Hi everyone,
I'm completely new to this forum and have taken in such an information overload in the last 24 hours about re-homing kittens and ferals that I really haven't a clue what I'm doing anymore, I'm hearing alot of different information from different websites and would just like to know what I'm doing so your help would be greatfully appreciated!
It was my birthday yesterday, and my partner finally agreed to let me have a kitten, I grew up with 2 domesticated cats who have been nothing like my new little baby and want to make this transition as easy as possible for him.
Anyway, when my partner agreed to let me have a kitten, the first advert I saw, woman I spoke to and kitten I saw, well I completely fell in love with my new little tabby. He was actually bought from a farm, one of 5 kittens. All of the kittens were kept in a static caravan, just a few metres away from the farm house, there were a few older and domesticated cats in the caravan, but kept in other rooms. The lady I bought the kitten off advised me that he was 10 weeks old, eating solid foods, litter trained, de flead and wormed, but then said due to the work required on the farm then she hadn't had any time at all to handle any of the kittens - She also told me that their mother hadn't really been domesticated either but I was so over whelmed that I never thought for a moment he would be a feral (stupid I know). When I choose my kitty, then I did so for his boystrous attitude and the fact that over all of the other kittens then he liked to play the most.
I knew that bringing him home and having him adjust to a new home would be difficult anyway as he is away from his brothers and sisters, but I was so thrilled when I had him and also gullable enough to believe that within a day or two he would of adjusted and come around, however obviously now I know this is a different story.
I've taken him to the vets since bringing him home and ensured everything is ok health wise, but I just want him to adjust nicely, and would one day like him to be a happy playfull cat.
I'm not sure if he would be classed as feral or not, he has had some althogh very limited contact with humans.
He won't eat food, I've tried him with numerous dry (what I was advised he was eating) tinned food and biscuits, and the only thing that he seems to eat is chicken paste or chicken baby food, he won't eat this from his bowl though, only from my finger, but he seems very scared when my hand goes near him and most of the time will hiss and cower - I don't want to cause him any un necessary stress.
I hear a lot of conflicting information about keeping him in a cage in a room that's used quite often or a quiet room for him to become accustomed to it alone - So if somebody (who now knows the situation could advise me which would be better)
We put him in our bedroom last night to sleep in a box, with a towel we had him wrapped up in when we brought him home, and left him wander while we were asleep, we were up with him this morning, he was just looking at us and meowing but his food was down, and litter tray at the end of the room and he was warm so I didn't know what he wanted, whenever we went near him he would run away into the corner and hide.
Today we have bought him a mesh cage, and he is now in that, in the living room, and we're trying to be as quiet as possible, we've also placed his towel in there - My partner left him out earlier and tried to pet him, but the little dear was very scared and slowly but surely crouched away and run and hid behind the washing machine in the kitchen - We finally managed to coax him out with a toy - Do I leave him in the cage and bring him out to feed him - Do I move the cage somewhere else?
My little baby seems so nervous and scared, I know he's just moved homes and is away from his play friends but as long as I can be reassured that whatever I'm doing is the right thing then I'll have the patience of a saint, aslong as I know It's the right way which will have a positive outcome, then I'll put my everything into it and however long it takes.
What would be the best way for me to get my boy used to his new home and socialised at the same time?
All of your input would be greatly appreciated.
Very sorry for the long winded tale, but I thought if I explained the whole situation and you had a full idea then you would be able to help me better and hopefully make my boy at ease as quickly and easily as possible for him - As I said I know this will take a while but I'm more than willing to wait and do whatever it takes.
Thanks
I'm completely new to this forum and have taken in such an information overload in the last 24 hours about re-homing kittens and ferals that I really haven't a clue what I'm doing anymore, I'm hearing alot of different information from different websites and would just like to know what I'm doing so your help would be greatfully appreciated!
It was my birthday yesterday, and my partner finally agreed to let me have a kitten, I grew up with 2 domesticated cats who have been nothing like my new little baby and want to make this transition as easy as possible for him.
Anyway, when my partner agreed to let me have a kitten, the first advert I saw, woman I spoke to and kitten I saw, well I completely fell in love with my new little tabby. He was actually bought from a farm, one of 5 kittens. All of the kittens were kept in a static caravan, just a few metres away from the farm house, there were a few older and domesticated cats in the caravan, but kept in other rooms. The lady I bought the kitten off advised me that he was 10 weeks old, eating solid foods, litter trained, de flead and wormed, but then said due to the work required on the farm then she hadn't had any time at all to handle any of the kittens - She also told me that their mother hadn't really been domesticated either but I was so over whelmed that I never thought for a moment he would be a feral (stupid I know). When I choose my kitty, then I did so for his boystrous attitude and the fact that over all of the other kittens then he liked to play the most.
I knew that bringing him home and having him adjust to a new home would be difficult anyway as he is away from his brothers and sisters, but I was so thrilled when I had him and also gullable enough to believe that within a day or two he would of adjusted and come around, however obviously now I know this is a different story.
I've taken him to the vets since bringing him home and ensured everything is ok health wise, but I just want him to adjust nicely, and would one day like him to be a happy playfull cat.
I'm not sure if he would be classed as feral or not, he has had some althogh very limited contact with humans.
He won't eat food, I've tried him with numerous dry (what I was advised he was eating) tinned food and biscuits, and the only thing that he seems to eat is chicken paste or chicken baby food, he won't eat this from his bowl though, only from my finger, but he seems very scared when my hand goes near him and most of the time will hiss and cower - I don't want to cause him any un necessary stress.
I hear a lot of conflicting information about keeping him in a cage in a room that's used quite often or a quiet room for him to become accustomed to it alone - So if somebody (who now knows the situation could advise me which would be better)
We put him in our bedroom last night to sleep in a box, with a towel we had him wrapped up in when we brought him home, and left him wander while we were asleep, we were up with him this morning, he was just looking at us and meowing but his food was down, and litter tray at the end of the room and he was warm so I didn't know what he wanted, whenever we went near him he would run away into the corner and hide.
Today we have bought him a mesh cage, and he is now in that, in the living room, and we're trying to be as quiet as possible, we've also placed his towel in there - My partner left him out earlier and tried to pet him, but the little dear was very scared and slowly but surely crouched away and run and hid behind the washing machine in the kitchen - We finally managed to coax him out with a toy - Do I leave him in the cage and bring him out to feed him - Do I move the cage somewhere else?
My little baby seems so nervous and scared, I know he's just moved homes and is away from his play friends but as long as I can be reassured that whatever I'm doing is the right thing then I'll have the patience of a saint, aslong as I know It's the right way which will have a positive outcome, then I'll put my everything into it and however long it takes.
What would be the best way for me to get my boy used to his new home and socialised at the same time?
All of your input would be greatly appreciated.
Very sorry for the long winded tale, but I thought if I explained the whole situation and you had a full idea then you would be able to help me better and hopefully make my boy at ease as quickly and easily as possible for him - As I said I know this will take a while but I'm more than willing to wait and do whatever it takes.
Thanks