MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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Got a new kitten today. He's very scared. He came back and didn't want to eat or anything, he ran about trying to hide. He'd stay in my arms if i held him and wouldn't try to escape. then managed to put him in his bed where he felt comfy and has been for about 4 hours. We managed to get him out once and he ate a little bit. He's just staying in his bed now....sleeping I think. Is that ok?
new kitten + strange house and surroundings = very scared,
give him time and attention and he will be okay, lots of positive reassurance required
Sounds like it is scared.
Lets see your cute Kitteh then!
he's in bed now, if he awakes i'll take a photo. 10 week old tabby. Lovely markings on him. Named.....Wayne.
He will be quite nervous at first, it's all new sights, sounds & smells.
Give the wee fella a bit of time & TLC
I spent the 1st day with my cat removing her from behind anything she could get behind, washing machine, settee, fridge...
& pics please.
Yeah let him settle in. As much attention as possible always works.
this is our semi-feral kitten who hangs around the garden (with mum too), found her/him in the shed a few weeks ago and they seem happy to live in there now. Genghis doesn't seem to be too scared though, attacks trouser legs and shoes most of the time anyone's outside.
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awe, i'm sure he's gonna wake us up crying in the night! luckily I'm off work so i wont begrudge him waking me. If he does i'll try and play with him a little too.
our first cat was like that - v didnt sleep until she did
second cat we made a room with everything in it so he could used to a small space rather than a whole house. Gradually introduced him to the house - a lot less stressful
its always worse because they are so small and the meows sound like a crying baby.
We do the same as Haribo, we only let them into one room to start with, its easier to clean up accidents too, once they are assured and settled with that, we then let them start exploring further.
Wayne will be fine. TLC, proper jabs from the vet and LOADS of attention and stimulation.
Oh and this evening our 10 week old kitten has been jumping all over our Springer Spaniel, trying to bite his head off!!
Silly dog just sits there and lets the kitten bite him to pieces, he's totally soft. The previous kitten (was run over at 12 months old) and the dog used to chase each other round and round the house, first it would be the dog chasing the cat and next it would be all swapped round. The kitten would climb up through the clothes horse then jump out on the back of the dog.
Haha, brilliant! Just as I posted my last comment, he woke up seeming a little less scared. My gf and I sat next to his bed and played with a couple of toys and he started to get intrigued and play for about 15 or 20 mins. Then he went to get some food (which I'm not sure if he's licking the jelly off or spitting some back out)which he is eating though as he's been to it 3 times now. He's got his safe little area where everthing is now. his litter tray is a little further away and i've put him in it a couple of times. he's not used it yet though. How often do they go?
My missus would like to let you know that they seem to be going permanently!
Ours is an eating crapping machine!
Haha. Well since last time he's been for a poo....in the litter tray....and covered it up after. I've scooped it into a bag and thrown it. Superb effort wayne. He's eaten again as well. Not had any water though yet. Can you give them milk? I'll get some photos in the morning now save scaring him with a flash in his face. Gonna stay up for a bit so he's ok then head to bed.
Do not give a cat cows milk, it isn't good for them. You can get cat milk from pet shops & supermarkets.
http://www.cats.org.uk/catcare/faq_health.asp
Glad to hear he's coming on, within weeks he'll be running up yer curtains 😉
You can get cat milk from pet shops & supermarkets.
How do they milk cats?
Durrr- with a cat milking machine of course! I dunno, some people nowadays have no idea......
How's his poo looking? That's always a good indicator of health. Is he on kitten food rather than cat food? Keep the meals little and often. And like others have said, contain him a bit - our kits were kitchen only for the first couple of weeks.
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Pumpkin and Pablo send a big purr! 😛
Typical new cat behavior.
Day 1 hiding behind sofa and ignoring all toys:
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2 years later demanding a belly rub, the tart:
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He's had about 5 poos in about 16 hours! eating no problem and he seems to choose a little often no matter how much i put out. Worried that he's not drinking any water yet and also his right eye doesn't open as much as the left and both eyes are watering. And he's sneezing quite often. Any ideas?
Cat's don't drink water by choice. If they do, they prefer it from a puddle or the loo! I've never seen them drink from a bowl and they get most of their water from their food, unless you are only feeding them dried food.
No it's wet food. Shall I get some specific kitten milk then? would he prefer that? Think I'm going to go to the vet to check his eyes out.
Ill swap you for our new kitten 9 weeks old,mad as a brush sleep about 10minutes a day the rest of the time running around and into everything.think our other 2 cats have now had enough.
when Del was a kitten, (and her sister (but not), we let them loose in the kitchen for a few hours (where they would be fed and litter trained) and let them explore on thier own, without the pressure of being harrassed by big scary bipeds.
in retrospect, i think i let her explore on her own too much, she really doesnt seem to care less if anyones around her or not.
doh!
oh well.
Kittens ROCK (merow)
Oh no, just been to the vets and he's got fleas! and his eye was some sort of conjunctivitis! Got the treatment for both but worried about the fleas!!!
Did the vet give you some spray for the house? If you just treat the cat and not the house they'll just keep getting them. don't worry though, fleas are normal. Just make sure in future you keep up to date with the frontline or whatever to keep them away.
But yes, scared is totally normal - he's been moved away from his mum to a new house, new people etc. He's bound to be scared. I think our kitten hid under the sofa for the first week, but now 4 years later he's incredibly sociable and makes friends with everyone.
Surely the reaction described in the OP was entirely as expected? What WOULD you have expected????
When we got our last kitten, we had to leave her in the garage as she had been treated for some condition she had. She went missing and we turned the place upside down. We finally found her in a watering can. My brother still has the picture somewhere. 🙂
drinking is a funny thing - cats dont appear to be able to see water if it is still.
ours rarely drink from a bowl but are happy drinking from a tap or even better the cat water fountain that we bought. Honestly its great as we were worrying about are two not drinking enough.
Conjunctivitis in kittens = common. So long as theres no damage and he's not got flu he'll be fine.
And if he's still really scared, look for something called Feliway - spray or plug in pheremone that really chills them out. It's great for your situation - imagine how stressful a new home, new owners, no mum is. Your vets should have some.
Thanks for all your advice it's been so helpful. No spray for the fleas no. The vet asked how far he had been around the house and it's such a small area that i don't think it'll be a problem but i can go back if it is. She also said (as some people have already told me) they don't really drink water unless they're ill. They get lots from the wet food. Cheers again for all the help for little wayne.
You need to get the fleas sorted out, or you'll all be itching in a week or so.
We use Advocate, as there is growing resistance to Frontline. It's this stuff; http://www.vetuk.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=21_47_166.
I'm sure Nermal & Lily would say hello if they could read this page...;
My cat drinks loads of water, but a combination of hot country and dry food is probably the reason for that... For whatever reason, he prefers either toilet bowl water or the smeggy green stuff out in the garden.
As long as water's available, if the cat wants it he'll drink it.
Personally I'd get the cat used to dry food, it's a lot easier for you than the canned stuff. If the cat wants wet food he can go out in the garden and find his own 🙂 But YMMV on that one.
I've got some stuff for the fleas for him. What can I get for the house? anything without going back to the vet? I can feel the itching coming on already!
Just something from Wilkinsons/the supermarket/your local pet shop will do.
Ah, kittens get scared of new surrounding and when older get scared when you move house.
I've been using frontline on my cat but found out that he's either alergic to that or the fleas.Get the stuff from pet uk rather than the vets as you'll save a packet.
With the conjunctivis you can get the stuff from the pharmacy. My vet charged me £30 odd for some stuff that I could have got from boots foe 2.99!
Soa re you going to post a picure of your kitten then?
Our cat drinks, but he keeps looking over his shoulder as if he thinks he's at risk...
Does your cat think she is an antelope?
Very intelligent creatures aren't they. Mine's being very safe at the moment but gradually i'm getting more out of him. His eye looks better after the first lot of cream. Gonna put some more on in a bit. At least he's eating and using the litter tray that's a big relief just need to get him better again. Went to take a photo and the SD card is missin out of my camera. GF must have moved it somewhere. I'll get on it this evening.
An antelope?!! what do you mean
Just something from Wilkinsons/the supermarket/your local pet shop will do.
NNNooooooooooooooo! 😯
Any flea/worming treatment from a supermarker/petshop is a waste of time (Bob Marten, Johnsons, supermarket own etc etc). Bigger per shops can sell frontline which is fine for the cat and I think you can get acclaim or staykill from a chemist.
If you're using Advantage or Frontline Combo from the vets that has some environmental activity though so you'll probably be fine.
Yup, second fbk, have tried pet shop/ supermarket stuff before and it doens't work.
Awww. Gratuitous cat-shots:
Jelly:
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and JJ:
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say 'hello'.
Telemaster - I was responding to the post about a cat looking over its shoulders as she drank...
oh right i see, very good. Really want to get a photo up now. Will do as soon as....hello to jelly and jj from wayne.
Most of Monty:
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The rest of Monty:
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😈
ohhhh that hurts
ouch!
He's fine now, and it was either that or mrs. mogrim would have wrung his neck... marking territory is fine outside, when he does it on your bed it's a different matter!
mogrim - I can't believe you got photos of his balls!!! 😕 🙂
Cat's don't drink water by choice. If they do, they prefer it from a puddle or the loo! I've never seen them drink from a bowl and they get most of their water from their food, unless you are only feeding them dried food.
Our cats absolutely refuse to drink water fresh from the tap. Instead they would either drink from the pond or any stagnant water to be found in plant dishes, buckets etc. I think it's to do with the chlorine / fluoride they put in the water. However I discovered that if I fill a tub and leave for a day and fill their bowl from that. I put a lid on the tub to stop anything contaminating the water and they happily drink that water from their bowl . I figure it has to be cleaner and healthier than what they were drinking.
Oh and the best toys ever for cats... i) a steel chain (like the ones they secure the pens to the counter with in banks) and ii) an nice thick old sock filled with catnip.
Two of the cats in Sweden drink out of the tap if it is dripping.
Oscar's first day (we found out 2 days later he had cat flu)
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The big Monkey now
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great thread , nothing to add i got 3 cats , there great.
Oscar has very nice markings! Was he sneezing and eye's watering? Been to the vet and she said it was conjunctivitis but keep an eye on him and to bring back if it doesn't clear. Photo on its way.
Yeah he was sneezing, snuffling lots and eyes watering
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if it works
taken on a phone cos still can't find memory card.
Ahhh!
If he doesn't drink much (Oscar didn't when he was poorly)the vet can give you some very moist kitten food
He's got the same symptoms so i've got to keep an eye on him for a couple of days and if he doesn't get any better then gotta go bk
I love cats
I admire their cold superciliousness
Telemaster,
that's one cute kitten. Watch out though, they grow up into cats:
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( actually she's really sweet natured, just not at her best when someone cuts short her afternoon nap in the sun )
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Wont stop playing now!!! tryin to fight with everything and anything!
Best toy you can get for a cat/kitten is a laser pointer, they go mad for it and best of all is that you don't have to move!
Obviously avoid pointing it in their eyes! 😀
Its the killing season though.
I watched Jasper eat (yes all of it) a vole yesterday and I've just liberated a blackbird which was hiding behind the fridge in the kitchen - presumable since last night as we came home to find the living room full of feathers, but no carcass to be found.
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Awww, he's so cute!
When little Pumpkin was unwell, we gave her some drugs, man!
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I thought cats were not very clean animals until we got a Dog.
Dogs are filthy creatures but cats look at you as if you are the dirty one!
I should clarify, that when I suggested using stuff from the supermarket - I only meant the anti-flea floor spray/powder, not any stuff you put ON the cat! We're used various things generally with success, the vet's spray we bought didn't do jack sh**...
I've read some nasty things about the Bob Martin spot-on stuff, for sure make sure you use Frontline or Advocate & get it from the vets (or reputable online supplier).
Laser pens are the best toys - as someone says, you'll laugh your nuts off watching the cat chase it round at warp speed!
That, and a box/holdall. For some reason, they always seem to jump into them & play.
the two cats Ive had didnt drink water from the bowl, old boy Myron drank from a bowl of rainwater outside, Titch a kitten I 'found' used to drink from the tap!
Nuts the lot of them
No it's not OK. You'll have to GIVE IT TO ME!
I want a kitten.
If Wayne(cool name) is going to go outside then it might be worth getting him micro chiped. It's not that expensive and certainly worth it. Have both of mine chiped.
Ref. water. My two both have very different drinking habits. Billy will only drink from a bowl out side and lottie will only drink fresh tap water from a blue mug next to our kitchen sink and loves chasing anything that is Yellow. Cats are weird!!!