new nervous kitten

undefinedHi I'm new here and would like to say hi to everybody!

I would like some advice, we have a new kitten who is very nervous - she hasn't had much contact with humans as she was found under a shed, although the rescue lady had her for a couple of weeks. We got her home today, we new she would be nervous we have stroked her a bit but she keeps hiding under our coffee table. We do not have a pen and can not put her in a seperate room as we do not have doors on the rooms upstairs.

Does anyone have any good ideas on how we can get her to trust us, and coax her out. She hasn't eaten anything yet. She met our resident cat early on and they did touch noses and kiss so I think they will be alright in future.

But in the meantime we would like to gain her trust, and ham hasn't worked so far! I know it may take a while to get her to come around, but any advice from anybody here would greatly be appreciated!

this is actually pretty common for strays and small kittens. You didn't say how old she is, but her world has changed quite a bit lately and she is unsettled. Just leave her be, don't force yourself on her, make sure she has food, water and a litter pan and then just pretend that she doesn't exist for about 24 hours. Except if you see signs of illness, vomiting, diarrhea, or if she continually refuses to eat in 24 hours also warning signs are lethargic condition, third eye creeping over- anything really unusual. She has new smells, new sounds and a whole new world to adjust to. She will adjust quicker if she is left alone.

Thanks for the reply Hissy. She is 8 weeks old, she seems okay and healthy and when I have stroked and held her she is not scratchy at all, but I think you are right and I'll leave her under there for a bit. It must be strange for her at the moment. I suppose you just can't help but worry when being a new mum!

At that age, she should still be with mom. They should ideally be with her till they are 12 weeks old, so you might have some litter pan accidents with her. Just be patient, mom didn't have her long enough to teach her everything she knows.

You might just set a stuffed animal down near her for comfort. Again, she is used to snuggling with mom and her littermates, and so if you can take a box and make a big fluffy bedding pile and put her in it, that will help too. Cut her an access hole so she can get in and out, and put the stuffed animal in there with her. Pound puppies work really well- or check the internet for a Snugglekittie. I would get her a snugglekittie if it were me, as it has a heartbeat that mimics the momcat and does offer comfort and warmth.

http://www.thecatsite.com/cat_shop/shop.php?a=kittens

Thanks for that I will have a look, I do have some small stuffed lifelike cat tigers, but the ones you mentioned with heartbeat sounds good. I will go have a look.

i'm having almost the same problem. my new kitten will barely come out of her cave (not really a cave, but one of those carpet-covered cubbyholes). i put it, some food and the litterbox in a huge cardboard box (a tv came in it, so it's pretty big), but i still don't think she has used the litterbox.
i did get her to eat a little bit a few hours ago, so i know eventually she'll have to use it, and the foster family it was with told me it, and it's littermates had been using the box no problem.
my best friend, a longtime cat owner, says i'm being overly worried, but am i?

litterbox done!
now i just have to name her.
and maybe get some sleep.

Hi, glad i'm not the only one having probs then! I got her to eat some dinner at last, yesterday evening and she's eaten her breakfast this morning and used her litter tray, so I'm happy with that. She has cuddles when we pick her out of her box (a large pet carrier inc. her water and food) but when you let her go, she will still go and hide.

You can't help but worry, it's only natural, but I hope yours will be okay soon. I suppose it must be really strange for them for a while.

Good luck!

We have a 2yr old male and it has taken him 2yrs to come out of his shell (every cat is different).. Give it time and alot of patience, she will be fine..

It really could take these kittens several days to "come out", but eventually curiosity will win, and they'll start to explore. You could also try sitting or lying on the floor where they can see you, just reading and "minding your own business". Some cats will react if you read aloud to them in a soft, soothing voice. They really need some time to recognize that they're in a safe place.

Thanks for that. ,y partner wondered if the boys would have been the same but I'm sure the sex doesn't make any difference - just nerves. She actaully walked intothe lounge today on her own and looked a bit more confident and walked up to our resident cat who still does not know what to do with her and gave her a hiss. (at least no swatting!) hope this hasn;t got rid of her confidence. i will try your suggestions of sitting on the floor. do you know if a felway plug in will help with there interaction?

I have found that scared cats at the hospital respond really well to a cat "hello and headbunt". If you watch two cats greet each other they will often close their eyes a little in a squint. Like the way your eyes look when you smile. Then they approach each other foreheads first and give each other a little "headbunt". I've tried this and it seems to relax the cats a little. They seem to understand that you are a friend when you greet them this way.