet food and dry food. The wet food disappears but the dry food isnt. The litter tray has about 4 or 5 poos in a day some of which are very loose and somequite firm so dont know if thats just him or her as well. I knew she was a nervous one and more feral and thats fine - she isnt meant to be a pet, just a stable cat who can help keep my mouse residents to a minimum but I am scared she isnt eating / drinking and starving to death in a corner somewhere. I have tried moving all the stuff (the feed room is full of shelves, table and chairs with lots of hiding places but cant see or hear her at all. She definitely can not escape from this room. What shall I do?? help!!!!!!

 

[LittleBlackMule]

With that many poos in the tray each day, she must be using it too, mine only do about 2 each.
Don't try to find her as that will make her even more stressed, just keep the dry food topped up and she will eat it when there is no one around, probably at night. It might be worth keeping them confined for longer than 2 weeks though if she is that nervous, otherwise she may well take off once she's free.

 

[AmyMay]

If you cancatch her, I'd confine to a smaller space.

I would also keep in for a minimum of 4 weeks.

 

[Jericho]

If you cancatch her, I'd confine to a smaller space.

I would also keep in for a minimum of 4 weeks.

OK - I will struggle to catch her without causing her more stress and then the only way I could confine her would be to put her in a large dog crate within the feed room which i think will be too small to keep her in and surely that would make her even more frantic to escape? It also makes sense to me not to move the male cat out at this stage and that they still need to be together as such.

Think you are right about keeping them in there together for longer though. Poor boy wont be happy, he is such a friendly cat (not quite what I was hoping for as I think he is going to want to come into the house!!!)

 

[Blanche]

I wouldn't try and catch her , it will just set her back even more . Just keep going in and talking to the boy so she gets use to your voice as often as you can . I love using cat nip with my ferals . I usually put it down to start with when I leave them last thing at night . They then can use it when no one is around and imho it calms them enough that they tend to explore their area more thoroughly . I have three ferals in a pen in the garden at the mo and this worked well for these as it usually does. Do you have anyone with a camera that you could stickin there and film for a few nights to see what she gets up to?