question for the kitten owners

[BlaqueKatt]

ok a kitten recently aquired me(was sitting on my doorstep when I came home from work a couple days ago) and as I've always had full grown cats I have no Idea if he's feral or just exhibiting normal kitten behavior-he hisses whenever you are within 3 feet of him, hides almost constantly, and eats like he's half-starved. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep him or attempt to locate a better home, but I couldn't leave him to fend for himself and dread taking him to a shelter. He does use a litter box with no problem and is really cuddly once you get him out from under the furniture(purring and falling asleep on my lap) I'm just not sure if he needs someone that can devote more time to socializing or if he'll "grow out of it". Any advice is appreciated. My husband is allergic, but said he deal with it if I want to keep him.

BlaqueKatt-Kitten mommy

[Bella_Vixen]

I'm voting for a little bit of both...but am leaning towards "very scared." He must have ran away from home, if he uses his litter box well and all. Wish I could take the little baby in, but my two brats would object. :Þ

[Trishlovesdolphins]

he's prolly very scared, and he's prolly very hungry. i'd give it a few days. if he calms down once you pull him out and cuddle, he's prolly still getting used to knowing you won't hurt him. it took a few months for our full grown cat that we took in before he wouldn't flinch when we walked into the same room, we think he was abused.

[The Gatekeeper]

Yup scared, and needs to be socialized. Pick him up a lot, and then put him right down. Don't let him "scare" you off with the hissing. That is what he is trying to do. Do not feed him cows milk. Depending on how old he is, he can have kitten food, or you can buy a milk substitute. If you want to PM me, I can provide more info if you need it. I'm on my second rescue litter this summer.

[CanadaGirl]

Sounds like he was abused if he hisses when you come near, but doesn't hiss after getting used to you being near him and not hurting him. He probably hides because of the new surroundings and the whole being-abused issue. As for the food, he probably wasn't fed well. I'd take him to a vet to get him checked over if I were you, incase he has a slight case of distemper or worms or something.

[BrightEyedKitty]

He'll come around. Treat him gently, give him lots of attention, and work with him. Yes, he's going to hide until he gets used to the place, but animals, in my experience, seem to adapt well enough, some faster than others.

The fact that he starts purring and falls asleep in your lap tells me that he has the potential to make a good pet. And as far as gulping the food, most strays wil do that, since they may not have a steady food supply, and thus will be afraid they won't be getting any more.

And FYI, unless a cat/kitten has some kind of problem, they all know how to use the litter box. The mother teaches them to bury their waste, and even if it's an outdoor cat, it's not much of a jump going from dirt outdoors to litter box.

[protege]

My cat was like that when we first got him. He'd been abused by my Jerry Springer-show-reject cousin, and wasn't too willing to be near people. He hid under various shrubs and porch furniture for awhile...until he realized that I wasn't going to hurt him. It took quite awhile for him to trust me. Even now, roughly 12 years later, he's still skittish around 'new' people and will take off if he doesn't know you.

He does have a slightly odd thing though. Whenever a 'strange' car shows up at the farm, he'll go hide until the driver is in the house. Then he'll go over and sniff each wheel. I guess that's how he can tell which vehicles are 'friendly' (that is, the owner will pet him or feed him) and which ones he should avoid.

[Banrion]

All good suggestions. The other thing you can do, is give him a place of his own. Somewhere in the house where he can go, and you promise not to bother him there. The cat my mom and I rescued chose a laundry basket on top of the dryer for example. After a while, he will realize that he has a safe place, and the curiosity will take over and he will come out and socialize all on his own, knowing that if he spooks, he can just run back to the safe spot.

[CaroPhoenix]

My kitty Kyra was the exact same way. We got her from a shelter. She had been abandoned at least twice before we got her. Even now, 3 years later, she's skittish around people she doesn't know, but she loves to have me pet her (she'll even pounce on my lap no matter what I'm doing!) and she'll talk all the time! I love her and wouldn't have her any other way.

Just give your new kitty lots of love and affection, feed him/her on a regular schedule. Get kitty checked out by a vet and just be there for him/her!

[Bella_Vixen]

I rescued my Rookie from a pet store. Thanks Becks!!!!!!!!!

Rooks has owned me for 13 years now, but she still hides from people who come to visit. She's even leery around family she sees everyday. I have to tell her that family is coming to visit, so she won't hide under my bed for the duration.

But, she IS a very loving cat. She allows herself to be petted by my mom and my nephew, and even held on occasion. She'll even talk to them from time to time.

Basically, give the baby some time. And (maybe) a trip to the vet to be on the safe side.

[Sunsetsky]

It just sounds like he's very scared. When I was a little we got a kitten from a couple who found her and a sibling on the streets. She always hissed at us and wouldn't let anyone in the family (except my mom) pet her. It's possible that the kitten you found may warm up to you. But it's also possible that he won't. You can probably just wait and see what happens.