Just got a new kitten....please help UPDATED!

He needs to feel safe in his environment before he will be willing to do any of those things. Might be best if you leave him alone to explore - can he be kept in just one room so it's not too overwhelming?

I wouldn't worry just yet, when mine first came I don't think they ate or drank until the next day and just had a little wee in the middle of the night when I moved them from our bed onto the litter tray.

Scamp spent all the first night asleep on my chest as she was scared.

It will eat when it's hungry and drink when it's thirsty! Have you shown it the litter tray? Sat it in and scratched with its paw?

Yeah I have put him in it once or twice (When I could catch him!!) and pawed around in it a bit, I got one of the closed in ones, so have even tried it with the lid off!!

I have also shown him where his food and water is but as you say his probably too distressed to think about food (wish I was like that!)

His now hiding himself away under the sofa, which is a bit worring as there is now room under there what so ever, still I guess if he got in he can get out!!

He does seem very timid, we have got him out and had a bit of a cuddle but he is keen to get away so we thought best to let him please his self!

You should definitely just leave him to his own devices for a while. Don't try cuddling him yet as this could scare him even more!

He will explore when he's good and ready - don't worry, he'll be fine. It's perfectly normal behaviour for a kitten in a new home.

When we first got our cat (and indeed, every time we move to a new house which is quite often) Poppy will insist on climbing behind the fridge and staying there. She only emerges when she's confident that she wants to explore a bit more and we always keep her confined to a maximum of two rooms to begin with before introducing her to the rest of the house.

Leave your kitten alone and keep the surroundings quiet and calm and I'm sure he'll come out when he's ready.

Ah thanks so much for your replies I guess its a new experience for all 3 of us!! I think his the runt of the litter too, his got a lump on his belly which they think is a hernia, they didn't seem to concerned at the vets and don't want to see him till he goes for his jabs, poor little mite, what an ordeal for such a little thing!!

He will be fine, if you have got him a bed to sleep in, put a t-shirt in it that you have been wearing so he smells your scent and will snuggle into it - and a teddy might be a good idea if he has been used to cuddling up to brothers and sisters.

Yeah we took a bath puff that had his mums scent on it. He has come out of his self slightly been eating a little, and been alot more social with us and exploring around the house. He still hasn't been to the loo or drank anything yet so I don't know if this is a concern?? He seems happy enough.

I do hope his ok!??

Bounced sorry folks still no food or poo's!!!?

Congratulations on you little kitten. How does he seem in himself, has he become more confident than yesterday, is he starting to want to explore etc? Kittens take a while to settle into their surroundings and like someone said, he won't go to the loo unless he feels comfortable.

Is he drinking at all? As I guess if there is no food or water there will be no toilet! Are you using the food he is used to, this helps them settle in.

I would give it till later this evening and give the vet a quick ring before they close if still nothing.

When we got our rescue cat she went nearly 36 hours without food, water or the loo. I called the lady in charge of the rescue group and she said it was quite normal, just let the cat/kitten explore and relax.

Don't worry it'll be fine ?

He does seem really at home, his crawling and scratching at my ponytail full of life, then sleeping a lot but just not eating. Purring when I stroke him etc so he seems ok in his self, no crying or whining or anything. 36 hours!! i wish I could go that long with out food!!!!!!!

How do you check for fleas, his not scratching himself at all but thought I should find out how to go about it! His black and I have been told this can make flea checking quite difficult?

WJS

Definitely give him the food he's used to, it helps them settle in. Also, if he's on wet food then he won't need to drink as much so that could be why.

How old is he?

Sounds like he is fine to me, I wouldn't worry then. He will eat when he is ready. Dont be tempted to feed him anything other than his usual food, tummys are delicate when they are little. (You are making me very kitten broody now aarrrggghhh!!)

Flea wise, part his fur anywhere on him and see if you can see any black specks- this is why it is harder with black fur. You need to find out when he was last treated for fleas and when he was last wormed (if he has been, how old is he?) Get him registered with a vet aswell and they will give him a once over. I can't remember how often you flea and worm at that age but the vet will tel you. You really need to keep on top of it, put the dates on the calendar or something.

And enjoy! When ours was a kitten we didn't use the tv for ages, he was enough entertainment in himself! One word of warning though- start as you mean to go on. Ours got spoiled rotten when he was a baby and now has some very bad habits!!

Jozzy, just out of interest why do you say it's important to keep on top of flea treatments? I never flea treat my cat on the basis that he doesn't have fleas, and I don't want to put a toxic substance on him to treat a problem he doesn't have. I've grown up with cats and know how to spot the signs of fleas (in actual fact with a black cat, the easiest way is to give them a vigorous combing over a white towel/sheet of paper - even if you don't get fleas falling off, you will get little black specks which are 'flea dirts'. Much easier than looking in the fur), so I would treat him if he had them but don't see the need. Interested to see what others think about this

That's interesting SpaceCadet- just what we were told by the vets I guess. And the one time we were abit late with his treatment he got fleas and they were hard to get rid off and out of the house, much washing and hoovering everything in sight!

Maybe the vet courld just be trying to sell us the flea treatment!!! But I must admit when we didn't do it he did get fleas pretty sharpish and he wasn't a happy cat for a while. Not sure- are some cats more suceptible than others?

I suspect that our cat is less susceptible, while he goes outside I don't think he roams far, doesn't socialise/fight with other cats, and we don't live in an area where he's likely to come across wild animals (which is where they're most likely to pick them up from).

I just disagree with the party line trotted out by most vets that you must give them this toxic treatment which they hate every 3 months regardless of whether they actually need it. I have told my vet this and he's fine with it as he knows I would recognise a flea if one showed up. If your cat has fleas, of course you should flea him, it's a miserable experience for them.

I think you may be right then with it being different for individual cats- ours is a big hunter and comes into contact with lots of wild animals which is probably why he picked them up so easily. I guess you get to know your own cat-all are different.

Hope he eats soon gemm26, just to put your mind at rest!

Well I just couldn't rest and had a feeling something was wrong! So I took him to the vets and it turned out his belly was very swollen and he was severly constipated. Also riddled with fleas which we have gotten sorted too. Had the whole house nuked so hopefully those blighters won't be back! His got the severe hump now believe me!!
Good news though, the vet seems to think he is too big and has too many teeth to be 5 weeks, more along the lines of 7 so thats good news he can have his jabs etc next week.
Am so relieved I just had this niggling feeling! I bet he hates us at the mo!!!

Oh bless him! Don't worry about him hating you, they don't seem to have much of a memory for such things. Where did you get him from, that he was already in that state? Saying that, our kittens arrived with fleas too. It made me so sad to see them crawling across their tiny faces, so we flea treat ours every 5 week like the vet says - they don't seem to mind having the treatment. I hope his tummy is feeling better ?