Kitten won't play... please help!

Hi everyone,

I adopted a kitten a little over two weeks ago, who is now 10-weeks.  Unfortunately, she ended up falling ill a few days after I got her, so I took her to the vet and she was put on antibiotics (fever, not eating, etc). She is almost done with her 12-day antibiotic regimen, fever has faded and her appetite has been back to normal for about a week and a half now. The antibiotics upset her tummy I noticed (diarrhea) and so I've been giving her a bit of non-fat, plain yogurt every day, which seems to help a bit.

The biggest thing I notice with her is that she will not play whatsoever, and she meows pretty often. Her meows vary in type, as in sometimes they sound like normal kitten meows, but sometimes they sound as if she's crying "help me mommy". They have a sickish or desperate-sounding tone to them and it really worries me. That said, I usually am able to stop her cries on my own if I either feed her, pick her up and hold/pet her, or I let her burrow under some blankets so she can sleep. She's pretty affectionate and seems to need a lot of attention. She follows me around a lot, starts meowing when I come into the room, always wants to crawl on my lap/shoulders, etc.

She sleeps and lays around a lot...and while I know that's common with kittens, I feel like she should have a LOT more energy. No matter what I do and what toy I use to try and get her to play, she literally has zero interest in any of it, and honestly just looks sad instead sometimes which makes me really upset. I've tried catnip too, and she doesn't react. She has another appointment with the vet next week, so hopefully we'll at least be able to find out if it's something medical/physical, which I hope not. It kills me knowing she might be in pain/sick and I can't help her.

That said, if she's not sick still (or has some other ailment), could it be that she still misses her mom/brothers and sisters?  When I adopted her, she was running around/playing with about 4-5 siblings and her mom was watching over, and a felt a bit bad taking her from them.  Still getting adjusted to her new home? Have any of you experienced this before with a kitten?

ANY insight, ideas, thoughts, suggestions, etc. would SO appreciated! 

Thanks,

Crystal

I am glad she is feeling better so far, it sounds like she still just be recovering a little, and reserving her energy. The kitten I saved had a slight fever when I first got her, and did not want to play much either. All she wanted to do was sleep, and her meows were also very weak. After giving her some meds, and letting her have lots of rest her playfulness came back little by little each day. I also learned after spending a bit of money on toys that did not like, lol. Her favorite toy was the box that trash bags come in. 

I hope she gets better soon, and gets her energy back. Keep us posted! *hugs*

Yes, my kitten Happy had picked up viruses from the shelter I adopted him from. She may need some time to recover.

Cats are very good at hiding pain.

Kittens usually adapt well, though.

It could be her personality, some cats are more mellow and calm than others, though kittens tend to be more hyper and active, all cats and kittens are different.

She might not just like any of the toys you have for her, as Becca said.

How old is she, anyways?

Hope I helped a bit.

When my new little one was sick from pan leuk, even after we were over the hump it took about a week for her to socialize and play. Then, just like that, she was "normal"/crazy kitty!

awww. i'm glad to hear your kitty is over being sick. She might still be feeling a bit off. When i adopted my girl Jet from the shelter, she was the same age as your kitten, and also very sick. It took her a whole month to be over her URI, and another month for her to behave like a normal kitten. So for me, total 2 months. But don't worry, your kitten just needs to feel better. With in the span of two months, i had to give Jet her meds, lysine supplements, and change her diet/food around a couple times till i found something that she wanted to eat on her own, and something she wanted to eat. but eventually she came around and started to behave like a "normal" kitten. what are you feeding your kitten now? Her food type and intake might help her energy levels to increase a bit and help her to fully recover. Something to consider.