24 hours after getting my F2 home

[Todd L]

Well its been nearly 24 hours that my new F2 has been home. We drove 8 hours yesterday to get him from the breeders to our home.

Current Status ----> Not a happy cat

I built a 8x8x8 enclosure with plexy glass on the front so u can see in and the kitty can see out. This is the room I have placed him in. I put his food and water and litter box in there along with the carrier i transported him in yesterday.

When i came home today for lunch he was doing the same thing as this morning. Hes nessled up under blankets inside the carrier.

When i try to take him out he hisses as he doesnt yet trust me and is scared.

Any suggestions on how to bond quickly with him. I want him to know hes in a safe place and we love him and will do anything for him.

Oh i have an F5 sbt male but havent let him touch our F2 yet. Its still to early. But my F5 has been sniffing alot next to the box and wants in but not getting in. =)

Anyways I just wanted to reach out and see what advice you have for me.

Thanks again =)

 

[Trish Allearz]

Um, I may be confused or have the wrong picture, but so this kitty is in a basically open room (to his perception) and the only place he has to hide is his carrier, right? I think he'd settle in much quicker in a normal room with normal four walls. I know right now, you want to see him and you want him to see everyone else- but he has so many acute senses that he's probably on an overload. He can hear/smell and see everything much better then we can.

 

[Todd L]

Well my issue is i dont live in a normal house. I live in a Loft which is 1 big 4000sqf room. only other room i have is the bathroom. I could place him in there if you think that would be better.

 

[Nitro]

Play with him. Use streamers, etc. to get his attention. Until he gets accustomed to you being around (e.g., feeding him, cleaning his litter box, playing with him), he will want to hide. And let him.

He's already freaked out about being nowhere near his siblings; no reason to add extra pressure to the mix.

 

[Trish Allearz]

Well my issue is i dont live in a normal house. I live in a Loft which is 1 big 4000sqf room. only other room i have is the bathroom. I could place him in there if you think that would be better.

Personally, yeah, I think it would be better. You want him to feel secure in his surroundings- this will help him feel secure with you- and help him feel secure when he meets his new sibling.

 

[Todd L]

Ok i will move him to the bathroom. Should i take the carrier our of the mix? or should i place the carrier in the bathroom and allow him to rest/hide in there.

 

[Medesha]

Ok i will move him to the bathroom. Should i take the carrier our of the mix? or should i place the carrier in the bathroom and allow him to rest/hide in there.

If you have enough room for it, let him have the carrier. Make sure there's nothing in the bathroom he could chew on/get sick from, and spend some time in there with him. Read out loud so he can get used to your voice, and maybe dangle some toys around to try and get his attention. Sooner or later he won't be able to resist and he'll get close enough that you can try and pet him.

Don't be discouraged, he's just been taken from everything he knows. Once he realizes you're not going to eat him, he'll come out of his shell.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I agree with the others, it kinda sounds like the enclosure thingy you built is too open and scary for a kitten. He's hiding in the carrier because he feels too exposed when out of it :-(

I hope he does better in the bathroom, but give him some alone time in there to settle down as he might feel a bit traumatized now...

 

[Todd L]

Thanks everyone I will try this when i get home. =)

I will update you all in the near future on how things are comming along.

 

[Patti]

I agree with the others, he needs to feel safe and secure, moving him to the bathroom should help. He should also have no exposure to your other cat except maybe his scent on you until he has bonded well with you. Once that has occurred you can work on introducing the two cats to each other.

There is no 'quick' way to get a kitten to bond to you , it will be strictly up to the kitten. As Medesha suggested, you can sit on the floor of the room and read a book aloud. Don't try to approach him and don't make eye contact with him as that may be perceived as a challenge. I would not wave a bunch of toys at him right now, but as you're reading you can occasionally gently swish a wand toy on the ground - not toward him but just next to you. If he shows interest, let him make the first move - his curiosity will eventually get the best of him. It may take several days or several weeks, but eventually he should come around and forget he ever lived anywhere else.