Kitten advice please
Hi I was wondering if anyone could give me a bit of advice about 2 new kittens we have?
The kittens are still quite young (about 6 weeks) and they were abandoned (probably wild parents). They are eating well and playing with us and each other and they use the litters trays well.
But they are both still a bit timid and wary of us, like I said, they play with us fine (bird on a stick and scratch pole etc), and have even eaten from a bowl that I am holding, but they run away (the grey one hisses) if we try and get too near or touch them.
Should I leave them to grow in confidence and approach us when they are ready (they have been with us for a week), or should I put some gloves on and pick them up to get them used to us handling and petting them?
Thank you all for your help and advice :) Off to the vets with them soon - if I can get them in their carrier!
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"Every adult of sound mind, should be able to choose to do whatever they want, as long as they cause no harm to others".
in Kuwait, in Qatar (one only hours old and hand reared) and now in Turkey.
I agree with popcorn girl, carry on as normal. When they are ready and trust you they will come to you.
Cats rule the house!!!!!!!! Got 5 of the little f)ckers, whom I love dearly.
Best advice is carry on with what you are doing. It is the rule of hard knocks with cats. Show them who is the boss. Gentle but firm discipline will work.
They are new to you but you are new to them but they have to realise this is your home and you have rules. They are fed, watered and loved; they know this. let them love the fact they are loved but are disciplined too.
To be honest it's a BIT like bringing kids up, you love them but they have to know you are the one in charge.
I will hoist that up the flag pole and see who salutes it!!
Well, 6 weeks old is quite young but in a week they need their first vaccination...
You won't ever achieve anything by force, especially not with cats. You need to give them the time they need and try to provoke their curiosity. If they have a basket or place where they sleep try to put a T-shirt you worn before in there so that they get used to your smell and treat them the way their mother would (good kitten gets milk, bad kitten will be ignored)
They need to learn how to socialize. Cuddling them and holding them is part of that. However as was mentioned above, they all have their own personalities which you will notice down the road. I had one cat, which adopted me. Unfortunately she was killed last week by a car. However all the time she was with us (inside) she never wanted me to touch her. She did follow me around the house and was clearly very happy to be with us, but no touching nor picking up. Since last night I adopted an other little cat. Maybe 4 weeks old. I dont know who her mother is. She just appeared at my door screaming for food. I washed her as she was quite dirty and she is hiding in the kitchen. She eats well and I just talk to her but let her get used to everything, including the other cats. I am sure that is a couple of weeks she will fit right in.
Aisha-Taweela
Like people, each cat has its own unique personality. Some cats love to be held, others don't like to be picked up at all. Most cats love to be petted. Keep working on getting them used to you. They're probably feral, but they can be domesticated. Try to pick them up and hold them for a little bit several times a day. So what if they hiss. Make sure you take them to a vet soon. Good luck.
(Sometimes you're the windshield, and sometimes you're the bug...)
It takes time. They need to feel comfortable with you and their surroundings.
I trained a couple of abandoned kittens by feeding them some canned cat food on a spoon and they got close enough for me to pet. (They ate dry food normally)
After several weeks, I was able to hold one and the other never came around. He preferred to be pet gently on the head and was not interested in being held.
Good luck. It may take a few months---just don't stress them out by grabbing them before they're ready. ;)