Kitten Won't Stop Crying

madasplaid

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Hi Friends,

We just adopted a new 16 week old kitten and she won't stop crying. It is non stop, constant wailing. She stops when we play with her and if I sit next to her on the floor and pet her without stopping.Last night I tried sleeping out in the living room with her and I was up all night. She would calm down for maybe 10 minutes and then come up and meow directly in my ear until I start petting her again. This is the second night of it and it is 1:30 and I'm still up. I'm usually in bed and asleep by 9:30. I don't want to leave her and go to the bedroom, because she tries to climb up the baby gate when I do, and generally flips out when she's alone. I'm afraid to even go to the bedroom.

I honestly don't know what is best to do. I also have another cat that we are trying to slowly introduce to the kitten (saw her once when we brought her home and hissed, so we're taking it slow). She got no attention today because every time I left the room to spend time with her, kitten would freak out. That isn't good for her either. :( I don't know what is best to do. Do I leave her in the living room by herself and let her "cry it out" or continue trying to be there for her at the expense of my older cat?

I would appreciate any advice you guys have.
 

basschick

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do you leave food she likes out at all times? kittens are growing, so they're always hungry.

do you play vigorously with her just before bed so she's worn out? cats are nocturnal, but you can buy a couple extra hours of sleep by tiring her just before bed. and give her a can of cat food just before bed, as well as leaving food out.

some cats will adjust after two or three days and stop crying at the door - be sure to leave her blankets, toys and that food where she can get it. our elderly gentleman never did adjust - he's almost 20 and he'll yowl at the door and bang on it if i close the bedroom door.

good luck to you - and kittens do sleep longer after they get older.
 
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madasplaid

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We have food, water, toys and a blanket from her mom out all night and we ran her around the living room with a laser pointer for about a half hour before bedtime. We also have a feliway diffuser going. I know she misses her mom, and she's interested in our other cat, who wants nothing to do with her at this point.

I'm just wondering if it's best for me to stay with her at all times, or if it's okay for me to close the door on her, so I can spend time with my other cat ( and maybe take a nap...) or if leaving her alone while she cries is going to emotionally scar her for life. When she's not crying she's a very sweet, snuggly girl and she seems to have taken a liking to me in particular, so I don't want to take away the only thing that makes her feel semi- secure in her new home...
 

Norachan

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You need your sleep, I think you should get her used to a bed time routine as soon as possible. It's not going to emotionally scar her. Cats like a routine and it will make her feel more secure if she knows what to expect at what time.

It could be that a large room full of toys and strange smells is just too stimulating for her. I have a crate that I used to put my kittens into at night. Do you have a carrier large enough to fit a litter box in? Or could you borrow a crate from someone?

I suggest a long play session, then a meal of high protein wet food. After she's eaten put her in her crate or carrier and cover it with a blanket or sheet. Cats feel more secure in small, covered spaces. Have the blanket from her mum in there and maybe a t-shirt you've worn that day to comfort her.

You can get the Felliway in a spray form too. Giving her bed or a soft toy a squirt of Felliway might help.

Toby20.jpg


Ours is quite a big crate, one half this size would do for just one kitten.
 

di and bob

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Get a heated pet bed. Kittens,and cats, absolutely love them and don't want to leave. An air conditioned house can be cold to a kitten, they like it around 85 degrees or so.They are only a few watts and cost almost nothing to use. Kittens cry because they are cold, they are hungry,(make sure she is getting all she wants), and they are lonely. They are babies that were taken away from their family, all they have known and taken to a strange place with a hostile cat and scary humans.It is rough right now, just like with any baby. But it will change. I promise it will. work on getting your resident cat used the new arrival. All cats will hiss and swat at a new kitten, that is normal. Deep bites and scratches that bring blood are not. Then she will have a companion to follow around. Feed them close together to bring on good feelings. Your older cat will discipline her, that is normal and what she needs in her life. They will have a relationship in time. They will become a unit. Your older cat will have something to occupy time too. let your older cat watch while you play with the little one. Females are not known to be buddies, but they will be family.
Time is what you need, the little one should settle down in a week or so. I know it seems unending now, but find it in your heart to comfort the baby and it WILL get better!
 

Suchasweety

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I haven't read all the responses so if what say has already been said please disregard.

You say you leave out toys and blankets that have the mom's scent on them, if this is correct kitty might my non stop crying because it misses it's momma and siblings. Try moving it.
 

Kflowers

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My kitty's siblings and mother were killed by a raccoon when we rescued her. She was raised under the house in the dark and barely had her eyes open. She would sleep in her carrying case and only in her carrying case, with a towel draped over it. She also had a hot water bottle that we changed every 4 hours.

As SuchaSweety said, not only misses but she may think since she can smell her mom, her mom is within calling distance. I know that just made you sad and that wasn't what I intended.
 

Furballsmom

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Do I leave her in the living room by herself and let her "cry it out" or continue trying to be there for her at the expense of my older cat?
Try to be there, to a degree, but better, as di and bob di and bob suggested, get a heating pad set on low and covered with a couple of towels (literally a couple of towels, kittens are fragile and you don't want a burn) or a pet bed, or even a sock partly filled with rice and gently heated, but this takes more monitoring...

Your older cat will most likely be just fine.

Also, you might look into "toys" that simulate a heartbeat. Also, try some low-volume harp music - it is known to help kittens.

In case you aren't, you could also try some kitten glop - there are recipes on the internet. She needs to eat as much as she'll consume :)
 

di and bob

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Cats DO cry nonstop when in heat, but usually start at about five months, not four. But it COULD happen, is the age known for sure, or could she be closer tom taht 5 month age? It sounds more like loneliness though.
 
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madasplaid

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We moved her into the master bedroom because shes basically an Olympic jumper and got over our 4ft baby gates and nearly had an altercation with our older cat.

She cries terribly when I leave her alone in there, but eventually calms down after I let her cry it out. Our older cat hasn't been reacting well so far. We noticed a decrease in her appetite and since we lost a cat to hepatic lipidosis, we are very concerned about it. So we are putting our main focus on our older cat. I'm going to alternate 1 hour with older cat, 30 minutes with kitten today and see how that goes.
 

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Try some calming products, there's just too much feline stress happening.
A note, --keep in mind that there are a ton of products on the market with all sorts of different ingredients besides feliway.
Also if the older cat doesn't come back to normal with calming products, be sure and run her in to the vet. I know you will :redheartpump:
Hang in there! :crossfingers:
 
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madasplaid

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Try some calming products, there's just too much feline stress happening.
A note, --keep in mind that there are a ton of products on the market with all sorts of different ingredients besides feliway.
Also if the older cat doesn't come back to normal with calming products, be sure and run her in to the vet. I know you will :redheartpump:
Hang in there! :crossfingers:
Her dad was able to get her to eat all of her dinner last night. We also have her on a calming treat called Composure.

Kitten just seems very attached to me, and it's difficult because there is only one of me to go around. My older cat needs and wants attention, but if I go out to give it, kitten starts crying, which stresses my older cat out.
 

Furballsmom

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Start playing with them together, as an example have the kitten playing with something or on your lap, and have a wand toy for the older cat. Whatever works so that both felines start seeing that them being together is ok.
 
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madasplaid

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Start playing with them together, as an example have the kitten playing with something or on your lap, and have a wand toy for the older cat. Whatever works so that both felines start seeing that them being together is ok.
We're going to try feeding them at the door so they can smell each other while they eat. The older cat tried to attack the kitten when she accidentally got out, so I don't think playing together is wise at this stage. Also, unfortunately, my older cat is not super motivated by toys.
 

Furballsmom

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Goodness, you have quite the situation.
What about adding a diffuser? Thunderease and sentry have these as do others...
 

di and bob

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She is very lonely and scared right now. it will change as she gets more confident and a little older. Right now she feels abandoned every time you leave her alone. She needs reassurance she is loved.
 

PushPurrCatPaws

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When I first brought my kitten home, she spent a good portion of some of the days and nights hollaring. I always felt it was a lot for her to adjust to, when we adopted her and basically took her away from a doting foster home situation where she had all of her siblings to play with on a constant basis and a lot of humans around. It just takes some time to rely upon the safety of the new situation with you, and for her to understand what's going on & who else shares the household. Within a week, she got more used to us and our daily patterns, the opportunites we had with her for providing affection, food and play. She became more happy and confident, less vocal in a "yelling" way. We talk to her quite a lot in our house, so the fact that we were vocal ourselves with her on a regular basis, she developed more conversational ways of being vocal, too. It just takes a little time to get through this phase.
 
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madasplaid

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Hi friends,

She is pretty much letting me sleep through the night at this point. She maybe wakes me up once per night and I just ignore her so she learns that this is mom's sleep time. She still cries terribly when I leave her alone, but I have to let her cry it out, because when I return to work next week, she will have to be alone all day.

We are slowly trying to introduce her to our adult cat. Does anyone have experience with this? We can't do the meal times in front of the door most people recommend because our cat doesn't care much about food. She has set meal times, but she sometimes won't go near her food until hours after that and takes about 8 hours to finish 1/4 cup of dry food. She also doesn't really play much. She is a lump.

We've basically been bringing the kitten (in my arms so she can't run a muck) out so she can see her and my fiancee feeds her her favorite treat (the only thing she ever gets excited about) every time I take a step closer. They get close enough to sniff noses, at which point our older cat hisses and I just take the baby back to her room. Do you guys think this is effective? We've also been site swapping, so putting kitten in older cat's room and visa versa.
 
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