our new cats, 4 months old, super scared

Ill give as much info as I can.

We live in a condo and my wife just had this lady give us 2 4 month old cats, they are brother and sister. Anyways when the lady brought the cats over they went nuts when she put them on the floor, jumping on my desk and knocking things over and running fast and then hiding.

My wife knows more about cats but I didnt think that was normal, anyways she said it was because its a new place for them and the car ride for them over here scared them a lot.

Its been 2 days and my wife is keeping them in the bathroom, she said that you are supposed to do this for 3 days, anyways everytime I go in there they are in the same spot, behind the toilet, and they never eat their food, its still sitting there, we got them wet food and dry food like that lady said and have water out for them along with kitty litter which they did use. The cats are always huddled next to eachother. My wife also accidentally left the washing machine door open and I had to get them out of there because its totally nasty on the floor with the dust stuff.

My question is that is this normal? I really like cats but I dont want cats that run away from me when I approach them

How long will it take them to get comfy?

They also hissed at me many times, same to my wife.

They seem like mean cats

Originally Posted by scuzzo84

Ill give as much info as I can.

We live in a condo and my wife just had this lady give us 2 4 month old cats, they are brother and sister. Anyways when the lady brought the cats over they went nuts when she put them on the floor, jumping on my desk and knocking things over and running fast and then hiding.

My wife knows more about cats but I didnt think that was normal, anyways she said it was because its a new place for them and the car ride for them over here scared them a lot.

Its been 2 days and my wife is keeping them in the bathroom, she said that you are supposed to do this for 3 days, anyways everytime I go in there they are in the same spot, behind the toilet, and they never eat their food, its still sitting there, we got them wet food and dry food like that lady said and have water out for them along with kitty litter which they did use. The cats are always huddled next to eachother. My wife also accidentally left the washing machine door open and I had to get them out of there because its totally nasty on the floor with the dust stuff.

My question is that is this normal? I really like cats but I dont want cats that run away from me when I approach them

How long will it take them to get comfy?

They also hissed at me many times, same to my wife.

They seem like mean cats

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They are simply scared...heck, drop you off in a strange location are you going to feel comfortable right off the bat?? The hissing is their defense...they are telling you to back off. They don't know you...they don't know your wife....they don't know your home. Give them TIME....let them determine when it is safe and when they are willing to trust you. Open your condo slowly to them. I know you want to pet them..but for now..let them explore. Let them come up and sniff you out. This is a great site and there are loads of people who have gone through what you have...so some may have suggestions on how to make things easier on these little ones.

BTW..welcome to the wonderful world of kittenhood....go out and get a kitty condo from the store for them to leap and play on.....be prepared to have every inch (low and high) of your place investigated. My cats favorite place is the top of the refrigerator because it is the highest place in my condo. Cats love being able to view their kingdom from the highest spot they can.

Katie

Hi I can understand your concern, but as Katie has said, these babies are scared. I am concerned they are not eating? I would put a cookie sheet on the floor, and put some dry food on it, as well as wet food. I would get some chicken or turkey baby food and put that on there as well.

If it is possible, block the door opening with baby gates, or make a quick screen door out of pvc pipe and chicken wire- hinges and elbows. This way you can get in and out of the room easily and the kittens will not be cut off from the house by the solid door.

I would also encourage you to set up a schedule of visits and stick to it, so the kittens will know when you are coming, and not arrive unannounced. It is a scary time for them, and they need something to hide in, a cardboard box with several escape holes is ideal, piled with soft bedding. Keep your voices low when you are in the room with them, keep the lights down (I burn nightlights for new arrivals) and stay low to the ground. Do not make direct eye contact with the kittens, and if they are hiding, let them hide. But please after the holidays take them in and get them seen by a vet-


Also if they haven't eaten by tonight call your vet before they close so they can at least advise you what to do. Cats and kittens need to eat or they can become really really ill.

http://www.thecatsite.com/Cats/Cat_H...Lipidosis.html

There are tips in this article to get a cat to eat

Good luck

Originally Posted by hissy

It is a scary time for them, and they need something to hide in, a cardboard box with several escape holes is ideal, piled with soft bedding.

Good luck

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That is what I was thinking. Giving them a room to limit the amount of space is good, but they also need a comfort zone within the room, and behind the toilet, which is noisy, is not a very good spot. If they have a little box or bed, they will feel safer sooner.

Then, after you let them out, they will return to that box or bed to sleep and feel safe.

What is the previous owner saying? Were they tame at her house, or did she just find them outside? Were they born at her house and handled young, or were they ignored and not socialized?

I talked to him on AIM. He said he got my name off of this site. But I tried to give him the best advice I could. Pretty much just said everything that I knew and learned from this site.

I also explained to him that the kitties need to go to vet. They have no shots, and havenet been fixed. So hopefully that helps.

Good luck Scuzzo!

Is this actually normal when you bring new kittens into your home? For me,I would have to say it isn't! I've never had a new kitten act this scared. Most run around the house,sniff at everything, meow at you,want to cuddle immediately.Obviously,I"ve just been lucky!!!They may act a little nervous but I think this is extreme.
To me,it sounds like they are ferals or close to it. Maybe the lady had some 'barely catchable" kittens she wanted to get rid of and now you have to get them comfortable to humans. Just my opinion.

I agree, they do sound like ferals. They are exhibiting all the signs that my ferals did. BUT, they could just be scared too. I would also suggest gently playing with some cat toys when in the room with them. Sometimes that can get them out of their shell. That, and use yummy food/treats to entice them. When I got Timmy and Elessar, they were both like that, and while Elessar has conformed, Timmy has yet to come completely out of his shell, and I've had him almost a year! It has been a slow process. BUT, the way I think of it is, I'd rather he be living here with me and hiding than living outside and hiding. I love him regardless, although I would prefer he could come out of it so I could show him real human love. As long as these kitties are using the box and stuff, maybe if they don't come out of their shell, you could just keep them and also get some more kittens, who are more social? Social kitties often show the scared kitties that humans are ok.

i would think they are feral cats or have been abused. Letting them come round in their own time is good. also try just sitting in there on the floor reading and let them get used to your presence and smell. dont look at them directly or try to make contact. let them always come to you, if you have food eventually they will com near you but still dont touch them. scared cats always want to make the first move.

poor little kitties. what do they look like? good luck, you are doing a good deed for those kitties.

Also, something else to keep in mind, if they are male and female and around 4 months old, the male will very soon, if not already, be able to impregnate the female. So I know you have a lot to deal with here but at this age, it is normally recommended to be thinking about getting them fixed and seperating them if you can't. It probably isn't a good idea to seperate them though because they are already scared to death. But if you don't then you will have a pregnant cat on your hands and you don't want that!

If you do them before they get settled in, it might be better then having them get used to you and settled then take them away again to the vet for a spay/neuter and then when you bring them back home, have to go through it all again. Just a thought, maybe there are other opinions on this but I wouldn't want to risk her getting pregnant.

Actually Jen, your post made me have another idea....At our clinic, if two or more are in a cage from the same family and they're all scared, we DO separate them, and usually they do calm down better that way. They feed off each others' fear and it just spirals....so maybe separating them and getting them altered wouldn't be such a bad idea, plus altering calms them down a bit too....

ohhh yes good thinking

Oh and we had a batch of ferals once and they were THE snottiest little things! Until we took them away in pairs, then they became the sweetest things....

Originally Posted by smokiethecat

Is this actually normal when you bring new kittens into your home? For me,I would have to say it isn't! I've never had a new kitten act this scared. Most run around the house,sniff at everything, meow at you,want to cuddle immediately.Obviously,I"ve just been lucky!!!They may act a little nervous but I think this is extreme.
To me,it sounds like they are ferals or close to it. Maybe the lady had some 'barely catchable" kittens she wanted to get rid of and now you have to get them comfortable to humans. Just my opinion.

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I got an older kitten one time (6 months) and he definitely was not feral but he hid behind our headboard for 1 full month and it took another 2 weeks for him to finally get downstairs to the family room. He was just a very scared kitty. He then became the biggest lap cat and sweet lovable fellow you could ever meet.

how is everything going with your new kitties