Help with kitten...?

Question

I got a kitten on Friday. I got her from my local vet. They found her in some ones yard and took her in. THey think she is about 3 months old.
i brought her home and she has been hiding ever since.
she only comes out at night when everyone is sleeping and she cries all night long. like a kitten who was seperated from its mother.
i leave food out for her and i try and find her but i have a big house.
Do i let her be and let her come out on her own? She came out of hiding for a little while last night. but as soon as she sees some one she runs.
Is there anything i can do???

P.S. I dont have an extra room that I can keep her in. Its either my bedroom or my sons bedroom.
So I think I will let her hide where she pleases.
Maybe I will just get some toys and try and get her to come out and play when shes ready.

Answer 1

This kitten has had a hard start in life!! She has to learn how to trust again. I would sit back and wait for her to come out on her own. And she will eventually.
Just have some patience and she will come to you when she is ready for it. xXx

Answer 2

This little kitten is not socialized, which is to say, she hasn't adjusted to people and learned to trust people. The reason you could handle her and she didn't run in the vet's office was probably because she was in a cage.

Look at it this way, you are a few days old and you have a mommy and siblings. Then suddenly you don't. Then this big, smelly thing that doesn't meow or bump noses or purr seizes you and takes you to this place that smells -- oooooh, I just don't know how to describe it. And there are DOGS there and other cats with tubes coming out of them sometimes. And they scream in fear. And they scream in pain.

Then this big, smelly thing comes in and hugs you and bares its teeth at you and loads you in a box and takes you to another place loaded with hiding places. Well, you know how to handle scary things. You hide from them. And since you are nocturnal, you only come out at night, when the smelly things are in their nests. And where is mommy? Where are my brothers and sisters?

That is what you are dealing with. The best way to socialize a terrified little kitten is to put it in a cage. Maybe you can borrow one from the vet. You will need it for about 2 weeks. You put the cage on a table or stand in a busy room, living room, family room, kitchen -- by a window would be nice. You put food, water, potty, a little nest of clean rags, and you drape a blanket or sheet over the cage on all sides except where the door is. Basically, you give the kitten a little hiding place, but you control the situation.

Then just go about your daily routines. Let the kitten watch you (cats are VERY observant), smell you, adjust to your rhythms and sounds and learn there is nothing terrifying about you. And every time you open that cage door, let it be to give her something nice -- food, a little loving, a toy, a clean potty. She needs to know that 1) you will never, ever hurt her; 2) you will supply all her needs; 3) you are her new mommy and your home is her territory -- all hers.

You will know that you are a trusted creature when she comes to the front of the cage to greet you and does not run from your hand when you open the cage door.

If it is possible, at night, take the cage into the bedroom with you. When she cries out, go to the cage, take her out, and cuddle her. She is a baby. She is scared and confused, and she needs reassurance. If you have an old piece of real fur or can lay hands on even a nice piece of faux fur to put in with her at night, this will help a lot. The sooner she feels safe and reassured, the sooner this behavior will disappear.

And it will disappear quickly. Kittens are children. They grow by playing and are dependent on the authority figures in their environments. As soon as she knows she can trust you, she will turn to the very serious business of play and growth -- an let you run the show.

When it is clear she has become comfortable -- this will probably take only 5 or so days -- put the cage on the floor of the room you keep it in, and open the door. Let her come out at her own pace and explore that one room only. Leave the cage on the floor with the door open so she can retreat to it as she feels necessary. When she is comfortable with that room, and really knows it, let her explore a little more, one room at a time until she has some of the important rooms down. Then you can dispense with the cage.

The key to the whole thing is trust. You must gain her trust, and you do this with gentleness, consistency, trustworthiness and simply unconditional love. Once she trusts you, you are home free. The sooner this bond happens, the sooner all this scaredy-cat stuff will stop.

For now, if you can't lay hands on her, you may have to trap her. No-kill shelters have things called Have-a-Heart traps that you can put some stinky (fish-flavored) cat food in and set. The kitten gets safely inside the trap and the door closes.

She will be all right. Just now, though, she is a scared little bee-bee in a boxcar, if you know what I mean.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Try keeping her in one room at first. The enormity of the house may make her insecure. Sit in there and talk to her and try to coax her out with food. Don't force yourself on her but let her come to you. Gently pick her up and pet her when you can and don't make sudden movements. Cats usually take 2-4 weeks to get acclimated to a new place and she just may need some time. She sounds like she didn't have much human contact before, so make sure that the human contact she gets now is all positive. If there are small kids in the house, keep them from being loud and grabby. Good luck and be patient.
PS Don't give cats dairy products, it's not good for their digestive systems. Especially kittens. Causes diarrhea.

Answer 4

This is normal for any cat introduced to a new environment. If you can find her try to put her, food and litterbox in a smaller room, like an unused bathroom, with the door closed for a few days, then leave the door ajar, but well closed over and let her venture out as she is ready. She just needs to learn the sounds and smells of your home, its a scary place for her, especially if you have other pets. She is a kitten who was seperated from her mother, and cats are nocturnal, maybe fix her a basket or box with a towel so she feels cozy.

Answer 5

Congratulations on saving a life. Here are some helpful hints. She's in a new house with all different sites and smells. This sounds cruel, but put her in the smallest room in your house. Believe me, she'll be grateful for it. Make sure the room has a litter box, on one side, and on the other far side, food and water. Get a box for her to hide in, turn it upside down and make a small hole for her to get in so its like a little cave. She'll hide in there for a while until she is sure that nothing is going to hurt her. You can keep her in that small room for 2-3 days. Then, when you go to bed, you can open the door a crack. This will allow her access to go out and explore the house on her own terms. Because she will be familiar with her room, she'll know that she has a safe haven if anything scares her. Good Luck.

Answer 6

well, if she was outside, she was probably born outside. which means she was never, or barely around people. and they say and cat who grew up outside cant be trained to live inside. but then again, if she is only 3 months old, then she can probably still be trained.

what you can do to get it used to you is get some tuna, cats love tuna, and put some on a plate, and hold the plate, and slowly approach her. if she starts to back away, then stop, but wave the plate in front of her face. and she will be able to smell it and she might approach you. if she doesnt, then approach her even slower. and just set the plate down. and back away a little, but to where you can still reach the plate. she should eventually approach the plate and when she does, slowly approach the plate again. and if she starts to back away again, stop again. keep doing this until she is eating the tuna and you are right next to her. then pet her and let her smell you(thats how cats know who you are) and try to stay there until shes done with the tuna. then pet her some more. on the face around where the whiskers are and under and behind the ears. these are most cats favorite spot to be petted. because they have glands on their face that release oils(their scent). and if he scent is on you, she will become familiar with you too. if you need any more help, email me.

Answer 7

I had this problem with a cat I once owned. Try getting some toys and putting catnip on them. Then call her name and lay in the floor to let her know that you mean no harm. It may take some time for her to come out but she will and when she does she will sniff and try to become more comfortable with you. Then you can play with the toys with her. At that point she will know that you are "nice" and the endless nights of the "crying kitten" will cease!

Answer 8

She will come out of hiding eventually but I would put her in a room with food and water and a cat litter box so she could feel safe and secure in one room and once she comes out of hiding from that room open the door slightly and everntually she'll go out exploring the rest of the house. Also in the room I would put toys and maybe a medium stuffed animal for comfort. Good Luck

Answer 9

My kitten was the same way when I got her... She's still a little shy actually. She's in a big new place for the first time, just give her some time and she will get used to you. Give her attention as much as you can too, and let her know she is safe where she is. Good luck :)

Answer 10

Well, if you can, it would be best to enclose her in ONE room. Putting a kitten in a big house right from the start, is VERY scary. It helps when they only have one room to adjust to first, and then they can get adjusted to you, and THEN they get the whole house.

Other than that....it's only been a few days, it could take weeks before this kitten feels comfortable with her surroundings. Just be patient and try to keep the household quiet.