Adopted Kitten won't come out of hiding

I'm sure you guys have seen lots of posts like this. We've had our newly adopted kitten for 2 weeks now. He is about 6 months old. We got him from a local feline rescue. He comes out at night and loves to play. We had been keeping him in our bedroom but just recently (yesterday) had to help him venture into the rest of the house because he was keeping us up at night. We had started this process gradually by keeping our bedroom door open and letting him roam on his own. Once we had confirmation that he was going into the rest of our house (it's a small one bedroom apartment) on his own, we moved his litter box and food to the other portion of the house so we could finally get some sleep.

He's eating, drinking, and using the litter box just fine but only at night, or when we are not home. He loves to be pet, (as evidenced by purring, and nudging your hand with his head, or rolling on his back when you are petting him) but doesn't make any effort to be pet or get attention. He'll take treats from your hand when it's placed close to him, but won't move to try to get a treat. This has been pretty consistent behavior over the past two weeks.

We're just not seeing much progress towards him coming out and are getting concerned. At lot of the sites I've read state that at about 2 weeks you should be seeing some progress. We're not sure even sure at what point we should be concerned to be honest. When on his own, he does shake like he is scared and this doesn't seem to be fading. The shaking goes away when he is being pet. I'm wondering if we should start looking into some natural remedies to help him calm down a bit?

Thanks in advance!

Amanda

All cats are different and adjust at their own pace.. You don't know what his prior life was like... Sounds like your doing every thing the right way.. Just give him time... One thing the shaking?? I would be concerened if it continues .. Most cats just don't sit and shake? I'd have that looked at by your vet if it keeps up.

I'm going to second getting him looked over by a vet. Since you really don't know his personality and what is normal for him and what isn't, a full vet check up is a good idea when you take in a new cat. The shivering thing does not sound normal, either.

For getting him more comfortable, I've found the best way to bond with kittens is through play. They generally are more motivated by this than anything else. Wand toys are great, because there's some distance between you and the toy so it's not quite so intimidating for nervous cats, but you are still present and involved and he associates you with fun. If he's very nervous, he might just watch you wave the toy around and not come out the first few times, but don't give up, because this still counts as interaction. Just make sure you don't use your hands as a toy and accidentally teach him to bite people. 

Here are some of the most popular wand toys:



https://www.nekoflies.com/

Thanks everyone. We'll get him checked by the vet for the shaking. I just assumed it was because he was still so freaked out. It's not a constant shaking, I'm not sure how to describe it except like an animal who is very scared. But that's why it's so weird, because if he was that scared, it seems odd to me that he would like us petting him so much?

I bought him a cat wand tonight. He seems interested in it, as evidenced by him darting his eyes around to follow it, just no movement to go after it. I left it hanging from something so he can play with it tonight when he comes out. 
 

It sounds like I've never had a cat before! But both my fiance and I have grown up with cats all our lives! We're about 30 so it's not like we're just out of high school either. I don't know why all of a sudden I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing! I've never had a cat like this.

Cheze2 said:

 
Thanks everyone. We'll get him checked by the vet for the shaking. I just assumed it was because he was still so freaked out. It's not a constant shaking, I'm not sure how to describe it except like an animal who is very scared. But that's why it's so weird, because if he was that scared, it seems odd to me that he would like us petting him so much?

I bought him a cat wand tonight. He seems interested in it, as evidenced by him darting his eyes around to follow it, just no movement to go after it. I left it hanging from something so he can play with it tonight when he comes out. 
 

It sounds like I've never had a cat before! But both my fiance and I have grown up with cats all our lives! We're about 30 so it's not like we're just out of high school either. I don't know why all of a sudden I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing! I've never had a cat like this.

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There is a lot of variety when it comes to cat personalities and quirks, that's for sure! Sometimes their prior life experiences can explain a lot, but sometimes it's just a mystery. In my experience, though, the shyest cats develop the deepest bond with their people once they come around.

It's good to leave toys out for him so he can keep himself entertained, but you might want to put the wand toy away for right now and only use it when you're with him. That way it's an extra special treat that he can associate with you, and he'll be more likely to come out and play while you're around if it's the only chance he gets to play with that toy.

Good luck with the vet!

 It's good to leave toys out for him so he can keep himself entertained, but you might want to put the wand toy away for right now and only use it when you're with him. That way it's an extra special treat that he can associate with you, and he'll be more likely to come out and play while you're around if it's the only chance he gets to play with that toy

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So smart! I will definitely do this! Thanks!

Congratulations on your new kitty!  I would call the rescue group and ask how he was while in rescue.  This might be a normal pattern for him.  Then, I'd get a Feliway diffuser and run it 24/7.  It should help him calm down and feel more confident.  If you can afford it a second kitty might also help him gain confidence. If you decide to go this route, ask the rescue which kitty he hung out with while with them.

From what they told us, when he was brought into the shelter, he was placed into foster care with a family with children and the foster family loved him. They said he was playful and a great cat. He was brought back to the shelter from foster care so that he could be more quickly adopted. When he was at the shelter, they had him in his own cage because he was very scared with the transition. He would basically just sit in the corner of the cage most of the day. He was at the shelter for 2 days when we adopted him and brought him to our home. It seems he just can't get over all the transitions. So, hopefully with time he'll come out of his shell a little.

I should have added that he was in foster care for about a month before being brought back to the shelter.

Cheze2 said:

 
Thanks everyone. We'll get him checked by the vet for the shaking. I just assumed it was because he was still so freaked out. It's not a constant shaking, I'm not sure how to describe it except like an animal who is very scared. But that's why it's so weird, because if he was that scared, it seems odd to me that he would like us petting him so much?

I bought him a cat wand tonight. He seems interested in it, as evidenced by him darting his eyes around to follow it, just no movement to go after it. I left it hanging from something so he can play with it tonight when he comes out. 
 

It sounds like I've never had a cat before! But both my fiance and I have grown up with cats all our lives! We're about 30 so it's not like we're just out of high school either. I don't know why all of a sudden I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing! I've never had a cat like this.

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Hi Amanda, ...no, you sound fine,      and like a very attentive and caring cat guardian, who just wants the best for her kitten.   Have you chosen a name, or are still deciding?

The other members have given very good advice and great links from @Molly92   (I might have to try some of those cat toys for my young cats, too.)

You could also try some 'ping pong balls', or try to persuade the young one, to follow some thick type of string, soft fabric material, fabric belt...etc. My fur crew tended to like both.

Like you, I had one in the bunch who was hyper scared, but did eventually come around, after going to the vet for the second set of kitten vaccinations. Strange, because I thought he would never like people, but like 'Molly 92' mentioned...he is the sweetest and gentlest one of the bunch.

All I did was continue to talk to him, throw him the rope fabric in playing, ping pong ball, and did manage to get him close enough to hold, while he was about 2-3 months old.

 He did however grow up with his siblings and learn by example...so if you could get a second, and afford a second...then it might be easier....like 'stephanietx' mentioned.

Cheze2 said:

 
... because he was keeping us up at night. We had started this process gradually by keeping our bedroom door open and letting him roam on his own. Once we had confirmation that he was going into the rest of our house (it's a small one bedroom apartment) on his own, we moved his litter box and food to the other portion of the house so we could finally get some sleep.

He's eating, drinking, and using the litter box just fine but only at night, or when we are not home. He loves to be pet, (as evidenced by purring, and nudging your hand with his head, or rolling on his back when you are petting him) but doesn't make any effort to be pet or get attention. He'll take treats from your hand when it's placed close to him, but won't move to try to get a treat. This has been pretty consistent behavior over the past two weeks.

We're just not seeing much progress towards him coming out and are getting concerned. At lot of the sites I've read state that at about 2 weeks you should be seeing some progress. We're not sure even sure at what point we should be concerned to be honest. When on his own, he does shake like he is scared and this doesn't seem to be fading. The shaking goes away when he is being pet. I'm wondering if we should start looking into some natural remedies to help him calm down a bit?

Thanks in advance!

Amanda

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Cheze2 said:

 
I should have added that he was in foster care for about a month before being brought back to the shelter.

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I think he just needs more time to adjust, because he was probably so used to his foster family, and now needs to know that you are his forever home. (If they had kids, he might just be initially scared from being grabbed by the kids, so he's super cautious, but once he gets how calm you are around him, then he should be okay.

Definitely get him checked out for the shaking, just in case it's something medical. Though I would not worry because I figure the foster family would have already mentioned it...if they noticed.

What was he doing in keeping you up? Was he meowing? You could try to put more toys that are interactive outside your bedroom, ones like puzzle feeders or the ones that have balls on tracks. And perhaps leave a small amount of food out, or feed him right before bed, but after playtime, so that he is full, and might fall asleep. He is probably exploring, and wanting company, so even putting out a small teddy bear like toy, or cat scratchers, cat tree, cat shelves, etc...might be good.  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...ld-keywords=cat+scratcher&tag=&tag=thecatsite

As if he knew I was worrying about him, a miracle happened, and I saw him come out of hiding to grab a bite to eat twice last night while I was up late on the computer in the living room! 

 Have you chosen a name, or are still deciding?

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 What was he doing in keeping you up? Was he meowing? 

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He was up playing all night! He would be jumping around, batting around the little mice that we have for him, scratching the carpet we he was trying to get the mice, or scratching the scratching post. Munching on food, using the litterbox etc. We have yet to hear him meow at all. Even when we drove him home from the shelter, not a single peep came out of him. 

 ...so if you could get a second, and afford a second...then it might be easier....like 'stephanietx' mentioned.

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Unfortunately, we're not able to get a second cat. We rent an apartment and our lease states one cat only. I'm hoping that he just might take a little longer than some other cats to come out of his shell. From the looks of last night, it seems that there may finally be some momentum! Perhaps I was just worrying for nothing and just need to be more patient. I have a hard time with patience, especially when there is such a cute kitten around that I want to pet!

Originally Posted by Cheze2  

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• cheze2
• Mar 11, 2016

 What was he doing in keeping you up? Was he meowing? 

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Oh, 'Mr. P. Bottles' is one gorgeous cat. 

Just give him another 2 weeks to adjust, and adapt to the new smells, sounds, sights of the place. Try doing that 'slow blinking' when you see him staring at you. But the way he looks cuddled up with you in bed, does not seem like he is scared at all.   I looked at your other photos online, and PB's eyes do not look dilated at all, so he's probably just shy.

PB might just be super sensitive to stimulation, also, and sound, so he needs more time to feel comfortable. (It's kind of like you all are learning each other's cues, quirks, personalities.)

Playing all night sounds very normal for cats.

But check also that he hears well, by snapping your fingers behind him, when he is not looking, or getting your fiance to crinkle some paper, clap his hands, etc., when he is not looking at him, but looking at you.

You are totally right, I think he just needs more time to adjust to his new environment. He actually sounds like he adjusted fast to me, because he is so comfortable snuggling with you. Sometimes that takes months.

Perhaps I was just worrying for nothing and just need to be more patient. I have a hard time with patience, especially when there is such a cute kitten around that I want to pet! 

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Yes, you know how they say 'patience is a virtue'...well, I don't think it's possible, either, when you do have such a cute kitten around. 

But you really have to try and let PB venture towards you, and feel super comfortable. It will happen more, and more. (You can keep using and trying different food treats, toys, and reading out loud to him, so he gets used to your voices more and more.

Oh, and Amanda...remember to take loads and loads of photos, and post them, too. If you see that it annoys your PB too much, just try in daylight, without a flash...because kittens grow up so fast.

I think we have to see some "PB playing photos", too.