Calling Mags and other catsperts

[caybee 21]

We adopted a little brother and sister today, right at 8 weeks old. We brought them home and they ate a little, then crawled under the bed to the farthest point and are just hanging out under there. It's been a long time since I had a kitten. Whenever I've moved my cats, they've hidden under furniture in the new place until they felt more comfortable. With these being so young, should we just let them stay there until they're ready? We don't want to stress them. We chose two littermates who like to sleep together, and my instinct is to give them as much time as they need. There are no other animals in the house.

Thank you! :luv:

Edited April 24, 2008 by mona_jamie

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Ah, they are just babies, and while many people adopt them out at 8 weeks, they should actually stay with the mother until at least 12 weeks for proper 'cat' socialization. Still, you got two and that is good. Yes, they are hiding now because they are frightened and in a totally new place. They have been used to living with mama and their litter mates and are now all alone in a strange new world with strange new smells and sights and sounds. Their world has been totally turned upside down. It might be a good idea to confine them just to the one room for a few days until they are comfortable exploring there. The fact that they have eaten is good. I would make sure their food and water and litter box are close to where they are - it may mean putting them beside the bed for a while (don't put the food and water beside the litter box, though - separate them).

How much socialization have they had already with people? If they haven't had much it will take some time for them to come out. If they have been handled, then they should come out fairly soon. Give them the time they need. Let them set the pace, but in the meantime, talk to them and have some toys in their area - things they might chase like belts or ropes that you can try and entice them with during the day if they don't venture out on their own. (don't use yarn or anything that thin - it can be dangerous).

Hopefully they will feel more comfortable soon and will begin to take over the place, the way cats are supposed to . Good luck! Have you selected names for them yet?

Edited April 24, 2008 by Kathryn41

[Ban Hammer 13,973]

they'll come out when they are good and ready.

[L_n_O 3]

another thing you can do is put them in a crate (large one) and let them feed and sleep in there..

that way they can feel like they belong

and once a week or two goes by, you can occassionally open the door and just leave it that way and watch them discover the rest of the room

this method is used especially when there are older cats in the house

it helps them watch the kittens and get used to the idea and vice versa...

[caybee 21]

They're playing now, on their own, and the more adventurous one came out for a short time. I didn't realize 12 weeks was preferable. The family we adopted them from ended up with 10 kittens within a couple of weeks, and they've had quite a bit of human contact. We spent time with them a few weeks ago to let them start getting used to us. We're both quiet people and there won't be a lot of stimulation. We'll keep them in the bedroom for a while. I'm just fussing over them a little. Thank you for all the good advice.

[sara535 15]

I think we need baby kitty pics!

[Kathryn41 3,205]

They're playing now, on their own, and the more adventurous one came out for a short time. I didn't realize 12 weeks was preferable. The family we adopted them from ended up with 10 kittens within a couple of weeks, and they've had quite a bit of human contact. We spent time with them a few weeks ago to let them start getting used to us. We're both quiet people and there won't be a lot of stimulation. We'll keep them in the bedroom for a while. I'm just fussing over them a little. Thank you for all the good advice.

That sounds good then, and very good that they have had a fair bit of socialization already. Yes, the mama cat does a lot of their 'cat' training between 8 and 12 weeks old, teaching them things like how to hunt and survival type stuff, as well as giving them more confidence and developing their cat interaction skills. I don't think you will have any problems with them and will find them roaming the bedroom pretty adventurously on their own within the next two days, although they may well race for the safety of under the bed if something startles them. Have fun! And we are still waiting for names

[Carolyn 1]

We adopted our two gorgeous kitties last spring when they were 8 weeks old, too. They were also littermates and are WONDERFUL, social creatures! I think having two of them is great--they will definitely keep each other company and keep you entertained as well.

[MrsCat 6]

How sweet to have two new kitties in your life. There is nothing sweeter than a little kitty face to greet you in the morning and at the end of the day.

You're totally right in your assumption that they need time. When my newest addition came to live with us, he hid under the bed for two weeks. I would take him and place him under the covers at night, where it was dark and he would sleep. I think this really helped with his adjustment, since he would actually snuggle at night and enjoyed being warm and felt safe under the blankets. Finally he would sneak around the house. After a month, he would walk around freely and eat without running away when someone came around.

We adopted him at 3 months, and he was nearly feral. It took a long time. But he loves attention and company now from anyone, including strangers.

Your little ones will be fine. They're just young and scared.

[caybee 21]

I think we need baby kitty pics!

Here ya go. The girl on the left will be the holy terror. She's already looked in every corder of the room, and I think she leadeth her brother astray. He's very shy and sweet.

Hubby looked under the bed and didn't see them, looked again and realized they were inside the box springs! They had found a small hole in the fabric and climbed in without a peep. We lifted the box springs very carefully, pulled the fabric loose, and got them out. Now the springs are completely exposed, so we're afraid to let them back under the bed. We put them in a crate, and they immediately curled up to sleep. That will probably be the best solution until we can kittenproof the room better.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Ah, she's a little calico! She looks like she will be a very pretty cat when grown up. So does he:-).

Hehehhe about the box springs! We used to have one who climbed inside the sofa until we figured out how to close the hole he made. Smart that your husband looked and found them - they can get into dangerous situations. When we were looking for a new chair my husband wanted a recliner - so we made sure it was a high leg recliner with lots of room underneath to make sure a cat wouldn't get caught if the chair closed up.

Good luck kitten-proofing the house! You probably have all of this taken care of, but some useful things I have found: - if you have blinds with cords - make sure there are no loops or knots in the cords that can get around little necks. We have all of the blind cords straight and then looped up out of reach. All plants that are potentially dangerous are also suspended by plant hangers in windows and not accessible - they have their own sacrifice grass-type plant that they are allowed to chew and go after instead, and electrical cords are covered by the plastic cord runners/covers - or in places where they dangle down, by pieces of the foam insulating pipe cover that you can get at hardware stores - they're inexpensive and they wrap around nicely and keep cords out of reach of little teeth, although they look a bit strange.

[Sinergy 3]

They are very very cute

[Leafgal 3]

OMG they are adorable.

[caybee 21]

Thank you for the great ideas!

[Jenn! 918]

SO cute!

We have a brother and sister too! Got them at about 10 weeks. They're best buddies...you're gonna have so much fun with them!