# new 4 month old kitten, VERY shy, won't stop hiding!



## hallie_love (Sep 5, 2005)

i brought home a gorgeous 4 month old tortie kitten tonight to be a "playmate" for my current 3 month old tabby, hallie. this new kitten is SO shy, she only wants to sit in the carrying case we brought her in. i've taken her out, shown her where her litter box & food are, yet she either tries to bolt under my bed, or she runs right back into the carrying case. any ideas of how i can help get her aquainted with her new space more? she's met my other kitten for maybe 5 minutes- and after seeing how shy she is (she's not scared, she purrs when she's in the carrying case), i'm going to wait a few days before introducing the two of them. anyways.... any help would be awesome. thanks!!


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## Willow771 (Jun 20, 2005)

shes just scared of her environment. give her time, she'll come around.

if you have a spare room, put her in there with a few toys for a few days and let her acclimatize herself with that space (even a bathroom works). and then just openthe door and let her venture out on her own. she will come out when she is ready. spend some time alone in there with her to so she bonds with you. she will start recognize to come to you when she needs to feel safe, or go back to this room.


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## hallie_love (Sep 5, 2005)

alright, i can definitely do that. 

the only other problem is that she's getting more comfortable with the underside of my bed (haha, i suppose it's her "safe place")... but as soon as the lights went out and my boyfriend and i attempted to go to sleep, she started crying like there's no tomorrow. it's 1:30am and i'm still up (i tried to go to bed about an hour ago), and i'm on the hunt for earplugs that i know i have somewhere.

i'm just assuming that she's crying because she's away from her mother, sister, and a few other cats that lived with her before... but will she do this for long? an old cat of mine did the same thing, but that was about 15 years ago and i can't remember how long it lasted for. oh the joys of kittens


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## debo (Jul 25, 2005)

My new kitten hid for 5 days until "SHE" was ready to come out. Just give her some space and leave her be. She'll come out when she is ready.


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## ihave4kitties (Aug 27, 2005)

What a perfect age for the two of them to get to buddies. She'll come around. Do as the other folks recommended...letting her be, giving her time, having her own little spot, those kinds of things. It sometimes takes a little while. I'm betting very soon you're going to have two kittens racing around your house having a blast!  As far a night time, give her a cuddly place to sleep with her scent. My recommendation is her kennel. My cats love their kennels/crates and in the winter that's where they like to sleep. I put wool sweaters in their kennels and it's so cozy. Since she feels so secure in there, try that. Also, since she purrs in her kennel and obviously feels safe, I would want her to always feel like that. Then, when you need to take her to the vet she has no problems going in the kennel/crate. My cats walk right in because they associate kennels as safe hidey holes. Try it with your other kitten too. I swear by this.  your cats are young and now is the perfect time. Keep us posted!


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## hallie_love (Sep 5, 2005)

Well I have a day 2 update!

Anya (that's what I decided to name her... Ani for short) is doing a lot better... after crying allll night long last night, and hiding behind my tv all day today, she seems to be better. I put her back into my bedroom and she's hiding under the bed, but now she'll let my boyfriend and I reach under the bed to pet her (before she'd inch away from our hands), and she's been purring like crazy and rolling on her back and starting to become a bit more playful. 

On the other hand, my first kitten Hallie, I'm not quite sure how she's taking the whole "having a new cat" thing. She's her normal self when she's not around Anya, but when we bring her into the same room as the new one, she does this crazy deep throated meow that I've never heard before. Ah well, I'm sure it will pass with time.

Anyway... I'll definitely keep you all updated. Any input on anything I say or have said though is *always greatly appreciated*. so thank you! [/b]


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## dmcwlvssr (Apr 24, 2005)

My Mischka was very shy for almost the whole first year I had her, not now! :wink: be patient she will come around!


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## hallie_love (Sep 5, 2005)

in new news, i had left my bedroom door open while i took a nap today, and when i woke up i could see anya in the hallway walking towards the kitchen. the only thing that stopped her was an encounter with a hissing hallie... haha... but she sniffed around out there for a few minutes and then came back into the room. but that's a start! 

it's just so funny because anya is SO interested in meeting hallie, yet any time she gets near her it turns into a hiss-fest (on hallie's part). i think it's probably because hallie has been an only cat here for about a month, and we've spoiled her completely rotten in that time. hahah. we'll see how it all works itself out


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## hallie_love (Sep 5, 2005)

another *anya* update:

she's doing so well! eating, drinking, *playing*...
she still hides under (and IN) the bed most of the time, but i'm now able to coax her out to play and have some one on one time... that kitten is such a SUCK when she wants to be. i think i just spent 40 minutes in my bedroom laying on the floor beside my bed just scratching her and having her pretty much scent my entire right arm and face. haha.

i managed to take a couple pictures of her too (including two of her in her favourite hiding spot... inside the box spring of my bed!), i posted them in another topic but i figured i'd post them here too... why not.


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## nanook (Jun 12, 2005)

Oh what a cutie! Sounds like she's coming along fine.


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## cats4two (Sep 19, 2005)

*Very shy*

I had a Siamese once who would not come out from behind the toilet - for 5 days this went on. I finally decided that I needed to "teach" him good behavior, and literally risked being torn from limb to limb, and caught him and made him come out and be social. After doing this several times, he started to get the idea. (He had been kept in a garage with his mother and not socialized for the first 4 months of his life.) He turned out to be one of the best cats we ever had. You're his mom now...so show him. Make him be out and about. If he gets too physical, wrap a towel around his chest and front paws so you have more control over him. If you are loving and speak to him kindly, he'll get the idea. It takes time to formulate an emotionally healthy cat. Enjoy. He's darling.


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## Murasaki (Sep 6, 2005)

i don't know about making him come out. If there's a struggle he may associate leavin his cosy room with conflict and never want to come out. It already sounds like his confidence is growing. How about rewarding him with a food treat everytime he so much as puts a foot out of his room. He'll soon get the idea.


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