Kitten won't bathe and only likes to sit

We have a 3 month old kitten we brought home from the SPCA about a week and a half ago. At first we had problems getting her to eat, but now she is eating just fine. But ever since she came home she doesn't clean herself, we are going to be buying some pet wipes today. But is she just too young to be cleaning herself yet? Do some cats just not clean themselves? Or is there something wrong with her?

Also, all she really likes to do is sit with us and sleep. She does very little on her own. She doesn't run around the house. She will play if we try to get her to play, but she won't do it on her own. She hasn't explored every little area of our house like most cats would do either. She is a very nice cat, but the way she acts is a little outside what I have experienced with cats in the past and I want to make sure there is nothing wrong with her. So is this just how come cats are? Very clingy and not interested in playing or exploring on their own?

Hmm, two thoughts come to mind:

1. She's sick. Not cleaning herself and not doing much as a 3 month kitten is very unusual. I would take her into the vet

2. She is simply much more shy than other cats and needs time to adjust.

I'm not sure which of the two it is though..

She might be younger than 3 months as well.

Minka said:

Hmm, two thoughts come to mind:
1. She's sick. Not cleaning herself and not doing much as a 3 month kitten is very unusual. I would take her into the vet
2. She is simply much more shy than other cats and needs time to adjust.
I'm not sure which of the two it is though..

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Well, just to be safe I'll check with out vet.

OrientalSlave said:

She might be younger than 3 months as well.

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Maybe, but the SPCA she came from really seems to know what they are doing.

Kittens start grooming themselves at about 3 weeks. I have not met one yet that is not obsessed with grooming. If you are certain she is not doing so, a Vet visit is a must. Usually when they stop there is something wrong such as dental or other issues. Could she be doing so when you are not around?

gooned said:

Kittens start grooming themselves at about 3 weeks. I have not met one yet that is not obsessed with grooming. If you are certain she is not doing so, a Vet visit is a must. Usually when they stop there is something wrong such as dental or other issues. Could she be doing so when you are not around?

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It is possible she is doing it when we are not around, but she is starting to stink a little, so my guess would be no. I have seen her clean herself a little, but not very much at all, like I am used to seeing cats do.

You'd be able to tell if she is not, her coat would be oily and unkempt. And yes, also smelly.

You could always do a little test: put a tiny dab of something sticky on her and see if it disappears. :dk:

Do you know her background? Perhaps she was taken from her mum too soon, or was an orphan and never learnt the proper life skills. Kittens will copy their mother and littermates, generally about 2-3 weeks they'll lick each other and themselves - she may not have learnt that.

I'd be bathing her over using just wipes, but she really shouldn't smell anyway unless her stool is soft and sticking to her behind. 

I'd also be getting a thorough vet check done. 

jbear0000 said:

Maybe, but the SPCA she came from really seems to know what they are doing.

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Unless they know the date of birth or got her when she had blue eyes so know when the colour started to change it's really hard to know how old a kitten is.

You say she smells - does she have bad breath?  In some kittens teething can cause problems, but she would be very young at 3 months to be teething.  My own kitten stopped eating and looked very miserable.  She had to have painkillers for a few days so she started eating again and also shed the problem teeth.  However she was a much more typical age - 5 months.