Even tho she had been fostered in a household with people, cats and a dog, she was deathly afraid when I let her out of the carrier and she immediately went into hiding.
That night, I sensed her jump onto my bed twice then got back down. When I got up at 6:00 a.m. Monday morning, I went into the den where she was hiding and she bolted into the basement. My basement is finished so when I went down there to retrieve her, I couldn't find her anyplace. I checked twice down there and several times on the main level. No luck.
I then went out to play my regular Monday softball and when I returned in the early afternoon, I immediately started searching for her again......no luck.
At about 5:00 p.m., I did a more thorough search of the basement and darned if I didn't find a 4" x 4" opening at the base of the bar where it abutted next to the small refrigerator. When I shined my flashlight in there, sure enough, there she was. So then I tried to fish her out which I'm sure really frightened her even more. Couldn't do it.......
So shortly after I left that area, I saw her scoot out into another area and hid behind my firearms case. When I tried to fish her out of there, she bolted again and ran back upstairs. At that point, I decided she was frightened enough and let her go hide upstairs.
This morning I heard her occasionally meow in the den but I let her be. And when I got up at 6:00 a.m., she was gone from the den. I found her hiding under a draped chair in the living room so I let her be. When I got home from volleyball at about 2:00 p.m, she was still under that chair.
I decided then to capture her by lifting the chair and trapping her in the hallway then taking her into my bedroom to pet her and try to aleve the fear she was experiencing. I then left her on the bed and she jumped off and went into hiding underneath it.
As a side note, she hasn't eaten yet and has only used the litter box once to pee.......
This is my first experience with a kitten, and a frightened one at that. I hope I'm doing the right thing......
Any advice here would be welcome..........
Get rid of it.You were scammed.
Get a kitten from a litter not a loner
If you have a spare bathroom or bedroom, it would be best to isolate kitty there for a week or so until he/she is more acclimatized. Put needed food and water bowls, along with a litter box and a bed with an article of clothing with your scent. Spend some time trying to coax him/her out to play and cuddling.
As far as the no eating, BE CAREFUL. Kittens that young need to eat. Going even 2 days without food could set up hepatic lipidosis, a potentially life-threatening condition, even with medical intervention. Find a good quality canned food and put that out. Good luck.
Get rid of it.You were scammed.
Get a kitten from a litter not a loner
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Agreed. There is something very wrong with this kitten and it will not socialize. Get a kitten and meet it with its mom and sibs and watch how well it works with people.
I feel bad for you. Let her be. No chasing or catching. Get some tuna and put a little in a bowl when you go to bed. See if she eats it overnight. Do it again and again until she lets you watch her eat. Then try to lightly pet her while she’s eating. If you can’t get it ironed out in a week or two then it will be really hard to socialize her. If it is true she was fostered she’ll come around. If she doesn’t then they lied to you and she’s wild. Good luck.
I'm not expert, but I have had cats since I was a baby so I'm kinda used to them. I would continue to try to keep her in one room for the time being. If you have a bathroom attached to your bedroom, you can put the kitty box and her food in there.
I'd talk real sweet to her if you are in the room with her. Call her kitty, kitty or her name. Use a high pitched voice. Maybe give her some tuna fish or some fishy smelling cat food while you are doing the voice so she can associate something good with your presence. There are also cat treats you can buy that she may like. I once had a cat with an upper respiratory infection that I got from the pound. I decided to nurse him back to health myself rather than take him back to the municipal pound where they would have probably put him down. The cat rescue that I contacted about getting him to eat suggested tuna fish so he would eat. I know your cat is most likely not sick, but just scared. But that smell may help to get her out of her shell.
Since she's still a kitten, and even if she were an older, cat, you can get one of those kitty toys on a stick or make something of your own that you can dangle in front of her to play with her when you have her on the bed. There are not too many cats that can resist that urge to "hunt".
My brother and his wife adopted two kittens an old high school friend of mine found in a park...This was many years ago. As far as I know they still has the two. They were extremely frightened cats...probably on the verge of being feral had they not been found. It's hard to get them over that if they don't get the early socialization, but it's not totally impossible. I mean all cats are different with their personalities. That may just be hers. She may eventually warm up with you, but you will have to be extra gentle with her and patient. My brother's cats did after doing what yours is doing. Eventually they became loving toward him and his wife. But they would hide, for the most part, when company would come. They just weren't going to ever be super social cats with the masses. But for him and his wife they were fine.
So that would be my advice. Keep her in your bedroom so she can't get "lost" in the house too much. Once she gets comfortable in her surroundings and with you, you can crack the door so she can explore your house more. Give her some fishy stuff to attract her nose and win her over. Talk super sweet to her. Sneak some pets in as much as you can. Keep her confined in the room with you at night...that way she has no way to escape and continue her anti-socialness as much. I bet soon she will be jumping up on the bed with you and purring. That's what my brother's skittish cats did. Just takes some time and patience with some cats. Do you know her history?
A great deal of patience will be job one.
PS So sorry on the loss of your other kitty.
Keep us posted on the progress of your new kitty.
If your new cat was in deed a house cat, and friendly with people, then she might warm up to you. Just leave food & water out, and let her get accustomed to the new home and you.
Do not chase it, do not cage it.
On the other hand, if the cat was never a house cat, then it will likely never be calm around you. Barn cats/yard cats will seldom let anyone near them. If after a few days of being patient, and she does not warm up, get rid of her, as she was likely never acclimated to a home and is too old to be now.
We have yard cats, a mom and some 8 week old kittens. Mom will let us get about 3 feet from her, the kittens about 6 feet. I never expect to get any closer.
We also have a house cat, it cannot get enough attention from us.
This is the shelter I volunteer for (see link below). I haven’t read any of these links yet, but it’s a list of resources on cat behaviour so maybe you can find something useful there.
Keep the kitten. Give that kitten time.
You did a good thing in honoring your Squeek by allowing yourself to love another kitty and provide a loving home. Give her time preferably in one room with food, water and litter box. More than likely she is freaking out with smelling Squeek’s scent and fearing what she can’t see or might meet up with. It will take some time as she was traumatized by being in the shelter and then many different homes with other animals. Go sit with her in the room many times a day, talking to her softly, offering her treats, picking her up and holding her to your chest while you sit so she can hear your heartbeat and feel your warmth. She will start to trust you and will let you know when she is ready to start exploring her new forever home. I hope she helps heal your heart from your loss and brings you many years of loving companionship.
If you can get kitty’s attention, try giving her a slow blink. It’s body language that says “all is well, I like you,” and works like a charm.
http://www.petful.com/behaviors/cats-blink-slowly-at-you/
My rescue kitty Zizu is snoozing right above my keyboard as I type this. She was 7 months old when taken off the street, and I kept her quarantined in the kitchen for 2 months, both to settle her and to make sure she didn't have anything my Maine Coon could catch. She has turned into my little pal.
Kitten might not have been thoroughly socialized. IT would take time, but you might be able to do it. Otherwise, taking it back to shelter is a sure euthanization. IF you had 2 though, one that was 100% socialized, it would help socializing the other one much more quickly.