Newly Adopted Kitten; Questions

necromancicat

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Hey all,
Today, I adopted a 6-month-old kitten from the Humane society, she's home now, and she was spayed yesterday. I have a couple of questions regarding care for her.
- She doesn't seem to want to eat or drink, I've laid a food and water bowl in the closet, where she's made her room at, and tried giving her a couple of wet foods, and some dry, she's ignored them. I'm attributing Umbra's lack of appetite to the stress of a new location. However, with the stress of her recent spaying, will this be a problem?

- What should I be looking out for with her spay sutures?

- I'm going to call my vet Monday about her wellness check, but should she not eat this weekend, should I be worried?

If I seem overly paranoid, it's because I am. I had to recently put down my last cat after only having her for a month, so I want to make sure Umbra is healthy and happy with me now. Thanks for any responses :)
 

Willowy

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Yeah, if she hasn't eaten anything by Monday morning, call the vet/shelter. Cats can get very sick from not eating for too long. She's bound to be stressed and scared right now, and possibly still feeling a little woozy from the anesthetic, so the lack of appetite is understandable. She might feel more comfortable eating at night so leave her something tempting right before you go to bed and hopefully she'll eat it before morning.

For her spay incision, keep an eye on it for signs of infection---excessive redness or any oozing other than a little bit of clear or pink fluid (cloudiness is a sign of infection). It's normal for it to get a bit lumpy as she heals (it's the body's reaction to the internal sutures dissolving) but if the lump looks abnormal it wouldn't hurt to have the vet take a look. Most cats heal up just fine so don't fuss over her too much, that might stress her more. Taking a look at the incision once a day ought to be sufficient, unless she seems to be overly concerned about her incision area.
 
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necromancicat

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Yeah, I'm giving her space, and just checking her bowl every so often to see if she ate. How should I go about checking the incision? She's kinda far back and I'm unsure if that's going to cause her a lot of unnecessary stress.
 

Willowy

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Well, hopefully she'll get more comfortable tomorrow and start walking around. If so, you can just pick up her front legs real quick and take a peek at her tummy. With her back feet still on the ground she shouldn't get too freaked out. I wouldn't pull her out of the closet to check.
 

lisahe

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Yeah, if she hasn't eaten anything by Monday morning, call the vet/shelter. Cats can get very sick from not eating for too long. She's bound to be stressed and scared right now, and possibly still feeling a little woozy from the anesthetic, so the lack of appetite is understandable. She might feel more comfortable eating at night so leave her something tempting right before you go to bed and hopefully she'll eat it before morning.
When we adopted our cats they only ate a little in their first days, despite being skinny and underfed... and they did most of their eating at night, mostly dry food. Like Umbra, they'd also just been spayed, so they were stressed from that and arriving in a new home.

It's great that Umbra has the closet and that you're giving her space. Our cats needed space, too, and spent a lot of time in the closet and even inside the duvet cover! One other thing: right after we adopted our cats, we sat on the floor a lot and let them come to us. They were very shy and that really helped.

Welcome to The Cat Site, NecromanciCat! And I understand your concerns after your last experience. Just ask if you have questions! (Years ago, we also had to have a cat put to sleep only about a month after adopting her, it was very, very sad.)
 
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necromancicat

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Thanks for the advice, I'll put some of her new wet foods out for her tonight and update when I wake up tomorrow.
 

marian100

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She'll eat and drink when she is ready. New home, major operation, untrained humans = stress. Cats are naturally neurotic about any change to their routine being critters of impeccable habit. Now it is of major importance, and I can not stress enough how important this is.... Post a picture PLEASE. 
 
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necromancicat

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Just because you asked :p
On a good note, she's eating well. I found that she'll lick her bowl clean with chicken in gravy. She's still not comfortable with me sitting a few feet away on the floor, but I'll obviously give her space.
 

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Just because you asked :p
On a good note, she's eating well. I found that she'll lick her bowl clean with chicken in gravy. She's still not comfortable with me sitting a few feet away on the floor, but I'll obviously give her space.
Beautiful big eyes, I love tabbies!
 
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necromancicat

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Yeah, she's a gorgeous girl. So, another question. Last night, she walked around a bit and discovered a small crawlspace (meant for shoes and such) and she's placed herself under there. She actually seems more skittish than when I first got her. She's drinking and using the litter still, though. Any suggestions?
 

nora1

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She is very pretty and feminine looking!

I would just give her space, as others have suggested. Sit near her and talk to her. When we adopted our cat, she was scared too. I used to just sit and read a book near her. That way she got used to my voice. She eventually came out on her own :)
 

lisahe

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What a beautiful cat, NecromanciCat!

I agree with Nora1 about giving Umbra plenty of space. And I love the idea of reading to her! Umbra probably feels safe and sheltered in the crawl space, and that's good in the beginning, so she can have a place to retreat to. The big things are that she's eating, drinking, and using the box. That's all very good!
 
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necromancicat

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Another quick question/update:
She's letting me pet her, and when I do, she starts rolling around hugging my hand with her paws. What exactly is this behavior? Is it happiness, or a botched spay?
 

marian100

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That is just play, your hand is the mouse. Does she bat you with her back feet at the same time? Love the piccies thankyou
 
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necromancicat

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Thought so. I'm actually starting to think she's not being shy, but she's doing what she thinks she's supposed to by staying in a confined area. At the Humane Society, she was only in a small, 3x3x3 cage for her entire life since 5 weeks. How can I let her know that it's okay to leave and roam about?
 

marian100

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Just keep doing exactly what you are doing. You mentioned that she is timid so she will need to think about things, deeply, before she does them. As her trust in YOU is confirmed by your patience, consistency and love then her confidence will grow. But thinking is a time consuming process for a cat.
 

nora1

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Just had a great half hour play session with Umbra, in her closet, granted.
Sounds like you're starting to really bind with her! That's great! I would recommend to switch your hand out, for a real toy, maybe a "wand toy" to keep your hands scratch free. This will also prevent her from thinking that your hands are toys, which in turn, will encourage her to "hunt" your hands. I do a lot of "hands free" play with my cat: wand toy, laser pointer, and fetch.

Keep up the great work :) Let her build confidence through her trust in you.
 
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lisahe

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What a sweet cat! I'm glad she's playing: it sounds like she's getting used to you. And the fact that she's letting you pet her already is wonderful. She must be appreciating all this attention after living in a cage most of her life. Have fun with her!
 
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