Terrified Kitten

[Meekie]

If you rotate several brands for her, you can avoid some complications of manufacturer recipe changes that then the cat doesn't like, supply chain issues and other similar problems.

That's a great idea.

I pet her about an hour ago, just a few strokes on her cheek. After I withdrew my hand she hissed at me, but it was a quiet, lackluster hiss so I think that's good.

 

[Joelle and the kittens]

But what I want from cat food is the inclusion of vegetables because in the wild predators often eat herbivores and I believe it's that way because they benefit from it.

Companies include vegetables in cat food strictly as a cheap filler/marketing gimmick, NOT for any nutritional benefit -- adding vegetables actually lowers the quality of the food since it just reduces the proportion of protein and fat. In fact, feral cats naturally select prey that have the lowest carbohydrate content because they physiologically do not need and cannot process higher levels of carbs, to the extent that only 2% of their energy intake is N-free extract (not fat or protein). This is part of why dry food is considered non-ideal: it contains 17.2 g/megajoule metabolizable energy from NFEs while the feral cat diet includes just 1.6 g/MJ ME.

 

[Furballsmom]

but it was a quiet, lackluster hiss

Bless her little heart , and YOURS!

 

[Silver Crazy]

Oh wow. I fed Temptations for years. Both Aniki and Rico died of kidney disease. Money always causes problems. We're trained by capitalism to believe that if it costs more, it's better. But what I want from cat food is the inclusion of vegetables because in the wild predators often eat herbivores and I believe it's that way because they benefit from it. I eat a plant based diet and am in great health,

Plus, the food she's eating is very chunky. Large chunks. Whole shrimp. It's supposed to be for kittens. Maybe a pate would be easier for her to eat.



I feel better about offering Fancy Feast now. But I'd like to have her eating a higher quality kibble, I used to feed Max Cat.

I assume she's about 4 months.


Like I said to tarasgirl06, I like that they are getting some veggies. True cats only eat meat, but the animals they eat generally eat veggies. I also like the lack of chemicals and grains in some premium foods. I just want her to eat.



Sure.
View attachment 415963View attachment 415964View attachment 415965

Hey Meekie..I would guess an F8 onward. Lovely looking cat.
If what I am reading is correct after 24 hours its going quite well.
I would be keeping up a continual stream of talking to her but dont touch or try and pet to much yet. Some Bengals do like their personal space and will come to you when they want to, other will be all over you..depends on the cat, just like normal cats.
Verbal communication with Bengals is just as significant as petting, and as they are very intelligent they pick up on your toning of voice and what it means very quickly.
Also they pick up on your mood and attitudes instantly so best to absolutely exude confidence when you around her and she will reflect that confidence. You will find she will watch your face from a distance really intently like no other cat you have ever seen (Bengal thing) because they are so tuned into your expressions and looking for clues on your attitudes and moods. Give her slow eye blinks or a quick verbal acknowledgment and you will bond with her quite quickly.

Otherwise they are just like a normal cat with some quirks and just do things normal cats do, but just do it a 100% more.
Play is the key to their hearts and keeping them active keeps them out of mischief and healthy.
With diet cats are the ultimate carnivores and Bengals being close to their wild cousins more so, so meat in their diet, chicken necks for treats for tourine and keeping their teeth clean, chicken giblets for all the right vitamins etc: I feed mine mostly raw but that is all up to you but mine is an F5 very high energy and muscle packed so have to be a lot stricter in his diet, plenty of raw recipes on this site but good quality wet food will be good enough.
Hope this helps and anymore questions for when she has come out of her skin and full of play and nonsense can PM me or get me sometime on site.

 

[Sarthur2]

Cats are carnivores, so need meat. She’s beautiful!

 

[Meekie]

Companies include vegetables in cat food strictly as a cheap filler/marketing gimmick, NOT for any nutritional benefit -- adding vegetables actually lowers the quality of the food since it just reduces the proportion of protein and fat. In fact, feral cats naturally select prey that have the lowest carbohydrate content because they physiologically do not need and cannot process higher levels of carbs, to the extent that only 2% of their energy intake is N-free extract (not fat or protein). This is part of why dry food is considered non-ideal: it contains 17.2 g/megajoule metabolizable energy from NFEs while the feral cat diet includes just 1.6 g/MJ ME.

That's very interesting. I would he happy if I didn't have to serve dry food.

Hey Meekie..I would guess an F8 onward. Lovely looking cat.
If what I am reading is correct after 24 hours its going quite well.
I would be keeping up a continual stream of talking to her but dont touch or try and pet to much yet. Some Bengals do like their personal space and will come to you when they want to, other will be all over you..depends on the cat, just like normal cats.
Verbal communication with Bengals is just as significant as petting, and as they are very intelligent they pick up on your toning of voice and what it means very quickly.
Also they pick up on your mood and attitudes instantly so best to absolutely exude confidence when you around her and she will reflect that confidence. You will find she will watch your face from a distance really intently like no other cat you have ever seen (Bengal thing) because they are so tuned into your expressions and looking for clues on your attitudes and moods. Give her slow eye blinks or a quick verbal acknowledgment and you will bond with her quite quickly.

Otherwise they are just like a normal cat with some quirks and just do things normal cats do, but just do it a 100% more.
Play is the key to their hearts and keeping them active keeps them out of mischief and healthy.
With diet cats are the ultimate carnivores and Bengals being close to their wild cousins more so, so meat in their diet, chicken necks for treats for tourine and keeping their teeth clean, chicken giblets for all the right vitamins etc: I feed mine mostly raw but that is all up to you but mine is an F5 very high energy and muscle packed so have to be a lot stricter in his diet, plenty of raw recipes on this site but good quality wet food will be good enough.
Hope this helps and anymore questions for when she has come out of her skin and full of play and nonsense can PM me or get me sometime on site.

I am very verbal with my cats. I think all breeds, as well as dogs like it when you talk to them.

Tiny increments of progress continue. Last night I heard her playing. Of course she stopped when I entered the room, but I did scrunch up a few foil balls and tossed them around. She looked like she wanted to give chase but was too scared.

She no longer keeps her eyes locked on me whenever I look at her (and yes, I do blink and look away from time to time). She now has the confidence to look away. I even got a couple of low blinks returned. Her whole expression seems much more relaxed. Once after visiting with her I went to leave the room and turned back for a second before I opened the door. She had come out of her hiding place and was cautiously looking at me.

It occurs to me now that I haven't heard her meow yet.

I do have a problem with bringing raw meat into the house, but I still would like her to have special treats. The bones in the chicken neck pose no threat to her?

I do have a few questions, but they mainly concern kitten/Bengal proofing. That's a while off, although if we continue to make progress it could be a little sooner than I planned.

She did not eat the Fancy Feast mixture last night. Not a bite. But she did finish her dry food, so at least she's eating. With a little trial and error I will hopefully be able to get her on the wet food. I don't want her to get dehydrated. Still can't tell how much water she is drinking. I have water in a cat dish and a human glass for her. She had a fountain but never approached it.

I took yesterday off to be with her but today I am working and she'll be alone. Curious how she will react to me when I get home.

It will be nice to come home knowing there's a cat in the house again!

 

[tarasgirl06]

That's very interesting. I would he happy if I didn't have to serve dry food.


I am very verbal with my cats. I think all breeds, as well as dogs like it when you talk to them.

Tiny increments of progress continue. Last night I heard her playing. Of course she stopped when I entered the room, but I did scrunch up a few foil balls and tossed them around. She looked like she wanted to give chase but was too scared.

She no longer keeps her eyes locked on me whenever I look at her (and yes, I do blink and look away from time to time). She now has the confidence to look away. I even got a couple of low blinks returned. Her whole expression seems much more relaxed. Once after visiting with her I went to leave the room and turned back for a second before I opened the door. She had come out of her hiding place and was cautiously looking at me.

It occurs to me now that I haven't heard her meow yet.

I do have a problem with bringing raw meat into the house, but I still would like her to have special treats. The bones in the chicken neck pose no threat to her?

I do have a few questions, but they mainly concern kitten/Bengal proofing. That's a while off, although if we continue to make progress it could be a little sooner than I planned.

She did not eat the Fancy Feast mixture last night. Not a bite. But she did finish her dry food, so at least she's eating. With a little trial and error I will hopefully be able to get her on the wet food. I don't want her to get dehydrated. Still can't tell how much water she is drinking. I have water in a cat dish and a human glass for her. She had a fountain but never approached it.

I took yesterday off to be with her but today I am working and she'll be alone. Curious how she will react to me when I get home.

It will be nice to come home knowing there's a cat in the house again!

Wet food contains a good amount of moisture, so if she's eating wet food well, not to worry. Cats in their natural habitat don't drink much water -- they get their moisture from their prey.
And on the food, as I said, almost everyone, from vets to cat guardians, has his or her opinion based on which "facts" they choose. That doesn't make them authorities. Just sayin.'

 

[Furballsmom]

She had come out of her hiding place and was cautiously looking at me.

Oh my goodness, wow!

Would she eat moistened kibble? This shouldn't be left out for very long since the bacterial growth can be faster than with canned food.

Maybe keep the fountain going, she might come around to using it later but the glass is a good idea

This article is helpful, however for her you may find you need to use museum glue on the underside of breakables on shelves, and to expand on Tip #11 surfaces might just need to be mostly cleared of things that you don't want having unexpected meetings with a hard floor.

Kitten Proofing Your Home: 13 Practical Tips – TheCatSite Articles

 

[Meekie]

Wet food contains a good amount of moisture, so if she's eating wet food well, not to worry. Cats in their natural habitat don't drink much water -- they get their moisture from their prey.
And on the food, as I said, almost everyone, from vets to cat guardians, has his or her opinion based on which "facts" they choose. That doesn't make them authorities. Just sayin.'

I've heard people say they fed their cat supermarket brands and they lived to 18. I guess the brand of food given is less important than I thought in terms of health and longevity.

Oh my goodness, wow!

Would she eat moistened kibble? This shouldn't be left out for very long since the bacterial growth can be faster than with canned food.

Maybe keep the fountain going, she might come around to using it later but the glass is a good idea

This article is helpful, however for her you may find you need to use museum glue on the underside of breakables on shelves, and to expand on Tip #11 surfaces might just need to be mostly cleared of things that you don't want having unexpected meetings with a hard floor.

Kitten Proofing Your Home: 13 Practical Tips – TheCatSite Articles

She ate all her food today! I gave her a full can plus a very small dish of Fancy Feast. It didn't work last night when I mixed them. She nibbled on some of the Fancy Feast but devoured the N&D.

Heard her all night last night, playing. In the morning I peeked in and she was sitting in the window. Things seem to be going well. Whenever I go in and out of that room, she shows interest in what's beyond. Perhaps I will be able to let her out sooner than I thought but I still have a lot of kitten proofing to do.

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[tarasgirl06]

I've heard people say they fed their cat supermarket brands and they lived to 18. I guess the brand of food given is less important than I thought in terms of health and longevity.



She ate all her food today! I gave her a full can plus a very small dish of Fancy Feast. It didn't work last night when I mixed them. She nibbled on some of the Fancy Feast but devoured the N&D.

Heard her all night last night, playing. In the morning I peeked in and she was sitting in the window. Things seem to be going well. Whenever I go in and out of that room, she shows interest in what's beyond. Perhaps I will be able to let her out sooner than I thought but I still have a lot of kitten proofing to do.

To your first comment, I can't give an answer. My ex ate one of the worst diets I've ever known of, and was basically quite healthy, last I heard. But I wouldn't encourage anyone, of any species, to eat what is tantamount to "junk food." I think it's important to eat good quality food. But in our present 2022 world, that is easier said than done. I would buy the best quality food I can afford -- and I do -- making sure that all of the necessary nutrients and vitamins are in it. That is one important reason why I would never do raw or homemade feline diets. That's just my decision, though. There are a lot of wonderful cat guardians here at TCS and if you asked 10 of them, you're likely to get 10 different answers as to what they think is a good feline diet. Same with vets, who are humans as well, and do not have the definitive answer as to what the best diet is. But cats are obligate carnivores, requiring more meat than, say, dogs, which are omnivores. They need taurine and other nutrients that are found in commercially produced foods. For us, the Blue Buffalo and Soulistic are good foods. In the past, I've also fed Nutro Max Cat, Natural Balance, Merrick, which I did not think was a good quality food, ProPlan, Royal Canin feline, and a few others. These are what I've ended up thinking are the best for us.

 

[Meekie]

To your first comment, I can't give an answer. My ex ate one of the worst diets I've ever known of, and was basically quite healthy, last I heard. But I wouldn't encourage anyone, of any species, to eat what is tantamount to "junk food." I think it's important to eat good quality food. But in our present 2022 world, that is easier said than done. I would buy the best quality food I can afford -- and I do -- making sure that all of the necessary nutrients and vitamins are in it. That is one important reason why I would never do raw or homemade feline diets. That's just my decision, though. There are a lot of wonderful cat guardians here at TCS and if you asked 10 of them, you're likely to get 10 different answers as to what they think is a good feline diet. Same with vets, who are humans as well, and do not have the definitive answer as to what the best diet is. But cats are obligate carnivores, requiring more meat than, say, dogs, which are omnivores. They need taurine and other nutrients that are found in commercially produced foods. For us, the Blue Buffalo and Soulistic are good foods. In the past, I've also fed Nutro Max Cat, Natural Balance, Merrick, which I did not think was a good quality food, ProPlan, Royal Canin feline, and a few others. These are what I've ended up thinking are the best for us.

I trust your judgement and will take note of the brands you mentioned. Aniki did well on Science Diet K/D. I liked Furballsmom's idea of rotating several brands in case of supply chain issues (which could possibly get worse since the world is so unstable now). I'd just have to make sure I don't upset Maple's tummy.
She's giving me relaxed eyes now instead of that deer-in-headlights stare. She ate half of her dinner already. Think I will go in and see if I can get her to play.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I trust your judgement and will take note of the brands you mentioned. Aniki did well on Science Diet K/D. I liked Furballsmom's idea of rotating several brands in case of supply chain issues (which could possibly get worse since the world is so unstable now). I'd just have to make sure I don't upset Maple's tummy.
She's giving me relaxed eyes now instead of that deer-in-headlights stare. She ate half of her dinner already. Think I will go in and see if I can get her to play.

I don't recommend anyone else do as I do; I'm no authority and my cats are 17 and 14. I only list the foods so you'll know what I feed and that, for us, it seems to be a good choice. I do make sure that they have a wide variety because that is what they like; and if something is unavailable, other things can substitute. I always feed a poultry or meat choice for brunch and a fish or chicken & fish choice for dinner.

 

[Meekie]

Just using it as a vague guideline. She'll end up eating whatever her and I agree on. Right now she's eating the N&D so I'll stick with that, especially since I have 2 more cases of it.

 

[Meekie]

Maple is now showing a little more than curiosity at the world beyond the door to her room: she sometimes practically rushes me at the door. I have to sneak in, sometimes on all fours because it's impossible to block a cat that size from sneaking out with just your feet.

She doesn't seem to be as interested in getting to know me as I am of her. When I go in to visit her she usually retreats to a hiding spot after a minute, as if she is sizing me up and then deciding "Uh uh. No."

Am I reading too much into this? She's only been here two and a half days.

I got her to play with me a little bit last night, but I think I made a misstep: I was too aggressive with her wand toy and may have frightened her with it. At one point she backed away and while staring at it (I laid it down on the floor after I realized she may have been frightened) began to make noises that were somewhere between a chirp and a bark. Never heard a cat make these sound before. I assume it's a Bengal thing?

I hope I'm just being impatient. While it's still a ways off, shouldn't we bond before I let her out of the room?

On the bright side, I am getting blinks from her and her eyes are somewhat soft when we make eye contact. Plus her appetite continues to improve. She ate all her dinner by ten PM last night and rather than leave her in there all night without wet food, I gave her an extra can. It was gone this morning. She's already halfway through her breakfast.

 

[Furballsmom]

While it's still a ways off, shouldn't we bond before I let her out of the room?

Well, yes to a degree anyway, since it could make things a little easier if you find that you need to approach her/pick her up to remove her from a situation or a counter. However if she bolts out earlier than you intended, don't be alarmed, and let her explore a bit. Then see if she'll let you put her back in her room

Probably not a misstep. Your attention to her feelings and subsequent reaction by putting the wand toy down sound like you're right on point. At 2.5 days in, you and she are at an amazingly positive stage of things.

 

[Meekie]

Well, yes to a degree anyway, since it could make things a little easier if you find that you need to approach her/pick her up to remove her from a situation or a counter. However if she bolts out earlier than you intended, don't be alarmed, and let her explore a bit. Then see if she'll let you put her back in her room

Probably not a misstep. Your attention to her feelings and subsequent reaction by putting the wand toy down sound like you're right on point. At 2.5 days in, you and she are at an amazingly positive stage of things.

I hope so. I have no frame of reference for this because of all the cats that I've had, none have been so shy and fearful. A lot of the time she still runs to her hiding spot when I come in the room, this tells me she's not ready. Because of this, I do NOT want her out of the room. If I have to chase her back in it will impede the progress I'm making with her, although I suspect if she were to get out she'd eventually go back in on her own since she feels more secure in that room. Plus, that's where the food is! It's bad enough I have to give her oral medication in a couple of days: that will set things back. She does give me a very relaxed look, which I've seen in all the cats with whom I've had a close relationship with, so there's that.

Got some more pictures which I'll post later.

 

[Furballsmom]

How are things going?

 

[Meekie]

How are things going?

Things are going well. I accidentally frightened her yesterday, so we're still working on that. But before that, I had her playing nice and fiercely. She's eating three cans a day plus a little dry. Two episodes of peeing outside the box yesterday but nothing today.

She's still sizing me up, I guess. She'll trust me to walk by her when she's lounging on her chair, but any sudden movements and *Poof* she's gone. I'm off for the weekend so I'm going to be able to spend a whole lot of time with her.

I've been getting meows. Chirpy, bark-like cat sounds. She's fascinating. And, as you can see, she loves the camera.

 

[Furballsmom]

Chirpy, bark-like cat sounds. She's fascinating. And, as you can see, she loves the camera.

What a darling little cat, I'm so glad she has you!