We adopted a cat from Battersea on Saturday.
He's been hiding away under beds so far and behind sofas which I'm guessing is normal?
He does play with us and sits on our lap but is still a bit weary.
He keep meowing but I can't decipher what it means - is he asking for something?

He's recently getting over cat flu so it may be this.

Can anyone offer some words of wisdom.
Thanks

Quite normal for him to be a bit nervy around you at first - mine hid for two days when I first got her
Mine also mieows a lot - she used to live in a house with a lot of other cats & I think she maybe calling for them, not sure though. So long as your sure he's not hungry/thirsty/in pain I'd assume he's just 'talking' - he may want to play for a bit especially after eating.

Thanks for the advice.
He does come out if you go to stroke him and has been rubbing his head all over me which I'm guessing is a good thing?

Cats have scent glands around their mouths and else where. You'll notice him marking his surroundings with it especially anything new coming into the house. He wants to share scent with you especially as he now sees you as part of his family. Cats love to be tickled around the neck and under the chin for the same reason. I'd recommend getting a book on cat behaviour out of the library if you can - it'll help you understand his behaviour and help you both bond much faster

Thanks. Would you recommend calling him out to eat/drink etc or just let him do it at his own accord?
He used his litter tray yesterday on his own - also he doesn't seem to be eating/drinking much?

Cats take a few days to settle in to a new environment so I would not worry too much. It sounds like you are doing all the right things and they can be fussy about food (did Battersea advise you what food he prefers?). I would leave fresh water in a couple of places as they can be choosy about where they want a drink, my older cat wants hers from a bowl I leave in the bathroom and my younger cat only drinks water from the mop bucket which I have in the kitchen.
Give him another couple of days and he will be right at home with his new family.

A lot of cats seem to drink very little, though I expect they probably drink from puddles outside I don't think cats like the smell of tap water so you could try bottled or get a cat fountain which some cats like. But it is early days yet.
Not eating maybe becouse he's still disorientated or recovering from 'flu. I'd try to find out what the rescue fed him on but try various foods. Also try nuking his food a little in the microwave - cats natural food is at blood temprature. You could try something very smelly like fish incase he's still bunged up - he'll know food more by smell than looks.

I looked after my friend's cat a couple of years ago, she came to my house when I thought that she seemed really lonely in an empty one bed flat (no cat flap in my friend's flat at that time) with just one visit from me a day. She didn't eat a thing for at least 2-3 days and I don't think she used her litter tray either for the first 48 hours. It didn't help that I had 2 of my own cats in the house though this cat had her own spare room and I was keeping them separated. I was nearly about to give up and bring her home again when she started eating and toileting. In the end she relaxed so much that she 'took over' my home and played chasing games with my Bernard - and she was the chaser, little madam. I was just glad she left my elderly Tabitha alone who I found out just a few weeks later had terminal cancer. I wonder if cats somehow know when other cats are not well?

My friend looked after my Bernard in her flat for a few days when I went on a short break shortly after Tabitha's death. Again, my friend reported that Bernard didn't touch any food or use his litter tray for the first 2 days and she was becoming quite worried until he suddenly relented and made himself at home - sleeping in her bed at night and pulling out her kitchen plinths etc. He started eating a bit but not nearly as much as he normally does when he's in his own home - I just wish he had lost a bit of weight while he was there!

So I would advise to just be patient and let the cat relax and find his confidence at his own pace. Don't force the issue but be calm and soothing, cats need to know there's no threat and that they're in a place of safety - they're just not in the mood yet to have fun and frolics but this will come with time. I was lucky in that. after my cat's death, I took on 2 new cats who were already bonded so I found their introduction into my home incredibly easy, I think because they had each other for familiarity and comfort and they were used to living with other cats in the cattery. Having said that, it took over a year for one of them to display affection for me, I had rarely heard her purr for the first year and the other one still hides away as soon as anyone strange enters my house. Rescue cats have generally had a very traumatic and stressful time - even if they have not been abused or neglected they have generally had to endure frequent changes in their environments and adjustments to new human owners.

Good luck with your new cat, it's very rewarding seeing their transition into happy, confident and contented cats.

Thank you all.
He is currently tucked behind a box under my bed.
He's been purring as I stroke him so I'm going to leave him for tonight and see when he pops out next.

Reading the above, I must be doing something very wrong - having taking in a 12 week old boy on the Friday just gone, who has immediately ruled the roost, eating the other two cat's food, playing with both me and the wife, forcing one cat off the bed so that he could sleep with us on the first night (dunno where he slept last night). I'm probably not so much impressed with him, as to the other cats accepting him - with only a modicum of hissing. I guess they're all individuals.

Ha!

My two kittens came home, were not scared in the least, and took over from day one

well the best thing is normally to only give them access to one room initially (with the litter tray in and their food and water) so they get used to things then expose them gradually to the rest of the house to explore so they are not overwhelmed with everything all in one day

He's just been sitting on my lap for about 10 minutes and purring so things are moving.
He has quite fast breathing though and I notice that he is sniffing a lot . . . ?

Do you mean sniffing the air or sniffing with a snotty nose? You mentioned cat flu in the OP - were you told about his existing and expected symptoms? It could be he has a cold which would explain his not eating as cats are very dependant on their sense of smell so will be reluctant to eat if they can't smell.
Brooke was almost exactly the same when I first got her - not eating, snotty nose (sniffing and sneezing). I took her to the vet - she was running a temperature so she got some jabs and a decongestant. I'd take him to the vet - you'll need to register with one anyway and they'll probably want to see him at some point.

I was planning to ring the vets tomorrow and get him registered, so i will mention it to them.

OP - you sound as though you are doing great. When I adopted my cat - I didn't even see him for two weeks. He hid under the duvet in my spare room -and when I slid in with him - I could hear him purring - but everytime I tried to lift the duvet - he slid down to the bottom in a panic.

It was 6 weeks before he ventured downstairs and even then avoided all eye contact. Four years on - he is still a nervy cat. He hides the moment anyone comes to the door. But - he is also lying beside me as I type - purring his head off. lying on his back wanting strokes and scratches. But sadly - only with me. I love him to bits - but also realise that the time he spent before I had him severely traumatised him. Some animals sadly never recover.

He seems to be meowing a lot, I think he's hungry.
He won't eat his cat food at all, and it's the same one they were feeding him with at Battersea.
He will happily eat ham, and little treats of course, but not his regular food!

Any ideas?

Maybe some cooked chicken or fish, if he's recently had cat flu maybe his taste buds aren't back to normal yet..or you could try changing his food.

The temperature of the food might be different to what he is used to.

He might like a different flavour.

He might also be unwell.

He might just be unsettled.

Here is an audio link to the funny noise he is making, see if you can notice it and have any ideas?
Sorry about the TV audio in the background but hopefully you can still here him talking

http://yourlisten.com/channel/content/16953731/Cat

Thanks

Ham is probably not good for him; What others said about chicken - or what the breeder recommended to me - a little bit of minced steak with some boiling water pour over it, then drained and left to cool for a minute (little tike loves it).

I'm going to Morrisons tonight so can I buy some of that chicken which is per cooked for sandwiches etc?
He's been sleeping upstairs for some of today.

Ive given my cats the precooked chicken loads of times, the sliced chicken chunks not the chicken roll slices but you may have to warm it up a little though, just make sure it doesnt have any spices on it...i buy them the plain cooked chicken pieces from the counter too and then just strip all the meat off of the bone.

We give our cats all types of different foods -- cat food, cold meat, raw mince, cheese.

Anything in moderation I say. Our two cats are 15 and they're both fit and healthy. They still run about daft and climb onto the garage roof.

For extras I give mine frozen white fish nuked for a few mins til cooked. Also leftover chicken, cooked prawns and tinned tuna (in spring water, not brine). She also scarfs down her felix pouches and the cheapo asda ones (Tiger?) and dried food.