"Kitty" folks... I have ?s hope you can help!

[gr8tpanther]

OK, I have never had a kitten before... always adopted the full grown or all but full grown UNadoptables! So, I have some questions...

My female adult cat is NOT happy, not that I expected her to be... she is hissing and growling (which she NEVER does), and not just as NEW cat, but old cat and adults too. Is she just having Cattitude? Or is this something that can last ongoing?

Ok, now... can kitten have milk? She is 14 weeks, is she still at the MILK stage? Or should I not give her that?
And kitten hides under my bed, and will only come out for me or my DD, and soon as we let her go, she bolts back under my bed. I have noticed that she is skittish with noises and such, is this just an adjustment period? How long does it normally take for a kitten to get used to her surroundings?

Thanks for your help in advance....

Signed,
New Kitty Mommy!

 

[MsSpinShady]

We just went through a similar experience a few months ago, and while I am definitely not an expert, we did experience the same things you are describing.

We have a 7 year old male cat and brought home a 7 week old female kitten. Our older cat is an indoor/outdoor, and every time he came in he would hiss at the kitten. He also became more aggressive with family members, especially the younger kids. This actually went on for quite a while and I was concerned he would never accept her, but eventually he seemed to get more used to her (mostly because she was very curious about him and would approach him whenever he was eating) and the hissing has stopped for the most part. They did begin to wrestle with each other, and I'm pretty sure it is just for pecking order/fun because it never gets too aggressive and they will each stop and look at you if you call their name, unlike if they were really fighting. Mostly, though, the kitten just stalks the older cat and the older cat tries to avoid the kitten.

The older cat seems to tolerate her now, although it doesn't ever look like they are going to be cuddling buddies

Our kitten was also skittish, so we kept her in our son's room for about a week and aproached her in there so that she could become comfortable with us in a smaller setting. Eventually, she was ready to roam the house, and we started it in small increments of time until she became used to everything. Now she will still retreat under the bed when she sees the youngest coming (avoiding a good tail pulling, I would assume ) but she is very used to being around people and will seek us out if we are not in the same room as her.

Just give her some time to get used to her surroundings, and hold her as much as she will permit you to when she is calm so that she becomes used to being handled (our kitten actually likes to be carried around like a big baby now -- geesh! )

I think what you are experiencing is normal.

Good luck!

MsSpinShady

 

[BeNJeNWaFFLe]

I don't know about the older cat. I hope she comes around. When me and my brother were young we had an older cat who was downright nasty to everyone. We were not allowed to pet her because she would bite and scratch. I'd say when I was about 6 or 7 she came around and started being nicer. She then grew to us and enjoyed being pet. It was really sad to see her go.

About 2 years ago my mom took in a barn kitten. He was 6 months old. He was EXTREMELY skittish. He hid under my brothers bed and would not come out for anyone. If you could reach him under the bed and pet him he would enjoy it and purr but would never come near you. Over time he started coming out more and more and would let you pet him on the bed. But he was still afraid of everything. Now he is the biggest mush I have ever seen. I can do anything to this cat. He is still scared of some noises (like the crinkling of plastic bags) but on the most part he has become a great cat. He loves to sit on your lap (especially while I am DISing) and he loves to play. Give your kitten some time. Hopefully they will come out and realize that people give good hugs and pets.

 

[miss missy]

I can't help from experience, but here are some good links:

raising kittens

kitten care

 

[miss missy]

I don't know about the older cat. I hope she comes around. When me and my brother were young we had an older cat who was downright nasty to everyone. We were not allowed to pet her because she would bite and scratch. I'd say when I was about 6 or 7 she came around and started being nicer. She then grew to us and enjoyed being pet. It was really sad to see her go.

About 2 years ago my mom took in a barn kitten. He was 6 months old. He was EXTREMELY skittish. He hid under my brothers bed and would not come out for anyone. If you could reach him under the bed and pet him he would enjoy it and purr but would never come near you. Over time he started coming out more and more and would let you pet him on the bed. But he was still afraid of everything. Now he is the biggest mush I have ever seen. I can do anything to this cat. He is still scared of some noises (like the crinkling of plastic bags) but on the most part he has become a great cat. He loves to sit on your lap (especially while I am DISing) and he loves to play. Give your kitten some time. Hopefully they will come out and realize that people give good hugs and pets.

Hey, the one on the right in your siggy, looks JUST like mine! I got it as a tiny kitten from a farm and raised her, she thinks I am her MOM lol! I love my cat!

 

[Virgo10]

OK, I have never had a kitten before... always adopted the full grown or all but full grown UNadoptables! So, I have some questions...

My female adult cat is NOT happy, not that I expected her to be... she is hissing and growling (which she NEVER does), and not just as NEW cat, but old cat and adults too. Is she just having Cattitude? Or is this something that can last ongoing?

Ok, now... can kitten have milk? She is 14 weeks, is she still at the MILK stage? Or should I not give her that?
And kitten hides under my bed, and will only come out for me or my DD, and soon as we let her go, she bolts back under my bed. I have noticed that she is skittish with noises and such, is this just an adjustment period? How long does it normally take for a kitten to get used to her surroundings?

Thanks for your help in advance....

Signed,
New Kitty Mommy!

First the milk. Cats don't need cow's milk, ever. It will usually upset their stomachs and cause them to vomit. At 14 weeks your kitten would be long weened from its mother so they only food she needs now is a good cat food, moist or dry.

For those of you who don't know, I have 16 cats and I'm still mostly sane. All but two of them are not related. They all get along fairly well but there are some that will never get along with others. Some came around really quickly and joined in the fun. Others took weeks to get use to the other animals in the house. Until I was sure that fur was not going to fly, I never left them without supervision. The last of the kitties came to live with us about 2 1/2 years ago so things have mellowed out quite a bit since then.

Chances are that your original cat will adjust but it may take some time. Our original cat actually got depressed and was sleeping all the time and barely eating. After some concentrated TLC, he perked up and became his old self again.

Best of luck. Lots of hugs for the kitty with the blues should bring her around.

Here's some photos of my kitties for those of you who have never seen them.
All My Cats