Unsocial new kitten. (dogs, house, female, rescue)
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It looks like it could take months to get him to a point where he at least comes out and walks around when I'm there. I've had some challenging cats (one was a completely feral, unweaned, abandoned kitten, one has a paralyzed leg) and even those cats were much easier to deal with than this.
Eh, I don't know that I would go so far as the previous posters have; but if you're not home very much, he has ample time to eat, explore, etc. without you there. So, what is the incentive to go see this big other person in the house?
Is there any way you could get a cat sitter (or heck, even a college kid home on vaca) to hang out in your home and just... BE there? Ignore the cat entirely and just exist in the house? Maybe getting used to the sound of tv, etc. would help, because you mentioned he did sneak out once when you were asleep, so maybe it's less your presence and just strange sounds, etc.?
This kitten is almost certainly feral. I don't think much of a "rescue" who dumps un-neutered feral kittens on unsuspecting adopters. He should have been neutered first.
To be blunt, without meaning to cause offense, you do not have the right lifestyle to help this kitten. He needs someone with acres of time and patience to help him be socialized. A kitten cannot live alone most of the time and become socialized. He will only become more withdrawn and wild.
I would advise you to take him to a legitimate shelter, with a donation in hand and explain what has happened. They may be able to find a barn cat program for him, after he's been neutered.
Regarding neutering, neutering would only help him. It needs to be done and very soon as he will be reaching sexual maturity and most likely will begin to spray, both for self comfort and to mark territory.
In addition, taking a scaredy cat into an even scarier situation, then bringing him back to the new home is often very beneficial, because the new home, by comparison, is now a familiar place.
However, I think you would do much better, based on what you have shared about the way you live, with an older already settled calm adult cat. One already used to quiet solitary living. Or better yet a bonded pair -again adult. Two that have been relinquished together and should not be separated..
The immediate need is to get him out of that gap. While I understand he needs to be neutered, he has to be captured for that to happen first. At this point, he seems to be coming out only at night when I'm in bed or otherwise not there. If he only got in there as a "cool off spot," I wouldn't be concerned, but that's not what is happening - he is pretty much cowering in that corner 24x7 as far as I can tell.
I agree that he is mostly likely completely feral or barely socialized at all. We are now two and a half weeks into this and there has been zero change in his behavior.
Here's his posture from last Monday night. This isn't normal at all. Keep in mind he had been in the house for nine days at this point. He's completely terrified of who knows what - this is the "look small but defensive aggression" deal. I went to use the restroom, heard some rustling, and found him cowering in the tub. The baby shampoo was from the ex's chihuahua.
It took about ten minutes for him to find that hole after I let him out of the taxi. When he was in the taxi on the way home, he didn't meow or even try reaching outside the taxi door - just sat in the rear of the carrier.
Aside from me just catching him outside the hole randomly (unlikely), I don't see him coming out unless he's forced out. I really don't want to cut a hole in the plywood. I don't want to use a trap. I'm thinking of getting a spray water bottle for hair and sticking the nozzle in there and see if a little water spray will get him to come out the front. I don't want to frighten him more, but I'm not sure what I can do to physically remove him.
I haven't been able to take him to the vet to see if anything is medically wrong because I can't get ahold of him. He did have some diarrhea when he came in, but that has straightened out with getting him on some Science Diet kitten dry and limiting his canned intake.
My original plan was to bring my 20 year old cat that was my last childhood pet over from my parents. However, she is completely deaf and I'm hesitant to move her from the familiar. I agree the adult cat would work better, but I thought at six months he'd still be in the playful stage without needing all the hands-on of a very young kitten. I didn't think I was bringing a wild animal in.
Last edited by Serious Conversation; 12-03-2019 at 01:11 PM..
Eh, I don't know that I would go so far as the previous posters have; but if you're not home very much, he has ample time to eat, explore, etc. without you there. So, what is the incentive to go see this big other person in the house?
Is there any way you could get a cat sitter (or heck, even a college kid home on vaca) to hang out in your home and just... BE there? Ignore the cat entirely and just exist in the house? Maybe getting used to the sound of tv, etc. would help, because you mentioned he did sneak out once when you were asleep, so maybe it's less your presence and just strange sounds, etc.?
What's strange is that I'm not really finding much in the way of evidence that he has come out. I don't see fur anywhere. It's not like he jumped on my cream colored couch and I see his dark fur. I have some things out like the Christmas ornaments, movies, stuff on the kitchen counter, etc., and nothing ever appears to have moved. He may very well be coming out, but there's really no sign of it. You would think he'd be interested in a lit tree and jingling ornaments, but nothing so far.
Other than a litterbox and a bit of litter kicked out, there's no evidence that a cat is even there.
I usually have the TV on when I'm there and will talk to him.
The immediate need is to get him out of that gap. While I understand he needs to be neutered, he has to be captured for that to happen first. At this point, he seems to be coming out only at night when I'm in bed or otherwise not there. If he only got in there as a "cool off spot," I wouldn't be concerned, but that's not what is happening - he is pretty much cowering in that corner 24x7 as far as I can tell.
I agree that he is mostly likely completely feral or barely socialized at all. We are now two and a half weeks into this and there has been zero change in his behavior.
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My original plan was to bring my 20 year old cat that was my last childhood pet over from my parents. However, she is completely deaf and I'm hesitant to move her from the familiar. I agree the adult cat would work better, but I thought at six months he'd still be in the playful stage without needing all the hands-on of a very young kitten. I didn't think I was bringing a wild animal in.
I am not concerned about whether you can get him out and to the vet for a neuter or not. I am concerned that yours is not an appropriate environment for a feral kitten. And I don't mean anything offensive by that. You are not to blame, the people who claimed to be a rescue and foisted this kitten on to you without any preparation are the ones to blame. No reputable rescue lets a kitten go to a new home without neutering him first, for one thing, and they should have determined this kitten's needs against your schedule..
I think you should go to a shelter or bonafide rescue and tell them what is happening. Borrow a trap to get him contained and offer to do a trade. This special needs (most likely feral) kitten in exchange for a bonded pair, either kitten or adult, but preferably adult, in my opinion.
Since you are home so little, it would really be better to have two, especially if you do want kittens.
I think you have made the right choice concerning your parent's elderly cat, as well. It would serve no purpose to take her away from her home.
This is exactly like the cat I tried to adopt before the one I have now. As soon as I got her home and let her out, she darted under anything she could find to hide under and would stay in those spots for days. It was immediate. She even crawled under the tiny gap in the couch and hid there. Pulling up the couch to get her out only caused her to rush to find a new spot, which she did. She was terrified. She was smart enough to open the kitchen cabinet doors and hide there too. She would just would not come out.
What brought a sense of urgency was that she wouldn't eat, either. I got her to use the litter box only after she was shut up in a room that was closed (no humans around), but that was as much as she moved. It was like owning a ghost. I work too much to handle that level of care, so it was getting concerning very quickly after about a week.
One of the things the adoption lady did do was bring in a second cat that she was friends with at the adoption agency, all in order to coax her out of her hiding places. That did work, although she was likely familiar with the lady as well. Guess what happened after the lady and the second cat left? Predictably back to the hiding. I wasn't going to take on another cat, so I had to do what was best in this particular situation, and that was to return the cat. Cats are still wild animals, and if it's not a good fit - *looks around to see if anyone is watching me type something unpopular* - well there are plenty of them out there and you can try out a new one.
It does seem like this is the type of situation where a cat needs a super long time to get comfortable, if they ever will.
I got that wand toy out that looks like a feather duster with some kind of jingling metal ball on the end and stuck it in the hole tonight. I dangled it in there and took it out. He must have drug it back in a little while ago along with one of the catnip nice and is absolutely wearing out the wand thing. This is the first time I've heard him play with anything. He also moved his bowl across the kitchen floor.
I got that wand toy out that looks like a feather duster with some kind of jingling metal ball on the end and stuck it in the hole tonight. I dangled it in there and took it out. He must have drug it back in a little while ago along with one of the catnip nice and is absolutely wearing out the wand thing. This is the first time I've heard him play with anything. He also moved his bowl across the kitchen floor.
It's a start! Have you tried dangling the Cat Chaser in there to see if he'd be interested in that?
He needs more time. He had a family and now he is alone. He senses that you are trying to force him to do things as in come out, play, be a kitty. Then you invaded his space. He is scared. If he were a child everyone on CD would scream therapist.
Not all cats climb on furniture and are sociable. ShadowCat lived under the bed for the first six weeks with us and sleeked along the walls for a lot longer. At the end she took over my pillow.
I did not even have to read far to understand the issue; you just got home and let him out as if he is cool with everything, and will have no issues.
The issues he has just built on top of each other.
Basically, the introduction went wrong.
Yes, some cats you can just let on go in the house, issue is you have to assess first. The best thing was to keep him in a room, let him chill, and introduce yourself to him.
I got that wand toy out that looks like a feather duster with some kind of jingling metal ball on the end and stuck it in the hole tonight. I dangled it in there and took it out. He must have drug it back in a little while ago along with one of the catnip nice and is absolutely wearing out the wand thing. This is the first time I've heard him play with anything. He also moved his bowl across the kitchen floor.
I don't want to be a Debby Downer, buuuuuut cats have been known to get the string part of that toy (when playing without a human on the other end) twisted around a leg. They panic and then it gets tighter. Bad things have happened.
I agree with the others, it might be something as simple as kitty was given too much room right away. The somewhat closed off area is his safe spot.
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