Just adopted 6 month old kitten

[gengen10]

Hey there!
Soooo, I decided to take the plunge and brought home a beautiful teenage kitten named Prince.....not sure yet if I am going to stick with that or not. The shelter gave me some of his used litter and a favorite toy - so far no interest in either one.... My resident kitty, Emmy, is not super happy, but that is to be expected, I guess? Of course, I haven't let them meet. My question is, is it normal for Prince to be a little clingy at this stage?

Thanks!

 

[mservant]

Every cat has their own personality and some will seek human company more than others, either for play or reassurance.  It will probably be useful for you to watch Prince's non verbal / body language to figure out if he wishes company and play or if he is looking anxious.  It may well be that he is seeking company and keen to interact with you after leaving the shelter, but equally he could be anxious and wanting security of your presence because of scents he is unfamiliar with and the indication of another cat being in the space he has moved in to.  He may just follow you while he settles in, or he could be like Mouse who follows me about for days on end liking company, and wanting to know what his human is up to in case he misses something important!

 

[manemelissa]

I'd just give Prince some time.  How long has he been with you?  When my brother got his cat, she hid under his bed for a day, only creeping out to chow down food and then run back under.  She didn't even want to use the litter box the first day and let's just say he had to clean a LOT under his bed.  It doesn't sound like he's frightened that much though, so hopefully he will just slowly begin to show interest.  I actually think it's good that he's a little clingy to you; he must trust you.  And some cats aren't really into toys.  My cat Belle loves toys, but my brother's cat Sassy only liked a few toys over the years and was VERY picky.

 

[mservant]

I hope there's been some litter action and you are seeing how your guy is settling in.  Also how Emmy is taking it.

If he hasn't taken to the litter yet, has Prince got choices of location and type of litter or just the one you got to bring home with him?

 

[gengen10]

Okay, well, this is a sad update:  Prince is pretty obviously sick.  I don't think he's on death's door or anything, but he seems to be manifesting signs of feline herpes, along with some weirdness going on with his mouth.  If it were just him, it would be different, but it's not fair to expose Emmy to getting sick.  I'm going to have to take him back to the shelter

 

[mservant]

Really sorry to hear that: hard on Prince and very hard decision to make.

It is good you have kept them seperated until now, and if you do take Prince back make sure everything that he has had contact with, and the room, are thoroughly cleaned to make sure you continue to protect Emmy.  Have you had Prince along at a vets?  Is it worth doing this before reaching a final decision, or asking to see the vet at the shelter?  I understand your reservations introducing Emmy to FHV given another thread I am posting in currently, but many cats are already carriers of FHV but show no symptoms, and it could also be that young Prince has a URI and perhaps teething related gingivitis if he is around 7 or 8 months of age?  (Mouse did have oral sores and infections that were later determined to almost certainly have been FHV related however, so caution is always good).

 

[gengen10]

Well, the people at the shelter didn't think he looked sick at all, but they said that they would have the shelter vet look at him on tuesday, and then they would call me with the results.  I feel really silly for being so paranoid; it's just that when I was younger I had a cat with a really bad case of herpes - like, he would manifest signs at even the most minimally stressful event, and I ended up spending hundreds of dollars figuring out what was wrong with him and treating his flare-ups.  I know that most cats carry it - if Emmy is carrying it, you'd certainly never know, but I stand by my reservations about bringing an immune-compromised cat into the house.  

Now, I've just got to figure out what to do if the vet says that Prince is fine.  Emmy was very unhappy about having a strange cat in her house (although she never actually met him, having me smell like "him" made her very upset).  She's been drinking a lot since he's been gone - I don't know if that means she was refusing to drink while he was here, or whether its just coincidence.  Now, I only had him for 24 hours, and logically there's no real reason to think Emmy couldn't adjust, but the stress of the situation is making me re-evaluate everything........

 

[mservant]

I'm sorry it has ended up being so stressful for you all. I do not think you are wrong, or paranoid to be concerned about a new cat being sick, or any possible risks for Emmy, these things are important to be aware of.   How old is Emmy?  I could be a coincidence that she is thirsty, or like you say maybe didn't drink, or eat quite so much while Prince was in the house.  It is worth keeping a close eye on her in case there is something else going on for her:  if she continues to drink more or any other changes like her weight become apparent chat to your vet and maybe take her along for a check up.

 

[gengen10]

if her change in eating/drinking habits was due to the new kitten, could that become a bigger problem when/if the kitten comes back?  Like, how likely is it that she could hurt herself out of stress?  She's three, and other than being a little overweight, she's healthy as a horse.  

 

[mservant]

I would be more worried if Emmy was an older cat, say over 10.

Having said that I have not yet attempted introducing cats in my home and I would be anxious and looking for advice from my vet and from this site I suspect, just like you are!  I am currently thinking about taking in a slightly older cat, and like you, my main concern is the impact on Mouse as my resident (soon to be 3 year old) cat.  He is my main responsibility and if I decide to try this other cat in our space, if he did not settle and appeared unhappy after introductions were gone through then the additional cat would be returned.  

If Emmy is 3 years old I think there should be a good chance of safely introducing them and guaging how things go in terms of their behaviour around / towards each other.  I am sure Emmy will give both you and the kitten some clear messages if she does not like her space being shared following a gradual introduction but give it time to settle.  If your kitten has been unwell this could also have influenced her previous reactions as she would be able to sense and smell things that we as humans would not: if the kitten does return for another trial Emmy may or may not respond in the same way.