new kitten help needed

[JenDaveBrendan]

Hi everyone,

I haven't been on the board for awhile now, but figured this would be a great place to get some needed advice!
We just got a new kitten yesterday that I adopted through a woman in my neighborhood. He's 12 weeks old. We also have another cat who's almost 2 and a golden retriever.
Here's the problem: since we got the new kitten yesterday morning, he has not eaten, drank, or gone to the bathroom. He is extremely skittish and shakes and hisses if you go near him, he is also hiding all the time. My other animals stay away from him. Is this normal for a new kitten? Any ideas to help the kitty? Right now he is in the back corner of the litter box where he's been hiding for 4 hours

thanks!

 

[poohandwendy]

Congrats on the new kittne!

Are you keeping him confined to a small room, like a bathroom? If not, definitely do so. He is probably just really scared.

I would heat up a wee bit of canned food and leave it in there with him, he should be starved. Unless he has a health issue I would guess this is just fear from the move, obviously you should have him checked by a vet asap.

 

[JenDaveBrendan]

thanks. I have been keeping him in the laundry room where the litter box and food is. I will do that now with the canned food.
I do have a vet appt. for him tomorrow. Poor kitty! I hope he adjusts soon

 

[Fitswimmer]

I agree, he's probably just overwhelmed and frightened. When you're that small, everything looks huge and threatening.

When I brought my new girls home, I kept them in a bedroom with food, water and a litter box for the first three days. The first day, they hid under the bed whenever I was in there. I knew they were eating, because there was "stuff" in the box! The second day they would let me near them-not touch, but near. By day 3 they were ready to explore outside the bedroom. I still couldn't touch them for a few days, but they got better.

 

[Virgo10]

The new kitty should be in a room by himself for at least a few days. Cats get to know their surroundings by smell. He's in a totally alien landscape.

Place a litter box on one side of the room and his food and water on the other. Give him a box just a little bit bigger than he is with a nice fluffy towel in it to sleep on. Go in often to cuddle with him.

When you start letting him out, be sure to supervise. Like identifying objects, cats identify each other by smell and there will probably be some hissing until the other cat is sure your new baby is a friend and not a foe.

But first, be sure to take him to the Vet for a check up. They'll do some blood work to be sure he's not carrying anything that could be passed off to your older cat. They'll deworm him and give him his first vaccines.

Best of luck and let us know how he's doing.

 

[Laura]

thanks. I have been keeping him in the laundry room where the litter box and food is. I will do that now with the canned food.
I do have a vet appt. for him tomorrow. Poor kitty! I hope he adjusts soon

Try not to worry about it; just try to keep things as tranquil as possible for the kitten. And your vet will probably have some more tips to help smooth the transition.

Just don't let the cats get together until your new addition gets a clean bill of health from the vet.

 

[Missy Mouse]

The new kitty should be in a room by himself for at least a few days. Cats get to know their surroundings by smell. He's in a totally alien landscape.

Place a litter box on one side of the room and his food and water on the other. Give him a box just a little bit bigger than he is with a nice fluffy towel in it to sleep on. Go in often to cuddle with him.

When you start letting him out, be sure to supervise. Like identifying objects, cats identify each other by smell and there will probably be some hissing until the other cat is sure your new baby is a friend and not a foe.

But first, be sure to take him to the Vet for a check up. They'll do some blood work to be sure he's not carrying anything that could be passed off to your older cat. They'll deworm him and give him his first vaccines.

Best of luck and let us know how he's doing.

I totally agree with this. He needs to be in a quiet area where you can gain his trust. Go in there alone and snuggle with him when it's quiet. Turn on the dryer; the hum will soothe him. Baby cats like to feel warm and swaddled, so the small box is a great idea. Make sure there aren't any other animals around. It's going to take him a little while to adjust.