New Kitten not settling in-- Need advice!

Andrea_Lucky

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Hi everyone,

Earlier this year, I rescued a mother cat and her 5 kittens. Since the very beginning the plan was for my son's chosen kitten, Jasper, to move to his father's apartment once the kitten was old enough (where my son spends more of his time). Since then, I gave away 3 kittens, but kept the mother cat, two of her kittens (Jasper and one of his sisters), and ended up rescuing another kitten -- so I have had 4 cats for a few months now, and they spent time both in the house and in a large enclosed patio (where they all sleep at night).

Jasper is now 6.5 months old (neutered) and we are finally able to move him to his new home -- however he has had a really tough time settling in there.

Its been 6 days, but so far:
- He seems to have a hard time napping. He gets up with every noise and seems to sleep much less than when he was with me. He also has to sleep with a human at all times. When he was with me, he would nap on his own or occasionally next to someone (human or cat), and at night often slept cuddled with the other cats (in the patio).
- He has become very attached to my son's father and follows him everywhere, all day long (when our son is at school). He mews a lot, but nothing satisfies him. He also wanders aimlessly - either bored or perhaps missing his cat family.
- He has peed in the kitchen sink once (on about his third night there). Otherwise he uses his litter box.
- He seems to have a poorer appetite, and has thrown up after eating his breakfast 3-4 times already, most recently this morning. He did not have scarf/barf issues previously.
He was never an anxious or scared cat previously, just very curious, energetic, affectionate and happy, so all of these behaviors are because of the move.

We would appreciate any advice! We want Jasper to be happy in his new home, with two humans who love him very much, though it is a smaller place with no other cats to keep him company or play with. We also want to figure out if he wont be happy long-term there, and if that's so, he will return to my home. I think we don't want to wait longer than 2 weeks to make that decision. Jasper is a super affectionate, loving cat, who loves to purr and sit in your lap, or nap beside you. We are trying to keep him happy with lots of play, affection, attention, and window access, but it hasn't been enough yet.

Thanks for any advice!
 

crystal dawn

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This move sounds like it's pretty new. It can take quite a bit of time for a kitten or cat to settle into a new place. 2-4 weeks. I would keep an eye on the vomiting and such, but give him some time to settle in and adapt to not having any other cats there with him. A cat being stressed after a move is normal and usually over time as the cat gets comfortable and adjusts they settle in. A regular routine may help, so Jasper can learn when to expect meals and play and such.
 

Mamanyt1953

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I'm just going to echo what crystal dawn crystal dawn has said, and to ask, is there any chance that Jasper's sister could join him? He'll almost certainly adjust to being an "only" eventually, but he's used to having other kittens to play with...and two isn't much more to handle than one.
 
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Andrea_Lucky

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Thank you crystal dawn crystal dawn and Mamanyt1953 Mamanyt1953 ! Its a relief to know it usually takes a few weeks to settle in. He threw up again this morning right after breakfast-- seems to be making a habit of it. I am not sure how worried we should be about that. Any advice about limiting that would be so appreciated.

Unfortunately the apartment is probably too small for two cats, but if it was bigger they could have taken one of the other kittens to keep Jasper company.
 

crystal dawn

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Thank you crystal dawn crystal dawn and Mamanyt1953 Mamanyt1953 ! Its a relief to know it usually takes a few weeks to settle in. He threw up again this morning right after breakfast-- seems to be making a habit of it. I am not sure how worried we should be about that. Any advice about limiting that would be so appreciated.

Unfortunately the apartment is probably too small for two cats, but if it was bigger they could have taken one of the other kittens to keep Jasper company.
The kind of food may be an issue if he keeps throwing up.
 

Mamanyt1953

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How often are they feeding? A kitten that age should be eating 3-4 times a day. He may be getting too hungry, and eating too fast. That's the first thing I would check. You really can't overfeed an active kitten of his age. They burn off the calories like mad!
 
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