New Kitten is Sad

[Zuri]

Hi all,

I brought home my kitten today; it has been less than 5 hrs. She seems so sad that she's not with her (got her from a breeder) her relatives. If I could have gotten two at once I would have but money, you know. She's not eating and doesn't want much to do with me. My question is. How long does this typically last? It's normal I guess though it doesn't feel normal! I feel awful for taking her away to be without any other felines. Can I get some support here? I do plan on getting another kitten within a year to keep her company.

How long can a kitten go without food? Maybe she will begin to eat. She thinks her litter box is a cool hang out too.

[lanettasmouse]

this is totally normal. trust me, i have 7 cats right now and have alwyas had cats growing up. i've had so many cats, its insane! the kitten will be fine, just make sure that it has access to its food, water and litter pan. obviously she knows where the litter pan is, you said shes hanging out in it, oops . just show her love and affection when she will allow you and eventually she will come around. it will probably take a few days, but eventually she will realized that she is loved very much. oh and she might not use her litter box right away because shes not used to it or doesn't want to. i have had this happen in the past, but the kitten that did it only did it twice before he learned it was his litter box. congratulations on the new kitty. i love cats, i'm known as the crazy cat lady in my family

[Zuri]

Thank you, but what about not eating? Do you think she'll eat soon? I forgot as well that felines are nocturnal. She's sleeping and doesn't want to be bothered right now. Can you change a cat from being nocturnal?

[lanettasmouse]

she'll eat when she's hungry, so i wouldn't worry too much. it could take about a day or possibly two to get her to eat though. so just keep and eye on her. about changing thier sleeping habits and being nocturnal, i don't know. my cats are crazy 24/7 and when they are up, oh god are they up being nuts! but for the most part they all sleep around the same time as eachohter. they sleep for a few hours then are up for a few hours and back to sleeping again and back to being awake. so i just figure let the animal do what it does naturally. good luck.

[CrazyDelicious]

Oh don't worry - it has only been hours. She will slowly get confident and explore (venture out of the litter box) and find her way around. It takes a bit of time to get used to the new environment. Did she bring anything from where she was??? Like a towel, cloth, etc. If so, that will make her feel more comfy. But if not, don't worry - she will get used to it all!
And there isn't much chance of turning her "not nocturnal". With a kitten, you will have to learn to sleep without moving a muscle - my cat used to attack my feet/hands if they moved even a bit under the covers. You will find that once she figures out that this is "her house", she will come out of her shell. Then you will have a kitten that is either a crazy playful mad kitten, or one that is completely passed out And the sleeping is normal - apparently cats sleep something like 20hours a day!!!

[Aleesha Sattva]

don't be concerned at all. she'll be fine. she's just overwhelmed. leave her alone and let her come to you. as others have said... keep food, water and litter box handy and within no time at all, she'll be curled up in your lap sleeping!

here's a little video to cheer you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qit3ALTelOo

[shashibala]

I have four rescued cats. When one was a kitten, she was completely unsocialized. She didn't know people were her friends. Now she is a cuddler!
At first I got a box and put a hot water bottle in it with snuggly blankets on top, she was looking for a source of warmth like her mommy. Once she got used to curling up in there, I sat with her and pet her. She came around and I'm sure your baby will too!!

[Zuri]

*sigh of relief. Thanks to all of you. I guess I was being a worry wort! She did eat some of her regular food. She's such a good kitten too; she's very gentle and kind. At least I know she'll get over this change because I've seen plenty of other felines that seem very happy away from their relatives.

Crazy, I do hope I don't have a nutty kitten on my hands. I'll let you know!

Unfortunately, the breeder didn't give me any type of cloth with her mamas smell and I didn't ask with all of the excitement. The breeder was sick and her husband was standing in for her when I went to pick up the kitten and he's the silent type so I was out the door quickly. Anyway, it'll be fine. She's a looker too!

I have heater in her room and it's very toasty in there, plus a piece of cloth tucked in with her inside her cat condo cubby.

Thanks for the funny video Recycling!

Now to find a name for her...

[lanettasmouse]

would you post a pic of her so i can see? like i said i'm crazy about kitties!

[Zuri]

would you post a pic of her so i can see? like i said i'm crazy about kitties!

I sure will very soon!

[lanettasmouse]

cool, thanks

[beppa66]

Kitty Mommy suggested a plug-in product called "comfort zone" it has a calming effect on kittens. (I think she said you could buy it at the pet store). We were having trouble with our kitten, but he settled down before we could even go out to buy it. Good luck!

[blix]

I saw on television, that some people were advised to put a ticking clock in the bedding, that would resemble a mothers/ siblings heart beat. Along with the hot water bottle. :)

[Zuri]

Thanks all!

How do I post a pic? I need a URL of my kitty pic??

[CrazyDelicious]

Zuri, I didn't mean nutty in a bad way!!! All kittens are "nutty" - but in a good way Kittens seem to have two speeds - "stop" and "go". It is great.
To post a pick, you can just go to the paperclip along the top of the reply thread and browse your computer for the image and upload it. Just make sure it is smaller than the limit allowed. That's all there is!!
Would love to see a kitten pic though - they are so cute. That might persuade me to post a pic of my cat as a kitten.
So do you have plans for switching her to raw?