# Need help with new Kitten



## JerryM (Jul 18, 2010)

Hi Guys,

I hope you can help. I brought my new kitten home yesterday and I'm worried that she's not settling in terribly well.

I've only been able to feed her from my hand and I've not seen her drink anything yet. Every moment she's awake she's miaowing.

If I cuddle her, she's very playful and seems happy and stops crying, but I'm just worried about her constant crying when I'm not cuddling her. I don't want her to associate crying with getting attention.

Does she just need more time to settle in?

Any advice would be great.


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

Hi Jerry. How old is your kitten? If she's quite young (6-8 weeks ) she's probably still crying for her mum, so yes she does need more time to settle. If you are feeding wet food (cans, pouches etc) don't worry too much about the not drinking as cats get most of their liquid from food. If on dry food she might need some encouragement to drink, maybe a water-fountain as many cats like the running water (mine likes to drink from a running tap!)
Wishing you the best of luck with her and I'm sure she'll settle into your routine soon enough. A couple of days isn't long to be in a new environment.
Pictures would be nice too :thumbup:


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

JerryM said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> I hope you can help. I brought my new kitten home yesterday and I'm worried that she's not settling in terribly well.
> 
> ...


what's the kittens age and what is her weight??

We see an awful lot of posts in here about young kittens who become very ill because they are not properly weaned onto solids before leaving the mother cat, so when they go to their new owners they slowly become very ill due to not eating enough. So most of us really won't be able to give advice until we know those two things (age and weight).


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## JerryM (Jul 18, 2010)

She's 6 weeks old, but she won't stay on the scales long enough to be weighed, but looks like about 0.5-1 kilo.

Funnily enough, she's fed from my hand today and has since livened up a bit and started to explore her environment a bit more although she seems to have a propensity towards electric cables  Still crying through, but guess that's cause she is so young.

I was dubious about getting her so young, but the breeder assured me that it was absolutely fine. I did ask whether we should wait until she's 8 weeks. Perhaps I've been stupid, so, just want her to be happy now.

I guess I'll just have to feed her from my hand and then placing her next to the bowl, hopefully one day, she'll start eating from it on her own... until then, not going to let her starve, so now that I've found a way that she'll eat, I'll keep this up.


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## JerryM (Jul 18, 2010)

I think I've managed to attach photos...


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

JerryM said:


> She's 6 weeks old, but she won't stay on the scales long enough to be weighed, but looks like about 0.5-1 kilo.
> 
> Funnily enough, she's fed from my hand today and has since livened up a bit and started to explore her environment a bit more although she seems to have a propensity towards electric cables  Still crying through, but guess that's cause she is so young.
> 
> ...


6 weeks is very young and definitely puts her in the at risk category regards not being properly weaned and needing LOADS of encouragement to eat possibly even more drastic help than just encouragement (we see soooo much of this on here)

I know weighing her is difficult, but can you pop her in a shoe box with a lid and then weigh her. Or a cat-carrier, or any old box you have lying around and weight her that way if she's amll enough even something like a plastic salad bowl will do.

the reason I am hammering on about weight is.

if she is 500grams you have (potentially) a very big problem on your hands, and need to take action straight away

but if she is 1000grams she is fine. Still young, but a great weight and nothing to worry about.

Can you maybe weigh her again???

Even a pillowslip will do to weight her in (kitten in pillow slip), she only has to be restrained for literally 2 seconds to get a reading.

I wont even tell you what I think of breeders who rehome kittens at 6 weeks old its terrible and should be outlawed. But that wont help you right now to hear.

By all means (in fact PLEASE) keep hand feeding her she needs it feed her as much as you can as often as you can it will only be temporary I promise.

But please try and get a half accurate reading of her weight.


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

JerryM said:


> I think I've managed to attach photos...


awwww, she's a lovely wee thing, and doesn't appear at first glance to be *that* small or underweight, but photos can be very deceiving. I hope you can manage to weigh her


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## Waterlily (Apr 18, 2010)

aw she's a beauty  and yeah she is prolly crying for her mum but have you got a ticking clock you can put near her bed and hot water bottle under her blankies or something that may help. I got Sarah at five weeks (long horrid story) and she was sucking her food she couldnt eat properly and she even now has "mummy" issues where she sucks my ear and kneads my neck and hair. Just make sure she gets the right supplements in her diet and give her extra comfort.


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## JerryM (Jul 18, 2010)

Just weighed her again, she's not 1000 grams, more like 750, so not quite as bad as 500.

On the plus side, she does have an appetite, I woke her up when weighing her, so I fed her again and she just had quite a big amount of food from my hand. My ambition is that she'll have finished the pouch before I go to bed. - she's doing well so far 

By the way - I'm thinking of Maisie as a name? Any other suggestions?


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## Waterlily (Apr 18, 2010)

JerryM said:


> Just weighed her again, she's not 1000 grams, more like 750, so not quite as bad as 500.
> 
> On the plus side, she does have an appetite, I woke her up when weighing her, so I fed her again and she just had quite a big amount of food from my hand. My ambition is that she'll have finished the pouch before I go to bed. - she's doing well so far
> 
> By the way - I'm thinking of Maisie as a name? Any other suggestions?


I think Maisie is a fab name :thumbup:


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

JerryM said:


> Just weighed her again, she's not 1000 grams, more like 750, so not quite as bad as 500.
> 
> On the plus side, she does have an appetite, I woke her up when weighing her, so I fed her again and she just had quite a big amount of food from my hand. My ambition is that she'll have finished the pouch before I go to bed. - she's doing well so far
> 
> By the way - I'm thinking of Maisie as a name? Any other suggestions?


750 grams is definitely a very decent weight for 6 weeks old.

For you own benefit, weigh her daily at set times (and note down her weight each day), so you know she is eating enough. She should gain at a very minimum 15grams per day, each and every day

any less is bad and much be acted upon immediately.

anything more than 15 grams is wonderful even if its 50 or 60gram in a day.

And Maisie sound a wonderful name.


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## JerryM (Jul 18, 2010)

Tje said:


> 750 grams is definitely a very decent weight for 6 weeks old.
> 
> For you own benefit, weigh her daily at set times (and note down her weight each day), so you know she is eating enough. She should gain at a very minimum 15grams per day, each and every day
> 
> ...


Tje and everyone else, thank you. You've made me feel much much better. Feel very guilty for taking her so young and hope you don't think I'm a bad person because of it. Guess I got hoodwinked by a crafty saleswoman in the end.

All that matters now is that I keep her fed and happy - I shall give updates on her progress if you like?

So glad I found this forum, I can see it's going to be a source of support over the coming weeks.

Another question, I've bought her Kitten Milk as she's not fully weaned. I read that she'd drink the milk when she wants to, but as she's wary of the food bowls at the moment, should I try bottle feeding her some?

Jerry


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## Cuddlecat (Jul 8, 2010)

I can't answer re the milk, but i guess if you know she isn't fully weaned and she is a little underweight you may as well give it a go.

I can't speak for others but I don't think badly of you. There are lots of naughty breeders who are only in it to make money, and sometimes if you are a new cat owner it is easy to get taken in, especially when they are as cute as your one is  I've always had a thing for lil' grey kitties!Yet to own one but you know maybe one day I will 'find one' at the cat rescue and have to bring him home! x


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

JerryM said:


> Tje and everyone else, thank you. You've made me feel much much better. Feel very guilty for taking her so young and hope you don't think I'm a bad person because of it. Guess I got hoodwinked by a crafty saleswoman in the end.
> 
> All that matters now is that I keep her fed and happy - I shall give updates on her progress if you like?
> 
> ...


buyers like you don't know that 6 weeks is too young... the breeder knows all to well it's too young, so I'll save my wrath for her, lol.

Yes please.... keep the updates coming!!

Regards the kitten milk... if she wont drink it out of a bowl, try a flat saucer or plate, or even try to get her to lick it off your finger... I definitely wouldn;t bottle feed her. Even oprhan kittens with no mother, we stop bottle feeding by 5 weeks at the latest. There is too much choking risk to offset against the fact that at 6 weeks and 750gram she doesn't technically _need_ milk anymore (tho it is a big bonus if she will drink it). She'll thank you for bits of boiled chicken or plain boiled white fish though 

edited to add..... with the kitten milk.... you could always gently dip her paw into it, that way she'll lick her paw clean and if she likes the taste she WILL learn to lap it from a flat plate or saucer.


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

Cuddlecat said:


> I I've always had a thing for lil' grey kitties!


LOL, you and 80% of the UK population. (seems blue is the most saught after kitten colour in the UK.)

(p.s. the cat is grey, but generaly referred to as blue)


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## JerryM (Jul 18, 2010)

She's a Tabby, so I'm thinking that she'll probably end up with faint black stripes when she grows up


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## Cuddlecat (Jul 8, 2010)

Tje said:


> LOL, you and 80% of the UK population. (seems blue is the most saught after kitten colour in the UK.)
> 
> (p.s. the cat is grey, but generaly referred to as blue)


Ahhh thanks for the tip! Well if anyone is in Kent, Bredhurst CP has got quite a few in at the mo...but I couldn't resist the one who wouldn't shut up :lol:


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

Cuddlecat said:


> Ahhh thanks for the tip! Well if anyone is in Kent, Bredhurst CP has got quite a few in at the mo...but I couldn't resist the one who wouldn't shut up :lol:


*cough cough* you know, as a new member with a new kitten, the forum rules dictate you have 48 hours to posts photos of said kitten, or you get banned and arrested :lol:


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

Tje said:


> *cough cough* you know, as a new member with a new kitten, the forum rules dictate you have 48 hours to posts photos of said kitten, or you get banned and arrested :lol:


oooops I will now be banned and arrested and tortured, for not clicking on the avatar picture first, lol. :lol:


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## Cuddlecat (Jul 8, 2010)

Lol! the two tabbies, well one is no longer with us, the stripey one, Snuggles is now a six year old brute; the other two little black ones, well that was taken today! The smaller one is Gypsy, the larger with the white on his chest, my son has named Charles II...what happened to Charles I is anyone's guess!


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## hobbs2004 (Mar 12, 2010)

Gypsy is adorable! So is Charles II! Gorgeous!


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## Cuddlecat (Jul 8, 2010)

Thank you, they were found abandoned in a cardboard box  bless their little black paws  they are shut in the dining room for now. I had been stroking Charles II, then I touched Snuggles...and he looked at me as though I had just wiped cat poo on him :lol: (sorry to hijack your thread op!)


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

Cuddlecat said:


> I had been stroking Charles


it's ok  I won't tell Camilla

(they are lovely, and I think the name Charles II is actually quite cool) :thumbup:


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## JerryM (Jul 18, 2010)

Pleased to say that, Toots (who has been renamed by my friends little boy) ate on her own this morning and seems an awful lot happier than she has done over the past few days


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## luisa (Jul 14, 2010)

i got my babies at 6 weeks they are 9 weeks old today 

mine stil cry a tiny bit but if u distract her she should be ok

ollie is a big baby tho an trys to suckkle me still 



keep up the good work x


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