Adopted an abused amputee kitten, but worried about him?

Question

Hi,

We recently adopted a kitten via my sister who is a Vet Nurse. This lovely little chap is 9 weeks old or thereaboutrs, was badly starving, and had severe infections and a bad leg / tail. The vets amputated the tail and leg before we got him and sorted the infections, but after a week he is still a complete nervous wreck!
I've adopted abused animals before but after a week they normally show some signs of familiarity, this little one just shakes. He also often has accidents (anywhere but the litter tray) and will sit in it.

I recognise he's traumatised and we're sticking it out with him, but need advice too. He does play / move about at night, but never by day.

We do have another older cat, but he and the kitten just steer clear of each other, which seems OK for the moment- we can work on that later.

Just to add: took him to vets today, he has to have surgery for broken jaw too. BUT he's purring in my company, becoming mobile and even giving little cat kisses! yay! What a loving fellow he is, a real gem.

Answer 1

He is only 9 weeks old, he is still extremely young. The litter training will take awhile, I had a cat who when was young, never used the littler box, thought it as a bed. So we had to lock him in a cage with the box and he started using it, but he was a lot older than 9 weeks. Just give the cat time. And on the nothing warming up yet, i have a cat she is 1 1/2 old, my husband and I adopted her from a shelter, where she had lived her entire life. And we have had about 8 months and she still hasn't complete warmed up to my husband, but is doing pretty good with me. She is so much better now than when we got her, we would go days without seeing her. Just give the kitten some time and he will come around. It sounds like he deserves the time and will love the love he gets. Good luck

Answer 2

Even a kitten from a straightforward background could be expected to be still unsure after a week, so with one that has been traumatised you will be in for a long haul.

To help your kitten settle in, you should start him off in only one room, so that he can begin to feel relaxed in a familiar area. Give him his litter tray, food and a bed that feels safe. Cats like to sleep under or inside something, the walls and roof give them a sense of security so make sure the bed is well protected.

Try to feed him small meals regularly and try him with a very small amount of treats such as boiled chicken or fish.

When you are in the room with him, come down to his level by lying on the floor and let him approach you or try a game with a piece of string. Don't pick him up yet - it is much too frightening.

As long as you stay calm and gentle and spend plenty of time with him, even if you are not interacting very much then he will start to respond.

Litter training can take place once you have passed the first stage and the kitten is relaxed in your company. At the moment he is using the tray as home as the recognisable scent comforts him.

In my experience kittens take a good few months to fully settle in, so just bide your time.

Answer 3

Poor you and poor little beggar. It will take longer than a week for the little one to get over whatever it was caused him to lose his tail and leg, and a broken jaw. Sounds like he had a real bad accident. Or dread to think if someone did this to him. It may be he has these little accidents and then sits in them, because he can't control his bowels yet. Somehow he may have an internal injury also. I assume he has been x-rayed. Give him a little more time, but try to help him into the litter tray if you are around when he wants to go. All the very best of luck to you all.

Answer 4

Oh my thank you so much for taking the poor little thing in to love.

If he is that young, he probably never had a chance to learn about a litter box from his mother. You are going to have to watch him for signs of when he is ready to go and put him in the box. Is it low enough that he can make it over the edge by himself? Does your other cat sit by it to intimidate him into not using it? You could try a disposable aluminum cake pan and when he has an accident, put it in the litter in the pan so that he will start to realize that's where he goes. And make sure that wherever he does go you use an enzyme cleaner for pet urine so he doesn't go there again.

Aside from the trauma, he could be shaking from all the meds he's been given too. That's a lot for such a little body to go through. He could also be cold which wouldn't be unusual at all if he's shocked. Maybe a little nest for him out of an old blanket would help and if it's on the floor, put something under it so the cold doesn't come up on him. If you've held him against your body long enough for him to warm and he doesn't shake, then he's cold.

Give him lots of love. Cuddle him like a mother would and send him warm secure thoughts. Please be very patient with him.

Again, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Answer 5

All he needs is a bit more time. He's had an awful start in life, but with your love and patience he'll come round eventually. Even a kitten with the best start in life needs a while to settle in. My siamese kitten took about 2 weeks to find his feet in his new home and even longer to get along with my 3-legged moggie. Having an amputee cat is no different from a normal cat, they don't feel sorry for themselves and it's amazing how well they adapt. So persevere and all will be well. Good luck.

Answer 6

Well done on your adoption! You're clearly a very caring, warm hearted person and your little kitten is very lucky to having such a wonderful owner.

You've already been given lots of great advice. It's early days and the kitten has had a terrible life so far. It will take time, he's terribly traumatised, but once he realises that he's in a warm and safe haven, I'm sure he'll become a very loving pet.

Good luck.

Answer 7

Bless you for taking him on. He sounds like an emotional train wreck, and who could blame him?!
You are on the right course of letting him take his time to come to you. It could be a month or more.
I'd tend towards having him in a room of his own instead of the entire house. Easier to clean up the accidents and he may learn better to use the box more consistently. Seattle is right about his security and wanting to stay in the litterbox.
Also when you go in to set down food, water and box cleanings he's got closer contact with you. Consider having a daily snack for yourself in that room with some really good smelling food like roasted chicken or some tuna. Set a bit down close to where he's hiding but sit back out of reach. You can try talking to him, even make purring and chirrup sounds like a mom would make to her kits. Even if he won't come out of hiding the first time for it while you are there, make that a routine. I'd expect after a few days he will start expecting that treat and become more visible.
The feral kit I had took about 2 months before he decided he needed to be petted, he was approx 10-12 weeks old when I trapped them to bring home rather than let the city go in and kill them and mom. His siblings came around within a week.

Answer 8

Hi Mark...bless your heart for having so much love and compassion to give this little one a home with you.

Most cats who are very stressed will stay confined within the litterbox as it smells familiar to them since it's their own scent there. As he's been through so much trauma recently it will possibly take him awhile longer to adjust than usual. Consider keeping him isolated in a small room with food, water, toys, litter and bedding so he can venture about not only when it's quiet at night, but at day so long as the room is quiet. This will help him feel some sense of security whereas a larger space may be a bit overwhelming at this time. Also having him confined in the small room helps keep the litter tray nearby and will help with litter retraining as well. Visit him frequently and sit quietly to help him become accustomed to your presence. Eventually, if his appetite is good offer him some small bits of boiled chicken (cooked with only water nothing else) and any possible toys that interests him--try anything and everything to see what tickles his fancy. This will help him to learn to trust you and open up a little more each time you spend together.

Have a lot of patience and gradually and gently encourage him to explore food and toys with you. Eventually, you can open the door to the rest of the home to explore. If he feels uncomfortable at least he can run back to the safe room and try each time he becomes a little braver. Consider adding another litter tray so he can have one to sit in and another perhaps to use for his business.

Answer 9

The kitten has been through a bit of hell, it is going to take some time before trust sets in. I would be concerned that it doesn't move away from its excretement, it may be worth talking to the vet about that and having the kitten checked out again.
I wouldn't expect to see any trust in the little one for quite a while I'm sure within the month it will start to warm to you. I've found that if you are very still and quiet with them (lying down) and you allow them to join you you can often win them over faster.
Good luck

Answer 10

I would not expect a very sick and traumatised kitten to be showing signs of becoming tame after only one week. He may never get right. I too have done rescue and have at least one cat here who after 2 years is still not 100% trusting of me.
I would advise that you back off, offer him no gestures of friendliness and make no advances towards him. Leave him to work it all out for himself however long it takes. What seems to help is paying lots of attention to other cats in the family and allowing him to watch you interact with the other cat while still basically ignoring him. By all means talk to him softly, but avoid making eye contact with him. Hopefully he will sit back and watch what you do with the other cat and how the other cat interacts with you. At this stage, any advances or eye contact with him will be percieved as a possible threat and any step forward he has made, will turn into 2 steps back. It all has to be on his terms I'm afraid.