- Joined
- Jun 27, 2018
- Messages
- 6
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I am very new to cat ownership so I appreciate any and all advice, no matter how basic! Yesterday I was driving on the highway and saw a kitten running through traffic and crouching in the lanes. My coworker jumped out of the car and grabbed it so that it didn't get hit. We didn't seen any other cats around or people that looked like they were looking for it, so we took it with us. I brought it to the local animal shelter and it wasn't microchipped. They told me that this kitten was male, about 8 or 9 weeks old, and possibly a Maine Coon tabby mix. They said that he seemed healthy but was almost certainly a stray, and that if I left him at the shelter he'd probably be euthanized because they had too many kittens to take adopt out this time of year.
So I agreed to foster this kitten until he can be adopted. I haven't had a cat since I was maybe 12 years old, and never one this young. I have set up a litter box in one corner of my room and put dry food and water in an opposite corner. I put lots of towels in a shallow box to make a bed. I have been hand feeding him wet food twice a day and he seems to be eating quite a bit. He is very timid, but if I sit still and quietly for a while he'll come out of where he is hiding and explore a bit. He rotates hiding spots rather than staying in the same one. Last night he meowed quietly for most of the night. This morning when I went to feed him he hissed at me as I tried to pick him up, but once he was in my arms he seemed to calm down a bit. I still think he's just scared and learning to adjust. This might be his first time in doors ever, so for now I am keeping him in only my bedroom at all times.
Is there anything that I can do to make transitioning easier for this little guy and to make him more social in the long run? He's been through a lot and I don't want to traumatize him by picking him up when he doesn't want to be held, but so far he has shown little interest in food unless he is hand fed. Am I doing this right? Am I doing anything majorly wrong? Thank you so much for any advice.
So I agreed to foster this kitten until he can be adopted. I haven't had a cat since I was maybe 12 years old, and never one this young. I have set up a litter box in one corner of my room and put dry food and water in an opposite corner. I put lots of towels in a shallow box to make a bed. I have been hand feeding him wet food twice a day and he seems to be eating quite a bit. He is very timid, but if I sit still and quietly for a while he'll come out of where he is hiding and explore a bit. He rotates hiding spots rather than staying in the same one. Last night he meowed quietly for most of the night. This morning when I went to feed him he hissed at me as I tried to pick him up, but once he was in my arms he seemed to calm down a bit. I still think he's just scared and learning to adjust. This might be his first time in doors ever, so for now I am keeping him in only my bedroom at all times.
Is there anything that I can do to make transitioning easier for this little guy and to make him more social in the long run? He's been through a lot and I don't want to traumatize him by picking him up when he doesn't want to be held, but so far he has shown little interest in food unless he is hand fed. Am I doing this right? Am I doing anything majorly wrong? Thank you so much for any advice.
