New 5month old kitten is so scared of us and hides

[alimh]

Hi,
Me and my girlfriend decided to get a kitten and we got a silver 5 months old girl persian chinchilla from a breeder.
When we where there the cat was scared and shaking but her sister was so active and happy.
My girlfriend decided this one is cuter .
We got her and eversince sunday that she came home with us she has been hiding and not eating . Whenever we take her up for feeding or petting (2-3 times a day) she gets shivers and has increased heartbeat.
We got her to the vet and she checked her up and said nothing is wrong with her but she told us if the cat continues not eating her food we should bring her in again soon.
After that she gave us some high calory and protein food and we have been feeding her with a syringe. Its hard to open her mouth but when the food gets into her mouth she eats it desirably. She doesnt drink or eat , she is always scared . And lately she is escaping when we want to catch her or pet her.
We are so worried and confused! What do you suggest?

 

[alimh]

A pic of her hiding in the corner.View media item 379551

 

[Primula]

Try to put yourself in her place & you will realize why she is so scared. Is there any chance you can get her sister? Imagine if you were suddenly yanked from someone you love.

Feeding her with a syringe is terrifying for her. Personally, I would never do this.

Leave her be & let her move at her own pace. Leave kibble out for her 24/7 and a little wet food 3 times a day. Remove the wet food if she won't eat it as it goes off in the dish. Always nice clean water & a clean litter box. She will eventually eat I am sure of it.

These things take time. My last cat hid under the bed for a week when I first brought her home. She is still nervous, but so happy living with me.

 

[alimh]

Try to put yourself in her place & you will realize why she is so scared. Is there any chance you can get her sister? Imagine if you were suddenly yanked from someone you love.

Feeding her with a syringe is terrifying for her. Personally, I would never do this.

Leave her be & let her move at her own pace. Leave kibble out for her 24/7 and a little wet food 3 times a day. Remove the wet food if she won't eat it as it goes off in the dish. Always nice clean water & a clean litter box. She will eventually eat I am sure of it.

These things take time. My last cat hid under the bed for a week when I first brought her home. She is still nervous, but so happy living with me.

Thank you for your answer i really appreciate it. The vet suggested to feed her with syringes we really dont like doing it but we are scared she might get dehydrated or doesnt get enough food. So you suggest that we let her be and she will eat or drink when she needs to?

 

[mani]

Hi @alimh and welcome to TCS!

What a sweet little girl! 

It does make sense to feed her, especially since the vet suggested it and since, as you said, she takes it willingly.  Some animals, including humans, can go without food for a while, but not cats.  Fasting is bad for them.

The poor little thing has been taken away from all she knows and it will take some time for her to realise she's in a great place with loving people.   You may find this article useful: [article="0"]Bringing Home A New Cat​[/article]  

Also it's good to just be with her without demanding anything from her.  Just sit nearby.  Some people read to their cats.. it gets them used to your voice and it can be soothing.

Keep asking any questions and please do keep letting us know how she's doing.

 

[Primula]

Thank you for your answer i really appreciate it. The vet suggested to feed her with syringes we really dont like doing it but we are scared she might get dehydrated or doesnt get enough food. So you suggest that we let her be and she will eat or drink when she needs to?

Everyone will tell you something different. I personally would not use the syringe. She will be more frightened than ever. I believe she will eventually eat - I would guess when she knows for sure you guys are out of the house or asleep. On the other hand, you have to listen to your vet.

How is she doing with the litter box?

Do you have a photo & what is her name?

 

[alimh]

Everyone will tell you something different. I personally would not use the syringe. She will be more frightened than ever. I believe she will eventually eat - I would guess when she knows for sure you guys are out of the house or asleep. On the other hand, you have to listen to your vet.

How is she doing with the litter box?

Do you have a photo & what is her name?

She started using the litterbox yesterday for the first time and we were so happy about it , she has used it once more eversince
We decided to name her dutchess (we both love aristocatsand she also looks so elegant)
Here is a picture for you
View media item 379563

 

[Primula]

Excellent that she is using her box & that she is not scared to do so. She should urinate & poop every day - at least when she eats. Don't put the box near her food & put it in a quiet spot since cats need their privacy! I think if she can roam around during the night without fear of you guys disturbing her I think you will find that she will eat.

From the photo she looks fine. Keep in touch with us!

 

[alimh]

Excellent that she is using her box & that she is not scared to do so. She should urinate & poop every day - at least when she eats. Don't put the box near her food & put it in a quiet spot since cats need their privacy! I think if she can roam around during the night without fear of you guys disturbing her I think you will find that she will eat.

From the photo she looks fine. Keep in touch with us!

She roams around at nights i saw her on midnight moving like shadow so smooth .
Thanks i'll be in touch if anything comes up, what a nice forum with very nice people.

 

[Primula]

We are nice! Do come back & we'll help with anything you need. Good luck!

 

[GoldyCat]

Is Dutchess eating on her own now so you don't have to continue the syringe feeding? I hope the vet at least showed you the proper way to syringe feed to make it less traumatic for your kitty.

She's adorable. I have to say she doesn't look all that scared in the pictures. A little shy maybe, but not terrified. Her eyes are wide open and she's not curled up into a tiny ball. I have one cat who gets scared easily. She runs into a corner in the closet, curls up and hides her head. Of course, every cat reacts differently. Is Dutchess getting more comfortable with you?

 

[alimh]

AW

Is Dutchess eating on her own now so you don't have to continue the syringe feeding? I hope the vet at least showed you the proper way to syringe feed to make it less traumatic for your kitty.

She's adorable. I have to say she doesn't look all that scared in the pictures. A little shy maybe, but not terrified. Her eyes are wide open and she's not curled up into a tiny ball. I have one cat who gets scared easily. She runs into a corner in the closet, curls up and hides her head. Of course, every cat reacts differently. Is Dutchess getting more comfortable with you?

We decided to let her be for a day since last night , i placed four treats near the place she hides and this morning one was gone .
Right now she is under the tv table and watching us all the time.
I placed some treats there aswell which she hasnt touched yet
A pic of her right now:

 

[Primula]

She won't take the treats because you are watching her. I'm sure she will be fine as time goes by. Be patient.

 

[ilovemyjojo]

Aww, she's cute! As long as you feed her and show her lots of love, she should be just fine. I got my kitten JoJo when she was only 3 mos old. She also hid alot, mostly behind my couch. I would find her, pick her up and show her alot of affection, then put her back down and let her be. After about a week, she knew not to be afraid of me. Now after 4 months, she's the one that will search & find me to show me love & affection. It's a great reciprocation. 

 

[alimh]

Aww, she's cute! As long as you feed her and show her lots of love, she should be just fine. I got my kitten JoJo when she was only 3 mos old. She also hid alot, mostly behind my couch. I would find her, pick her up and show her alot of affection, then put her back down and let her be. After about a week, she knew not to be afraid of me. Now after 4 months, she's the one that will search & find me to show me love & affection. It's a great reciprocation. :heart3: :high5: :heart3:

She seems a lot more relaxed right now and she eats and drinks while we're away. But still hides and avoids us not as harsh as before though.
We just tried to give her a hug and love and placed her at the same place she was afterwards. She seemed to not hate it and that is a big step. Thank you for the suggestion

 

[Primula]

You are doing a great job!

 

[catlover73]

I agree that you are making progress.  Is there a specific room or place she tends hide?  If there is you can try sitting on the floor near her hiding spot and reading a book to her or watching tv.  Just sit there but don't try to interact with her during this time.  The idea behind this is to just let Duchess get used to your voice and your presence.  I believe that sitting on the floor at her level and just letting her do what she wants would go a long way towards making Duchess feel more comfortable.  You can also put some some extra food and water really close to where she is hiding.  One of my friends used to take in and socialize young feral mom's and their babies.  She would spend a lot of time sitting in the room on the floor and reading a book to everyone.  She noticed that if she sat still around them and ignored them until they were ready for contact that they accepted her much faster.  When she would put food and water in the room she would leave the area to give them space to feel secure enough to eat.  I would sometimes help her socialize the kittens once they were weaned from mom.  She would get the mom's fixed and adopt them out once the kittens were old enough to be on their own.  I used to help her socialize the kittens.  I would lay on the floor in their room and read a book or just watch tv.  I let the kittens decide when they were ready to interact with me.  It really did not take long for them to climb on me because they were curious.  She adopted out many kittens too.  I have one of her former fosters.  He was returned to her toward the end of kitten hood.  I adopted Sonny to honor my Claude when he passed away in 2010.  You would never know Sonny was born to a feral mother.  He is a great cat and gives us lots of love.  He also visits our company when we have people over/  Sonny was one the kittens I helped socialize.