Help!! New kittens wont interact with me

Vlynniii

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I recently just got 2 new female orange tabbies on Saturday evening. The person who was taking care of them in a cat rescue house said that one of them is playful and the other is shy. well day 1 of getting home both immediately hid and somehow wormed into the one crevice i didn't want them in. I had to pick them up and move them 4-5 times, these times including when i would have to show them their litter box. they didnt like the closed-off lid, so i took it off.

it's now Monday morning and they are still hiding from me. the one solace i have is that theyre coming out at night and running around and using the litterbox & i would assume eating and drinking. the bad news is they literally just hide during the day and pretend i dont exist, they even turn away from the food i offer them. what should i do?? I'm scared they wont ever like me...
 
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Vlynniii

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i should add:
•they are around 5 months old
•they dont exactly run when i try to do things or offer them my finger, just back away from me. they breathe pretty rapidly when they see me, so i can only assume theyre scared
 

ArtNJ

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Sometimes it can take up to a week or so. Just sit in whatever room they are in and chill. (Some say to lie down on the floor, but for me that just makes me impatient.) You can also lure them out and try to get them to play with toys. But the big thing is being super patient and not rushing things. Don't pick them up and more or pet them before they are ready. Let them be the boss of how fast you go. Its generally recommended to start them in a "safe room" for a few days to avoid that kind of going in the crevice kind of thing.

Anyway, nothing unusual or bad here. Just going forward, stop picking them up or trying to pet them before they are ready. Even once they accept you, they may not want to be petted outside of when they are sleepy. That isn't bad either. They will almost certainly be affectionate sooner or later, just have to be patient.

Good luck!
 

vince

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In addition, try to be indifferent in your interaction with the kittens. Cats always seem to be drawn to people who don't like cats, because they try to ignore the cats. Just sit and read or talk to them, minimizing eye contact.

If you must pet them, do so while they're eating if they'll put up with it. That way, they may associate petting with food, which isn't a bad combination.
 
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Vlynniii

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In addition, try to be indifferent in your interaction with the kittens. Cats always seem to be drawn to people who don't like cats, because they try to ignore the cats. Just sit and read or talk to them, minimizing eye contact.

If you must pet them, do so while they're eating if they'll put up with it. That way, they may associate petting with food, which isn't a bad combination.
Well, see, that's also the problem: I don't have interactions with them at all if I just straight up leave them completely alone. like, theyve found themselves some pretty snug hiding spots and literally will not come out. they've barely eaten. I just worry...
 

vince

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Don't worry about it. They're all upset, having had such big changes in their lives over a short time. They'll come out on their own.

You might keep offering a treat once in a while to see if they will interact, particularly if it's nice and smelly. Tuna and Chicken (especially KFC) are often used on cats that don't want to eat. Try those.

Do you have any toys for them yet? You'll have to experiment to find what they like, but a piece of paper tied to a string can be used for a pursuit toy or a dangling toy when tied to a doorknob. Crinkly balls are only about a dollar each from the pet store, and a ping pong ball in the bathtub is a good toy. You can make a kicker toy out of a couple of old sweat socks one inside another and tied in knots. There's the tried and true cardboard box and paper bag. These can suffice until you want to invest in other toys and they may help your kitties to come out of their shells.

Sometimes kittens are calmed by the sound of an imitation heartbeat, either a ticking clock or a heartbeat toy, which is battery-operated. Often a radio set softly playing on talk station will help. I've use the clock and radio on all my cats with good results.
 
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Vlynniii

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Don't worry about it. They're all upset, having had such big changes in their lives over a short time. They'll come out on their own.

You might keep offering a treat once in a while to see if they will interact, particularly if it's nice and smelly. Tuna and Chicken (especially KFC) are often used on cats that don't want to eat. Try those.

Do you have any toys for them yet? You'll have to experiment to find what they like, but a piece of paper tied to a string can be used for a pursuit toy or a dangling toy when tied to a doorknob. Crinkly balls are only about a dollar each from the pet store, and a ping pong ball in the bathtub is a good toy. You can make a kicker toy out of a couple of old sweat socks one inside another and tied in knots. There's the tried and true cardboard box and paper bag. These can suffice until you want to invest in other toys and they may help your kitties to come out of their shells.

Sometimes kittens are calmed by the sound of an imitation heartbeat, either a ticking clock or a heartbeat toy, which is battery-operated. Often a radio set softly playing on talk station will help. I've use the clock and radio on all my cats with good results.
i have the tunnel & toy from their original house for one of them, but neither are responding to any sort of stimuli i give them right now.
 

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Took my two a month before they'd stop running and hissing at me. One night, I was laying in bed doing something on the internet and happened to look over and both were sound asleep beside me. I guess I was so engrossed in what I was doing, I didn't even notice them climbing on the bed and laying down. :lol: Before that, they basically lived underneath my bed and would only come out if I was sitting on the bed where I couldn't get to them. They will come around on their own time, not yours unfortunately.
 
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Vlynniii

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Took my two a month before they'd stop running and hissing at me. One night, I was laying in bed doing something on the internet and happened to look over and both were sound asleep beside me. I guess I was so engrossed in what I was doing, I didn't even notice them climbing on the bed and laying down. :lol: Before that, they basically lived underneath my bed and would only come out if I was sitting on the bed where I couldn't get to them. They will come around on their own time, not yours unfortunately.
the worrying thing is that...idk, maybe im bad at telling or blind or something, but i dont know if they've been eating a lot. they certainly haven't eaten 80% of the food ive put out...
 

klunick

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the worrying thing is that...idk, maybe im bad at telling or blind or something, but i dont know if they've been eating a lot. they certainly haven't eaten 80% of the food ive put out...
You posted that they are running around and using the litter box so they must be eating enough or else they'd be lethargic. What are you feeding them? Maybe try a small buffet and see if certain foods get eaten over others. Cats are picky little buggers and will make their parents run the gamete until you find a food that is "acceptable" to them.
 

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the worrying thing is that...idk, maybe im bad at telling or blind or something, but i dont know if they've been eating a lot. they certainly haven't eaten 80% of the food ive put out...
If there is food out at night near where they are hiding, they will come out and eat it. Just leave plenty of kitten food there.
 
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Vlynniii

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You posted that they are running around and using the litter box so they must be eating enough or else they'd be lethargic. What are you feeding them? Maybe try a small buffet and see if certain foods get eaten over others. Cats are picky little buggers and will make their parents run the gamete until you find a food that is "acceptable" to them.
im giving them what the cat rescue lady said they'd eat, which is purina kitten chow and fancy feast turkey. ive tried chicken before but not to the best effect.
 
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Vlynniii

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If there is food out at night near where they are hiding, they will come out and eat it. Just leave plenty of kitten food there.
ah, yea they just mess around at night around 1-4am tbh. last night they were playing with the sheet i had for a curtain and nearly yanked it off from the blinds, lol. they also kept meowing last night.
 

ArtNJ

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im giving them what the cat rescue lady said they'd eat, which is purina kitten chow and fancy feast turkey. ive tried chicken before but not to the best effect.
The problem with the fancy feast is its pretty normal for cats still stressed by adjusting to new humans to not eat during the day. So it will sit out and get brown, and some cats won't eat browned food. I'd stick with dry kitten food for now. Put it close to where they are hidind and even if its at night, they will eat. Maybe you could put out some fancy feast right before you go to bed, along with some dry. (Leave dry out all day/night, why not, kittens are allowed to eat as much they want, dont have to worry about them getting fat until much later.)
 

klunick

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It's only been a few days. Just give it time. Maybe if they aren't too keen on the wet food, put out a bowl of dry and then another bowl of dry with some water added. At least that way they're getting some moisture in their diet to keep their guts moving smoothly.
 
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Vlynniii

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It's only been a few days. Just give it time. Maybe if they aren't too keen on the wet food, put out a bowl of dry and then another bowl of dry with some water added. At least that way they're getting some moisture in their diet to keep their guts moving smoothly.
thats a good idea!! ill send updates.
 
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