Kitten Hiding, Am I Doing The Right Things?

[Midnight1710]

Hi,
I'm new to this forum and hoping to get a little advice. Last week our family (me, my husband, 2 girls, 5 and 3) adopted 2 kittens about 12 weeks old, they were adopted from the same foster parent and they get along famously. One of the kittens, Pumpkin (orange of course) is extremely playful and it took her about 5 minutes to get comfortable and start playing, she even sleeps curled up on the bed with us as night. The other kitten, Solo (orange and white - Oriental shorthair mix according to the animal rescue), runs and hides.
We started them in our bathroom it is connected to the bedroom with no door so we placed a baby gate in front of it. Pumpkin (who used to be called Trouble) found a way out that night and Solo later followed suit. Since then Solo will hide under dressers and behind furniture.
The girls come in throughout the day, with supervision, and play with Pumpkin. They might look for Solo but they never try to pull him out of hiding. They just want to see where he is hiding.
I will go up there at nighttime and sit quietly in the bathroom, play with Pumpkin a little give them their food and just wait. Solo, has started to come out and will Rough house with Pumpkin around me and will eat his food or drink (Always staying at least 4 feet away from me). I don't try to reach for him or anything like that. When I get up for bed or to stretch he runs back and hides but usually comes back out to play with Pumpkin fairly quickly.
The previous kittens we have had have all been active like Pumpkin. I want to make sure that Solo bonds with the family and I also need to take him to vet for his booster shots but I can't get either done right now.
I just want to make sure I am doing the right things and see if there were any other pieces of advice you might have.
Thanks.

 

[theflash82]

It doesn't seem like you're doing anything wrong. We've had 2 kittens for about a year now who are both friendly, but one still runs and hides. They all have different personalities. What I've seen in the 2 youngest cats is that they feel safer around their food bowl, so maybe try petting Solo while he's around there?

 

[Midnight1710]

I will try and move the bowl closer to where I sit. Each of the kittens I have two bowls (wet and dry) and typically will feed Solo his wet food close to whatever spot he ran towards. I just want to make sure the Pumpkin doesn't try and eat his food as well.
Do you think I should only set out one bowl of dry food and place that one closer to my side so I can reach out to pet him?

 

[ArtNJ]

You have the right approach, patience and letting the kitten take the lead. You can definitely move the bowl closer. I'd also try giving treats, tossing them at first, and moving those closer to you. Let the kitten get to the point of taking them from your hand before you gently try petting. You can also use a lure/ribbon toy or laser pointer to get the cat in a playing mood close to you. Seems to help them forget to be scared.

I'm sure it will be fine eventually, since you "get it". It usually is, with kittens, even with less careful owners. Can just take a week or so with the shy ones.

 

[ailish]

My cat, 1 year old at the time, hid during the day for a good 1 1/2 - 2 months before she'd come out during the day for any length of time. She's 3 now and still very scary with pretty much anyone but me. Plus, if I take her anywhere she hides and shakes like there's a growling monster around. I did what you do, I let her come out at her own speed.

 

[Midnight1710]

Thanks for the replies :-) Solo came out a little more last night and played with Pumpkin and myself. He would get close to me during play but as soon as he realized how close he had gotten he would run away. The good thing is that he did come back to play.
If I move or he thinks I am reaching for him he still runs. But, this definitely feels like progress.

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Congrats on the new kittens! Feel free to post pictures.

About the little guy hiding, here's a couple TCS articles that might be helpful:

9 Tips That Will Help Your Kitten Adapt To A New Apartment
How To Get A Cat To Come Out Of Hiding?
10 Must-know Tips For Happy Living With A Shy Cat
16 Top Cat Experts Share Tips For Dealing With Timid Cats

Plus this recent thread on What Was Your Cat's Behavior Like In The First Day?

 

[Midnight1710]

I've made some good progress with Solo, he will now come out and play with Pumpkin and myself as long as I have a long toy. He will play with it and lay about a foot away. He still won't allow me to touch him and he still hides when I am walking or entering the room, but he now waits a few seconds longer before running off :-)
He will also curl up between my legs after playing, if I'm in bed under the covers, but Pumpkin jumps up and starts fighting (playing) with him until he runs off. Last night, right after doing this Pumpkin peed on the covers over my legs. Was this a dominance thing? Or a territory thing? Or a kitten just peeing thing?

 

[ArtNJ]

I dunno for sure why it happened just then Midnight, but I can tell you: (1) bed covers are the #1 spot for kittens to have accidents; (2) since it happened once, your at risk for it becoming a habit. You should use an enzyme cleaner to get rid of the smell (regular cleaners don't cut it) and perhaps exclude Pumpkin from the bedroom for a few days. Alternatively, you could put the covers in the closet when he is around. Kind of a drag since your enjoying chilling with him in the bed, but better to nip this before it becomes a habit. Oh, and don't leave laundry on the floor for a bit...thats just as tempting as bed covers. I've also found that bath mats can be an issue.

 

[rubysmama]

Here's a couple articles with more info on getting rid of urine smell.

How To Get Cat Pee Smell Out Of Clothes And Linens
How To Get Cat Urine Smell Out Of Carpet: Effective, Non-toxic Solutions
How To Remove Cat Urine Odor From Your Home

 

[Midnight1710]

Here's a couple articles with more info on getting rid of urine smell.

How To Get Cat Pee Smell Out Of Clothes And Linens
How To Get Cat Urine Smell Out Of Carpet: Effective, Non-toxic Solutions
How To Remove Cat Urine Odor From Your Home

Thanks for the articles.

 

[Midnight1710]

Okay, I've made some really good progress with Solo :-)
I do have another question for people who have a shy/skittish cat. Solo will now play really close to me, even dart beneath my legs ( I sit on the ground and bend my legs like a little tunnel) rubbing against me. If he notices where he is he stops and darts a few feet away. I tried to put my hand out to him and he took off running, darts away after one sniff of my feet or legs/pants. Is there anything else I can do to get him comfortable? I would love to eventually be able to pet him or have my girls be able to play with him as well.
Does anyone have any suggestions that worked for them?

 

[ArtNJ]

Pet side of the head, behind the ears, don't go straight on -- think of what that would look like from a kitten's perspective. So go slow, be patient. Also see if Solo will take a treat out of your hand -- can work towards that by putting treats slowly closer.

Even once trust increases, a lot of people can only pet their very young kitten when its sleepy.

 

[Hellenww]

Try giving him 1 finger to sniff rather than your whole hand. I don't mind being attacked through the covers so I get Sqeeker to chase my hand under a blanket. Sqeeker will also let me brush him but rarely pet him. He also enjoys a back scratch. We have a telescoping and after a few yrs I didn't have to extend it to scratch him.

Just keep going slow like you are. Solo has come further than my Sqeeker ever has.

 

[Midnight1710]

Try giving him 1 finger to sniff rather than your whole hand. I don't mind being attacked through the covers so I get Sqeeker to chase my hand under a blanket. Sqeeker will also let me brush him but rarely pet him. He also enjoys a back scratch. We have a telescoping and after a few yrs I didn't have to extend it to scratch him.

Just keep going slow like you are. Solo has come further than my Sqeeker ever has.

I really like the idea of a scratcher. I might see if he would tolerate the feel of anything touching his back.

 

[Etarre]

Juniper was similar in her first months with us as she gradually got more daring around us-- she would approach me and then seem to rethink it and get scared and run away. We started approaching her while she was sitting on her cat tree, and we'd 'ask permission' and give her plenty of warning, and eventually she accepted pets there because it was her safe place. She also started snuggling up to me while I was asleep...I guess I was less scary then. Even then, she had a few false starts where she jumped up, then a few second later got scared and ran away even though I was really careful not to move.

She's gotten a lot more daring, and will now snuggle with me in my spaces when I'm awake. I think Solo sounds like a normal timid cat, and will just need some more time to feel safe and get braver.

 

[rubysmama]

Here's another article that might have some tips for you:
14 Cat Experts Reveal: How To Get A Cat To Like Me

Plus the opposite:
Your Cat Probably Hates It When You...

BTW, can we see pics of these 2 little cutie pies?
How To Add A Picture To Your Forum Post

 

[Midnight1710]

Here's another article that might have some tips for you:
14 Cat Experts Reveal: How To Get A Cat To Like Me

Plus the opposite:
Your Cat Probably Hates It When You...

BTW, can we see pics of these 2 little cutie pies?
How To Add A Picture To Your Forum Post

The first picture is a little blurry, it is so tough to get a good picture when they don't want to stay still (Pumpkin) or want to hide behind things (Solo). The right one is Pumpkin, the second one is Solo.
Last night neither was showing as much interest playing with their toy. I think I might have to get a new toy to help keep them interested and to keep Solo engaged with playing with me.
Any good suggestions on toys on a string (these seem to work better since Solo can't take the toy and run and hide).

 

[Etarre]

The Cat Dancer is not exactly a string, but it's been a clear favorite with my kitties and is basically the same idea.

 

[Hellenww]

I second Cat Dancer. It's the first interactive toy our nevous boy was willing to play with. It's just rolled cardboard on a wire. Let him catch and take the toy so he has a successful hunt. Eventually he will realize you make it move and start bring it back.