Re: help with my kitty :(
i have never had a kitten do that to me??? so i dont really know if it is normal??? hopefully someone else can help u out with this one?
Re: help with my kitty :(
i mean i know he's scared and everything, he's 4 1/2 months old so he was really used to his foster home i guess. but the lady there had him closed in another room when we got there to see him, i guess because she has pets and didnt want him to get used to it like he was staying there? i'm not bad with animals, either! i have 2 yorkipoos at my parents house. i dont get whats wrong with him!
Re: help with my kitty :(
I think your kitty is sick hon. That's what happens when they aren't feeling well. You need to get him out of there and take him to the vet ASAP! Cats body temp is naturally higher than ours and he may be running a bad fever, which is dehydrating him, so he's drinking the water but can't eat. Whatever you have to do, get him out and take him to the vet. They will help him!
At least this is my experience and I am not qualified by any means to give vet advice...
Re: help with my kitty :(
he couldn't just be scared/getting used to it? the lady i got him from has 3 cats of her own and has fostered a ton of litters, my mom found her through our vet for our dogs (she goes to the same one). i just got him friday and he was fine then, at least he let her hold him and my mom hold him, and she didn't say anything about him being sick.
now i'm scared :( the vet is almost an hour away and i have classes all day tomorrow.
Re: help with my kitty :(
Well you said it has only been a few days. It just may take some time for kitty to get used to his new environment. Maybe make a call to the vet and tell them what's going on and get their professional opinon about it. I am sure he's okay and just try to adjust. Let us know how it goes though!
Re: help with my kitty :(
I didn't mean to scare you. He's probably just fine. Take him to the vet on Wednesday if he doesn't come out. Plus, you don't have to take him to your specific vet. Find one that's closer or an animal hospital. If he isn't eating at all.....
Oh, try and get him dry kitten Iams. Its more expensive but most cats seem to like it.
Re: help with my kitty :(
ok, i'll call the vet tomorrow. i'm just worried because i dont know much about cats, i have dogs at my parents house! i'm scared too because even though everyone told me he'll come out when he's hungry and he won't starve himself, my mom's friend;s husband made her give her cats up and when she put them in the animal shelter, one got depressed and wouldnt eat.
maybe i'm just being paranoid... :-\
thanks for the advice :)
Re: help with my kitty :(
When I first adopted my baby, she hid under my bed for four days. I know she ate and drank while I was gone, but she was a ghost for that time. Could be she's just acclimating.
Re: help with my kitty :(
I'm sure your kitty's fine. Some cats tend to freak out when they're put in different environments. My cat Jasmine that I've had for 2 years stayed under the bed for a week when I moved into my new house! I had to put her food at the foot of the bed and everything. It wouldn't hurt to call a vet though just in case.
Re: help with my kitty :(
my problem is i just dont think he's eating. the water and food bowls are a few feet away from my bed, and he drinks some water. maybe i just cant tell and he's eating a tiny bit of food. :-\
is there anything i can do to try and coax him out? or did you guys' cats just come out on their own when they were ready?
Re: help with my kitty :(
Well, you said he uses the litter box while you're gone. Is he pooping? That would be a good sign that he's eating (I think..) /:O
Re: help with my kitty :(
She came out when she was ready, pretty much. I couldn't coax her out to save my life. There were even a few times I had to put her food under the bed so she'd eat!
Re: help with my kitty :(
ok, maybe this is really stupid, but i dont *think* so. i have the clumping litter and i'm pretty sure he's just peeing. haha it's retarded that i can't even tell, but i'm pretty sure he's not.
i'll try putting his food under the bed.
Re: help with my kitty :(
If he's not eating it may require a trip to the vet to see if he's sick.
Some cats are wilder than others, which is why its not always the best idea to choose based on cuteness. Touching, petting and such is a better way to pick the friendly cat out of a litter. If he's been in a home for several months where humans never played with him, hes not going to be used to human contact suddenly. At only a few months old, he should still be trainable to be cuddly, but every cat is different and will go at the pace of thier own temperament. If its not illness, and just nervousness, its a good idea to put the food under the bed or near it so that he doesn't have to leave his comfort zone to get what he needs. A scaredy cat wont want to eat while you are hovering around, so some privacy and hours alone will be good for him. Hopefully, over a period of time you can win him over by being consistantly soothing, calm, comforting and not making sudden movements or trying to push yourself on him too soon. He may have just come from a home where no one ever pet him so he needs to learn about love starting from scratch. In that case, the only thing that is going to work is trust which takes time to build.
Re: help with my kitty :(
Quote:
Originally Posted by
britt244
ok, maybe this is really stupid, but i dont *think* so. i have the clumping litter and i'm pretty sure he's just peeing. haha it's retarded that i can't even tell, but i'm pretty sure he's not.
i'll try putting his food under the bed.
I've used that kind of kitty litter, too, and the difference between pee and poop is very easy to see. The urine looks like a clump of plaster, and the stool looks like a turd. Even if it is diarrhea, i still looks like poop with kitty litter stuck to it and mixed in it.
Kittens hide under things when they are scared or ill. A new home could be very stressful to your kitty. Cats are very stoic and can be very sick or in a lot of pain and not show it except by being lethargic or withdrawn. Did this cat let you hold it at the place you adopted it?
When you take him to the vet, be sure to use a carrier, or when you get there he might have burrowed under your back seat.
There is a new kind of gourmet Fancy Feast that our cats loved, but it gave the new catten diarrhea. Catnip is another possible lure. Put some by the bed and rub some on your lap.
Re: help with my kitty :(
Sounds like the little fellow is just young and afraid. I used to have a cat named Tabby that we got from my cousin. She hid under the couch for a week, and that was even with us making an effort to talk to her, coo her, etc. Some cats just take longer. I don't believe there'd be any poop in the box if he's not eating much. If he's only eating tiny amounts a day, he might not poop for a couple days. Friday to Monday isn't very much time. Many times when they're scared they won't eat.
So just talk to your new kitty, make him feel safe, etc. You might want to only go to talk to him near the bed at certain times instead of just constantly bothering him. Many times if you leave a cat alone, they will come out on there own terms to explore. If he does this, don't rush over to say hi or he'll run away. Pretend you don't even notice him, don't stare him down, and just go about your business. He will eventually come to you.If he doesn't come out or even come near the edge of the bed around Wednesday or Thursday, might want to phone the vet and ask what you should do.
Re: help with my kitty :(
I used to be a foster for an animal rescue group and your story sounds familiar. I got a couple kittens once that were feral who behaved very similarly to yours- they always hid because they just weren't used to people. Yours may not even be feral, but if the foster kept him apart and made no effort to socialize with him the result would be the same. To remedy that you gotta bridge the gap while he's still young- if he's still small enough pick the bugger up by the nape of his neck like his mum would and socialize. Pet him or whatever until he relaxes, don't let him go until he does. Every now and then wet the corner of a washcloth and clean him with it in short strokes, again you're imitating mum. You might even get a bottle and some kitty formula* and see if he'd rather have that since you're also worried he's not eating.
About that seperately, only your vet can say if he's not eating much from sickness or just stressed from the new environment. Either way though, go to a pet shop and get some Nutri-Cal, it's brown goo in a toothpaste-like tube, jam-packed with calories and nutrition and worth it's weight in gold for sick or malnourished animals. Smear some on a bottle nipple if you try feeding him that way, or just off your finger. If he's not eating because he's sick, it'll help him get over it. Or if he just doesn't trust you yet, it'll help because to cats it's also fricken delicious.
*In case you need it, bottle-feeding instructions: you need a teeny bottle and kitty formula, natch. Mix it per instructions and nuke the bottle a bit, take it out and shake it (important as microwave may heat unevenly!), test on wrist, repeat till it's warm but not hot. Smear some Nutri-Cal on the tip, get a towel and your kitty. Don't try to cradle him on his back to feed him with the bottle, you want to imitate his natural suckling position, so on his tummy only. The towel is for your lap because bottles are messy, I'd suggest kinda splaying him upwards over the curve of one thigh, the bottle gets the high ground, nipple angled down. Offer him the nipple and hopefully the Nutri-Cal will get him licking it, or if not just put it midway in his mouth (expect a lil resistance here) and give the bottle a tiny squeeze to give him some formula. Pause and repeat, hopefully he'll start sucking and you've got it made. If not just keep squeezing it out to him. If he totally balks at least pet him till he relaxes so he won't remember it as a bad experience. Good luck!
Re: help with my kitty :(
^^ he isn't feral. he was just kept away from everybody at his foster home.
i'll leave him alone for a while. i put the food under the bed last night when i was sleeping and i havent checked yet to see if he ate because i'm not gonna bug him til i have to leave for school.
thanks for all the advice guys! i'll update as the week goes on :)
Re: help with my kitty :(
another day without eating. he sniffs his food when i push it right up to him but he wont eat it. right now i put a plate with a tiny bit of tuna and a tiny bit of wet catfood, plus a small bowl of kitty milk under the bed right next to him but he wont touch it. he wont even sniff my hand, he just moves away from me.
maybe im being stupid but this is making me cry! :( i dont know what else to do.
Re: help with my kitty :(
Take him to a vet or animal hospital in the morning! He needs nutrients!
Re: help with my kitty :(
i cant get him out. i have tried EVERYTHING.
and this might sound bad.. but i have school. i have a full load, i cant just not go to spend an hour trying to get him out and taking him to the vet :-\ i know that sounds awful, but i have midterms and stuff this week and i cant blow it off. friday i have a vet appointment anyway, there's not much i can do before then. i have no clue how i'm gonna get him out then, either.. i guess im keeping my fingers crossed that he'll come out.
Re: help with my kitty :(
Can you get a friend to help? Can you move the furniture together?
Try to get him some Ians, its easy to eat. If kitty has an upset tummy, soft food and tuna will make him feel worse. Get some dry food!
If you can't at least try these things and you're sitting on her complaining, then perhaps the kitty will be happier elsewhere.
Sorry to be mean, I am the most obssessive parent when it comes to my baby, probably too much so. Do what you think is right....
Re: help with my kitty :(
um i have tried. im on here because i was asking for advice, not complaining. i have tried and tried and tried. and no, i cannot blow off a midterm to take him to the vet. that does not count as excused, my teacher will not accept it, and i cant make it up if i miss it. so im sorry if you think that's not being a "good parent."
i have moved my bed and he moves right with it. he moves to the middle underneath it so i cant reach him (my bed is too big for me to reach parts under it) and he scoots away when i try.
he wouldnt eat the dry food, that's why i tried the wet food. which, i just noticed, he ate off of the plate i put under the bed. its wet kitten food, and it was recommended that i try wet food since he wouldnt eat the dry.
and for the record, the reason i havent tried iams is because i got the same food hes been eating for 4 months and i was told it was best to stick with it because that's what he's used to.
Re: help with my kitty :(
Quote:
Originally Posted by
britt244
i have moved my bed and he moves right with it. he moves to the middle underneath it so i cant reach him (my bed is too big for me to reach parts under it) and he scoots away when i try.
...that's why i tried the wet food. which, i just noticed, he ate off of the plate i put under the bed. its wet kitten food, and it was recommended that i try wet food since he wouldnt eat the dry.
Thank god he is eating, just keep giving him the wet food. Once he starts eating, he'll start trusting you (the provider of food). Eventually he will come out. Don't try to get him to come out, he sounds scared to death for whatever reason. Curiousity will get the better of him once he feels strong and healthy, and gets used to his surroundings.
It sounds like you either have a very sick or a very shell-shocked kitty, or both. I got a kitty from bikers that was shell-shocked, she never did warm up to strangers very well, but she was sweet as can be with me once she started trusting me.
I know you are concerned, if you are close to crying that's obvious. But if the kitty hadn't started eating, he could have died, that's why Katrine was concerned.
I'm concerned too, it's very disturbing to me to hear about it, but I am a serious kitty lover (see my thread "Djoser gets some pussy..." if you doubt me).