New kitty

[kittycatfifi]

Hi guys,
I’m a first time cat owner and was given a 10 week old kitten from a friend who couldn’t afford to look after the new litter. I haven’t been sleeping in my room as my bed frame is extremely unstable and do not want to hurt the kitty. However I do spend a lot of time sitting with her just in my room.

Day 1 : When she got home she was soo scared, we had food, water, kitten milk and her litter tray nearby in the same room. However she dashed under the bed and was there for the whole day. She was eating but not infront of me during the night and also used her litter tray.

Day 2 : Still the same being very frightened and she was scared, she did move around a lot under the bed. Not much different then day 1 just a bit more confident exploring. I sat with her for an hour and she did eat infront of me. She continues to meow throughout the night

Day 3 (today) : She was so much more confident today, she was able to walk around more ; she began climbing things and was sat in my windowsill watching cars. But she did use her little tray infront of me and also ate whilst I was quite close. She still meows during the night but not as much and it is a lot quieter. I was chilling with her (ignoring her doing my work) and she was quite comfortable , however she doesn’t allow me to touch or pet her. I threw a ball which has a bell inside at her and she did sniff and touch it but still was a bit startled.

Any advice? And is the No touching normal? I’m a first time cat mum and I’m just a bit confused and scared for my new kitty , but also I’m patiently waiting for her to become comfortable with me. From what I’ve seen online throughout my research is that you shouldn’t initiate much and let the cat do everything. Any tips would be appreciated and also just want to know if everything going on is completely normal and how long ur cats took to get used to you

 

[heatherwillard0614]

Can you take the frame of the bed out for now and put the bed on the floor? This way the kitten won't be going under the bed to hide (you want to block all unders trying to get her confidence and comfortability up) and you would be able to sleep in the room with the kitten. Kitten needs things like scratchers, cat tree, bed... beds like this are great for the kitten to go into to "hide" but then as time goes on you can scrunch it a little until the kitten is at the opening and comfortable not hiding

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005GSEUE8/?tag=thecatsite

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QVNNV4N/?tag=thecatsite

Also beds like these are good too

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Q7VP6YB/?tag=thecatsite

These beds, scratchers, cat tree, all of these things will be the kittens scent soaker. Her smelling herself around the room will make her more comfortable/confident

Idk if you would be interested but if your friend has any more kittens I would get another one. You might think it's twice as much work, but it isn't. They will play together keeping each other company. This will also help with the transition to your home go easier if she has a sibling with her. She is only 10 weeks old she was taken away from her momma and brothers and sisters. She Is bound to be whiney especially at night when you're not with her

Playing with her you will have to figure out what kind of toys she is interested in weather it be wand toys with a string, wand toys with a worm or feather, little mice that rattle or the little mice that just have fluff in them (these were my girls favorite she would not play with balls with bells or anything hard at all)

Since she is 10 weeks and all alone now it will take a lot of your time and effort to make her feel comfortable. Try to offer her treats if she comes out of her hidey hole spots. Get down on the floor at her level and give her slow blinks talk in a sweet calm voice to her etc..

I hope some of these things help please keep us posted on her progress

 

[susanm9006]

I think you are handling your new and scared kitten very well. Yes, her not wanting to be touched is totally normal and temporary at this point. She is just checking out you and her environment to figure out if it is safe and pots almost guaranteed that she will warm up and start to appreciate your company soon. One thing you can do is to sit or lay on the floor in whatever room she is in while you talk to her and play with a few of her toys, gently tossing or rolling them. It will get her interested in playing with them/you and you are also less scary when you are closer to her size. Once she is coming nearer and seems to want to interact you can slowly hold out a hand for her to sniff. You can also offer her a treat like a Churu stick to lap so she associates you will good things.

As long as cat or kitten are hiding in a safe place I am fine with letting them hide wherever they feel comfortable. My Willow, adopted as a one year, spent weeks hiding inside my sofa all day long.

 

[kittycatfifi]

Thankyou so much🥲I was getting so scared that I was doing something wrong but now I’ve tried moving the food bowls closer and closer and she is slowly coming out. How long do you think this usually happens for ?

 

[Neko-chan's mama]

Play is a great way to increase confidence in cat, but you might need different toys. Those jingle balls never did anything for any cat I've known, I don't even know why they sell them. You may need to experiment to find what she likes, but wand toys are great, so are little mice. Kittens aren't affected by cat nip, so wait on that until about 6months.

 

[kittycatfifi]

If you could take a lot at my new thread and help give me some advice I’m really struggling rn in options

Mod note: See Mum Allergic to Kitten. Advice?

 

[susanm9006]

Thankyou so much🥲I was getting so scared that I was doing something wrong but now I’ve tried moving the food bowls closer and closer and she is slowly coming out. How long do you think this usually happens for ?

It really depends on the cat’s personality, their age, and their past experience with humans. It could be just a few days or it could be a couple weeks.