New Kitten Problems - HELP!

[WileyCat]

Hi,

We went to pick up our new male Maine Coon yesterday, he has barely eaten (even though it is the same food as the breeder used), he has wee'd on my bed last night (admittedly after miaowing for a while) and he poo'd on the kitchen floor (again after miaowing for a while). We are using the same litter as the breeders after he wee'd last night and again after he poo'd this morning, I immediately took him to his litter tray.

Is it a matter of settling in OR is there something I am not doing? Should I be buying him some special food (tuna or sardines) to help him settle in and at least get him eating?

Please help, I am worried about my new fella.

Thanks
WC

[jckkerrison]

Not all of mine ate the first night home but by the second day were more relaxed & got into it,some of them didn't want to eat what they had been having with the breeder so mixed in a little of something else just to get them going,if you alter it too much too quickly you could end up with a baby having the sh**s as well,not good if tray is being missed.I wouldn't let him have the run of the house either until he is using his tray,if he is a bit worried he needs to build up confidence in a smaller area,can you let him have two trays for a while in slightly different places to see if some reason he doesn't approve of the spot you have chosen,also try another type of litter in one & see if he prefers that,they are normally so clean that he has got some bee going around in his little head & you have to find out why.I have found with mine that when they come home with you they tend to think hey,we are all growed up now,don't keep treating me like I'm a baby I need to have grown up stuff,never have had problems with them getting into the big cat trays or with having different litter to what they had been using,also two of mine like to pee in one tray then get out & go into another to poo,little darlings.I am sure with lots of luv,cuddles & play he will soon come round & this is only a blip & as candes said in his own way he is telling you when he needs a tray so should give you the chance to help him a time or two until he gets the idea he is on his own now,bless,pictures please when you are all settled.....

[merindah]

I think it's a good idea to confine a new kitten to one room in your house to help him settle in. That way he knows exactly where the litter box is. Spend time with the kitten in the room so he gets to know his surroundings and you.

[debbie560]

When I home a new kitten my advice is simple, show them regularly where the tray is put them in it, every half hour or so. New kittens become confused sometimes especially if your place is much bigger or spread out that where they came from, seem like the little one is a bit confused which is also not good at all.

Pick him or her up and just keep placing them in the tray making re assuring noises. Do not be feeding him any special food just what you have been given and advised, its a shame he has got so scared and confused, but I am sure everything will be okay!!

[FreyjaRoMaine]

I did exactly the same thing with Freyja and Wicca - I spent a good couple of hours in the kitchen with them when they first arrived and every 10/15 minutes I'd pick them up and plonk them in the litter tray, just to keep reminding them where it was. They usually hopped back out immediately though. But I'd shut them in the kitchen when I needed to get on with things, and pop back every 15/20 minutes, fuss them, rake through the litter tray for gifts, and once they'd left me something to bag up, I started leaving the kitchen door open, but kept them confined to one or two more rooms. Only had one litter accident since May (Freyja's second day, and I think it was disorientation). I half expected litter problems with Freyja when Wicca arrived as she handled it so badly, but no matter how cross and stressed she was, she always managed to head back to the litter tray!

Neither of my two ate under their own steam on their first day - I had to hold biscuits in my hand for them. Freyja started eating properly the evening of day 2 (after the Feliway plug in helped settle her in), and Wicca started tucking in around mid day on day 2.

Give it time, Wileycat - think about what a jolt puss has just gone through: left mum and dad, brothers and sisters, and a human that he knew and trusted. Smells that were familiar, routine's that he understood. He's got new smells to learn, people to trust, a new routine to get to grips with, find his feet around the house and learn where he fits in (head of the house within a week, I guarantee!). You might have lost your appetite in those circumstances too

[mcguy]

As other have already suggested...we have always kept young kittens in a single bedroom for a couple of days when they arrived. They had their own litter pan, which was appropriate for their size (a kitten would have trouble getting into our normal pans). We kept dry food out, had almost constant human supervision, and did repeatedly put them into their litter pans, especially if they started whining.

How old is this kitten? There are some breeders that let them go too young, and I don't think they do as well at adapting to a new environment.

I would not buy a bunch of special foods, as many kittens can easily end up with diarrhea when their diet is changed, and this can be very serious in a young kitten. I would try to him on food that he is used to eating. Not eating much for a day is not a serious problem. Not drinking anything is, though, so certainly monitor their water intake or output. And of course make certain they have a nice accessible/small bowl of water around.

Hope things improve quickly. We have never had an experience like you are having.

[WileyCat]

Well, since he poo'd twice in the same area, I thought I would move the litter tray to that area - BREAKTHROUGH! He hopped straight in and did a week straight away. I was also a little naughty, I went out and got him some wet cat food - expensive had lots of fish in it - and gave him half a pouch to get his apetite going, that seemed to have worked because I then put out his "normal" food and he went and ate!

Now all I need to figure out is how to get him used to his tray being in another area, the idea of a litter tray in the kitchen isn't apealling at all!

By the way, he is 12 weeks old, I don't think that is too young is it? The breeder said he was the heaviest in the litter at his final vaccinations, so I am hoping he is going to become a tiger!

Thanks all for your tips and help, it has been much comfort to know a lot of what he did was normal.

I'll post a picture soon!

Regards
WC

[jckkerrison]

Just let him get used to using his tray there & be more settled & confident {seems as if that has already started}then gradually start moving his tray nearer to the area you want it to be,by nature they are not normally dirty creatures & I have always found that if any of mine have been to stay somewhere different you only have to show them once where the "bathroom" facilities are & they are ok.
I am sure you are soon going to be very happy together & will look forward to hearing about all the fun things that happen to you since becoming a MC owner....x

[Heather2mc]

Hi

My kittens started off in my spare bedroom for the first couple of days with a small tray in there just for them.

I made the mistake of moving Sarah's tray too far the first time I tried moving it out of the bedroom she was in. She obviously got confused and after holding on for ages the flood gates opened while she was on my leather lounge. It was a huge wee so she had obviously not been for a while. I picked her up and ran outside but she was still going the whole time.

I moved the tray back to where it was and then only moved small amounts every couple of days and never had another problem.

I used the same principle with Zack and he never had an accident and still uses the trays now ( even though they are out in the cat run with all that wonderful dirt that the others use)

It took a couple of weeks to go from the spare room - down the passage - into the dining room - through the laundry and outside into the cat run ( yeh)