New Kitten timid and hiding! Please help!

[kitalooclef]

We adopted a new kitten last night. She was timid when we met her, but we figured she'd get to know us and it'd be okay. She is in the living room, closed off from the rest of the house, with litter, food, water, a bed, etc. She's been hiding behind the bookshelf and won't come out. She did come out during the night to eat and check out the litter box, but whenever we walk into the room she is hiding.

Do we just need to give her more time? I bought some pheromone to spray around the room, that's supposed to help, and a new, enclosed cat bed. Should we sit in the room while she's hiding, or should we just leave her alone? We're not sure what to do and are very worried. We want her to be friendly and to love living with us. We have tried to play with her, but she doesn't respond, and she hisses if you reach out toward her.

What should we do?

[mamabear]

Question..why would you get a kitten that was this way? You knew she was before you adopted her? Was she the only kitten there? Not scolding you just trying to figure this out, was it her look or just "something" about her? I ask because if you feel you are ready to take this on then do so. Patience will be needed. And although i am not familiar with pheromone spray I'd say stop using it. Let her smell You not that other stuff. Your love and patience is all kitty needs. Sit there and do nothing or just read a book or knit/crochet. Just forget kitty is there. If you can spend the time at night with her because they love to roam at night. Kitty's are very curious and will go to you eventually. Was kitten abused? Healthy? Up to date with shots and all tests to make sure there are no diseases? Do you have other cats in the home? If you do please refer to the Feline Introductions sticky------>
http://www.cathelp-online.com/qinfo/intro.php

I am sure others will come and pitch in their advise too, just wanted to say hello, welcome and thank you for adopting a kitty kitty!

[kitalooclef]

We got her because when we visited with her, she seemed smart and she let us pet her, and purred when we did. She was timid, but not quite this timid. She is 12 weeks, and just got spayed. She was in the shelter for about a week before we adopted her, so a lot has happened to her in the last week or so. We're not surprised she's upset, just wondering how long it will last and how we can make her transition easier. We just feel helpless and sad that she isn't happy. She still needs some more vaccinations, we get a free vet check up within 14 days of the adoption to make sure she's healthy.

[kitalooclef]

Oh, and no other cats. Just us and Fiona, hiding behind the bookshelf.

[Cindy]

She will need more than a few days, maybe a week or 2 before she feels comfortable in her new home. Just keep doing what you are doing, maybe buy some treats to give her when she does something you especially like. Positive reinforcement!

[kitalooclef]

I can't even do positive reinforcement, since I never see her. Literally. I can peek at her to make sure she's there, but other than that, I've never seen her move or do anything. She did eat more last night and go to the litter box, though I don't see any feces yet. I guess I'll just keep sitting in there and hope she decides to come out some day.

One other question, we need to take her to to vet within 14 days to get a free check-up. If she's not out of hiding, should I force her out and into the carrier to go to the vet? It seems like that might undo any trust I might build.

[Traci]

Block off the bookshelf and any other furniture she could get behind or into. It's a natural instinct for them to hide behind something they know YOU cannot get to, but this is not only uncomfortable for them, it also makes it impossible for you to check on her and make sure she is ok. By blocking off access to behind the bookshelf or any other furniture, she will be out in the open and then you will have access to her. When you block this off, you should do so in a slow and QUIET manner, talk to her softly, and don't make loud noises that will scare her or stress her.

She should have SOMETHING to hide in though, so leave her carrier out in the room, with the carrier door open, place a blanket inside, a soft toy, and her food dish nearby. She can use either the carrier or the enclosed bed as a safe haven to hide in. By leaving the carrier with the door open, in this room, she will also be more familiar with it and hence, easier to get her into it when you need to take her to the vet.

At every chance you have, spend time with her in the room. Talk calmly, softly and make eye contact with her occasionally. When you enter the room, do not go directly toward her, but a distance from her, sit on the floor, or lay on the floor, quietly, be calm and quiet as possible, don't make sudden movements, and simply talk to her in a soothing voice. Slowly offer a toy for her to investigate, gently toss a toy mouse close to her, or a small stuffed animal. Wait and see what happens. You should expect her to be fearful and apprehensive, but with consistency in the routine and spending lots of time with her, she will soon determine you are not a threat to her. This will take time and lots of patience, but be comitted to the task and and remain as calm/quiet as possible. Don't force her to be held or handled, let her come to YOU. When she does, hold your hand out to her from a slight distance, steady, and with palm up so she can smell your hand and let her determine if she wants to be petted or held or not. Again, patience. Make sure all your movements are slow and quiet, but do speak to her in a soothing voice and start calling her by name so she can get used to your voice and the association to her name.

In other rooms of the house, don't leave on the tv too loud or make any other loud noises if you can avoid it, at least until she has had a chance to eventually investigate the rest of the house. When you do let her out of the room, leave the door open indefinately so that she can retreat to this room when she feels necessary.

In the immediate sense, start kitten-proofing your home, as you would a small child. Close off any access to behind heavy appliances, because when you leave open the door to her room, the first thing she will probably seek, is to hide behind an appliance (or a chair or couch -- if you have reclining chairs, make efforts to check under them before you sit in them to make sure she isn't hiding in them!!) Also, don't keep any live plants around (most are toxic to cats), cover all electric cords and put them out of reach, put up drapery or miniblind cords so she can't reach them, etc. Make sure all window screens are secure and safe, and no open windows or doors she could escape out of.

In the long term, you should expect each day to become a bit easier for her and she should be interested in investigating her surroundings. You can begin leaving the room door open today if you want so she can start investigating, but do watch her (from a slight distance) and follow her slowly and quietly as she makes her way throughout the house -- but do make sure the house is kitten-proofed BEFORE you let her out of this room. Have your significant other be just as involved and as calm and quiet as you are so that your kitten learns both of you are working to make her environment safe and secure. Share all the duties such as care, feeding, litterbox cleaning, and of course, attention and love.

If she was just spayed within the last week, she may be a bit stressed, so you DO need to make sure her incision is a-ok. Make sure there is no swelling, bruising, redness or sutures pulled out, make sure the skin is not hot to the touch, and make sure there is no draining of blood or pus, in which you'd need to get her seen by your vet immediately. If there are sutures, you'll need to have your vet remove them 7-10 days post-op, did the shelter tell you the sutures were dissolvable or do they need to be removed?

I'm assuming the shelter gave you a check-up certificate to see the vet of your own choosing, yes? Please see only your own vet from this point onward, since you want all your kitten's care and records available to him, etc. I'd also advise, if the shelter didn't, get your kitten tested for FELV/FIV before the next kitten series vaccination. This is a combo test that can be done within 10 minutes by your own vet. Do NOT vaccinate for FIV however, the vaccine is controversial and most likely unncessary. Do vaccinate for FVRCP, FELV and Rabies, with the Rabies schedule determined by your vet. (usually between 12-16 weeks of age).

[kitalooclef]

Thanks for the advice Traci, I really appreciate it. Should I try to pull her out from behind the bookshelf before I block it off, or should I let her run out on her own?

Thanks again.

[Traci]

You can try to get her out, but don't stress her and don't mishandle her. Offer her food or treats to get her to come out, when you have her, put her in her carrier (have it ready with a blanket inside), close the door to the carrier, close off the bookcase, then let her out of the carrier, immediately. All with a soothing voice, calmly, quietly and with as little stress as possible.

[kitalooclef]

Well, I failed. I tried to encourage her to move by putting a towel behind the bookcase, thus giving her no space and making her need to leave. I piled pillows blankets and anything I could find under all of the furniture, but she finds any tiny hole and crawls in. Each time I close off that space she finds a new one. She's currently somewhere under the couch, smooshed in with all the pillows and blankets under it. She meows each time she's caught out in the open, until she finds a place to hide. She ran in the direction of the carrier, smelled it, and moved on, so she's not interested. She hasn't gone near the cat bed yet.

At this point I don't know what to do, I'm pretty upset. There's no other room to put her in, the bathroom is just to small, we wouldn't be able to use it if we put her and litter, food, etc in it. There's a small room in the basement, but it's dark and dreary and we never go in it. There's no place for us to sit there and try to interact with her either. Should I remove everything under the couch and let her hide there? I'll go back in later and see if she's moved, assuming I can find her at all. She doesn't respond to toys or treats or anything, and if she does respond it's with a hiss.