# New Kitten growls like a dog!!! Please HELP



## ionestar (Jun 18, 2004)

Two days ago our second kitten arrived. We prepare the base camp as sugested by Dr.Jean. The kitten should be 12 weeks old even though he looks only 8 weeks old. Our other kitten (4 months) is not happy at all he spits at the door while the new kitten growls like a dog!! :? and not only at my kitten but also at me 8O he's been hiding since we brought him here. who knows what kind of experience he's had. He doesn't even get close to eat. oh by the way he only eats dry food how can i get him used to eat wet? his pupils are always dilatated. is this normal? some advice? should I hold him and try to calm him down?


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## Cracker (Oct 10, 2004)

I remember my home bringing me home a kitten like the one you are describing when I was young...

Honestly, the kitten we had never ended up warming up to us and always hid under the kitchen cabinets so nobody could touch her... and she would tremble constantly. I believe my mom gave her to a friend of hers and from then on I remember hearing about the kitten tearing up drapes and what not. The kitten was a stray so god knows what had happned to her before we got her but she never "came around."

On a lighter note... the cat I presently own growls like my dog does but I think he learned it from growing up with my dog. Whenever there is an unfamiliar person in my yard or around the hosue the cat will growl before the dog does!! It's really kinda cute............

I hope your kitten calms down... I hope you got it checked out for any diseases and what not.. ?? I mean, incase it bites and/or scratches you.

Good luck, and with everything you have to be patient and give it a chance!!


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## Misty (Nov 14, 2003)

Give it some time. My little one growls like a dog when you try to take her favourite toy of her. Your kitty is probably really scared. Is he a rescue cat or bought through a private sale. He may just be upset by the changes, remember he's just a wee baby. How long have you had him?


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## ionestar (Jun 18, 2004)

We adopted him two days ago. The lady told us that they found the mom cat and her kitties in an empty house. I been sitting on the floor reading a book to see if the kitten decides to come out. He was curious but didn't come out. How long should I wait before letting my other kitten see him? I know that my older kitten (4 months) won't fight. He is just a bit scared but mostly curious.


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## Gudewife (Jun 27, 2004)

In my experience, growling is often a verbalization of utmost fear, kind of a last warning sign. It always gets my attention quicker than a hiss. I think your new kitten is really scared and confused, and verbalizing accordingly. He hasn't yet established his little empire of territory, and a cat without a territory/personal space is a very upset and afraid kitty.

New kitten is going through a lot of changes, and having the resident kitty hissing outside the door probably doesn't help. Maybe rolling a towel and blocking the crack under the door would help new kitten have a more secure sense of space for a little while. Nightlights can help, too. I am a big fan of reading aloud to cats (I recommend Winnie-the-Pooh, BTW), and I honestly think it helps. You can also try leaving a small radio or TV on at low volume, tuned to something quiet or news channels (or books on tape...Assumpta adores Frank McCourt's audio books...figures!). Sometimes it takes kittens raised without human interaction some time to get used to the strange-acting big creatures, so the more you can just go and sit (or lie on the floor), read aloud, and generally be a non-threatening presence, the better. Once new kitten is comfortable coming out to see you, try presenting him with a washcloth rubbed on your resident kitty and see how he reacts (don't rush into smell-swapping until new kitty feels safe in his own space), and do the same with your resident kitty. If it goes badly, just back up and try it again later. Do a lot of smell-swapping before you establish visual contact between the cats, and make sure that the visual contact is from behind a baby gate or screen that neither cat can get through or over.

But I think that the new kitten just needs some time and space to get feeling comfortable. It sounds like he's terrified (and justifiably so!). One thing that might help is an old-fashioned tick-tock clock. I wrapped one securely in a towel sack with a hot water bottle for a kitten I once fostered, and it seemed to comfort him by reminding him of mom (this is a variation of an old puppy trick I learned as a kid). Constant quiet sound also helps some cats, especially by obscuring other noises that might scare them. I think a bit more time may help new kitten calm down.


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## ionestar (Jun 18, 2004)

Thank you so much for your advice. I will kind of have to force him to eat. He's been eating only dry food, but i haven't seen him drinking. I'm afraid he might die :? like the first kitten I adopted 5 months ago.


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## Gudewife (Jun 27, 2004)

Try putting out a few different water bowls, really shallow ones, and rotate the water in them so that one's fresh, one's a day old, and one's two days old...some cats are particular about the water they prefer (Assumpta will only drink water that's at least a day old...I have no idea why, but that's just her preference). You can try a little low or no-salt chicken broth mixed into the water, too, or a teaspoon of tuna juice, and see if that tempts him. If he'll eat small chunks of cooked chicken, you can try mixing that well into some wet food and sprinkling some dry on top...if he'll eat some wet food, he'll be getting more fluid intake. Someone here once tried crushing up dry food and making little wet-food meatballs rolled in the kibble crumbs to convince their cat to try wet food. Or, you can try something like the Nutro Natural Choice pouches, which have chunks of food instead of the smooshed-up pate style...some cats like that better...or, you can try to tempt him with a little spoonful of Fancy Feast, which seems to be attractive (and even addictive) to most cats (I keep a few cans in storage in case I ever need to tempt Assumpta into eating. Or try some plain chicken baby food (no garlic or onion flavors, though), and see if he'll eat that. Just trying to think of ways to tempt him before force-feeding water to him.


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