Skulking, meowing, shy.

[nicole finch]

I'm new here so hello.  I picked up a Turkish Van yesterday and basically she is um... I dunno hwo to describe it.  She is curious, but nervous :s

She won't run if you put your hand up to her, she'll let you stroke her and pick her up BUT when you start walking about she runs and hides, either under the kitchen counters or ontop of the fridge.

She's eating, drinking and using the litter tray.  She's not liking our kitten, a few hisses here and there and a few swipes but while she is doing this no claws are coming out and her back isn't going arched up like you'd expect?

Anyway, I understand that Turkish Vans are not that great with strangers, but I want to help her feel relaxed and comfortable.  Basically I thought of two things.

I have a 36 inch large dog crate (we dont' have any dogs anymore ).  How about I line it with a nice fluffy throw, litter tray toys food and water bowl and cover 3/4 of it with another throw, so she can see out but still feel secure.  Keep that in the kitchen where there is little traffic but she can still hear us, then after two weeks or so move her into the hallway, then again another 2 weeks into the living room and another two weeks after that let her out and hope she'll be a bit more confident?

The only room we have upstairs is the spare room but it has two dismantled beds in, good thing is she's a very good jumper so she may appreciate a lot of things to jump on, and do relatively the same thing, 2 weeks in the room and then have the door open so she can come out of her own accord and wait until she ventures downstairs herself.

Basically I'd have had all of th is planned out but I was supposed to be getting a kitten on wednesday, just when I saw an ad on preloved for an UNSPAYED Turkish Van with papers for only £80.  She is currently undernourished as you can see her hip bones so I'm aiming to get her up in her weight so I can book her in for a spaying ASAP, spoke to vet on the phone and we are booked in for a checkup tomorrow morning so they can weigh her, check her over etc and possibly try and book that neutering as soon as I can .  Apparently she's already had one litter of 3 which all died and she found it stressful so that's why she was rehomed.  Might have been a spur of the moment but I 'm glad that I got her and she hasn't gone to someone who will use her as a kitten machine.

Also with the meowing, she's following me around meowing but I don't know what she wants, I've tried fuss water milk food both wet and dry and treats. I think she WANTS affection but too unsure to get it? 

 

[mrblanche]

There are a lot of threads here about introducing a new cat to the home, but a few ideas stick out.  First, your new cat needs to feel secure and have a safe place she can consider her territory.  The easiest way to do this is to put her in a smallish room (often a spare bathroom) where she has a minimum number of places to hide, and where she can easily find her food, water, and litter box.  Then, regular visits from you, spending time with her, giving her a chance to get used to your voice, etc., will help.

 

[orientalslave]

Depends on how much her hip bones show.  Not being able to find them means the cat is overweight.  Condition scoring is far more useful than weight as it takes account of body size:

http://vet.osu.edu/vmc/body-condition-scoring-chart

I would let her dictate how things go.  And since she is entire, it's possible she's coming into call hence all the mewing...  Hopefully the vets will treat for fleas and worms, hopefully she can be spayed soon.

 

[p3 and the king]

Unlike dogs, cat breeds personality factors are less definite.  Cats are very much individuals.  Though some cats are outgoing and easy others may be nervous and anxious and need time to get used to the new situation.  Time varies,  it can be hours, days, weeks or even a couple of months.  But usually a matter of days or a couple of weeks.  Most people keep their new cat separated from other animals in the house not just for their own protection and sanity but for their health.  The rule of thumb is, take them to the vet first to make sure they are clear of illnesses and just for a general check up.  It sounds like she really needs to go too.  Not only was she the pet of a BYB (back yard breeder) it seems but they probably never took her to the vet.  Poor girl.  So get her checked over thoroughly and on the path to health as all her kittens dying and her not looking in good condition herself, she needs medical attention first and foremost. 

Then slowly introduce them to the current animals of the house.  Expect hissing and slapping at first.  This can go on for a month or more.  But stressing them both out by expecting them to just get along and forcing them to be around eachother is not helping so try to keep them separated at first, especially if they seem to be stressed. 

But like I said before, not everyone does this... And some have great results and an easy transition.  However, most have problems and they don't know why or what they did wrong.  Cats are usually an easy fix so just start over and separate them and then gradually reintroduce them.  A lot of people have good luck with treats or something really yummy food wise while introducing pets for the first time.... The idea is the cat associates the other as a positive thing because it gets noms whenever the other is around.  

Gradually she will come to love you because you helped her feel better and take such good care of her... Plus you love her.  She will recognize that you love her by the way her life improves.  She needs time.  She needs vet care.  She needs TLC.  Give her that and she will most likely give you back even more!!  Best of luck!!

 

[rafm]

She sounds scared and shy. She will take a little time but will be worth it. I'm so glad you are getting her spayed, that will help her overall health and may decrease her anxiety.

Let us know how the vet visit goes.

 

[angels mommy]

Awww, What a blessing you rescued her. She sounds like a sweet girl, sounds like she will just will need a lot of time to adjust to the change. Defiantly get her to the vet very soon. Everyone has given you great advice.   Good luck & keep us posted. We would love to see some pictures too.

 

[whollycat]

Aw, she sounds like a very sweet girl. I agree with others that she should be checked by a vet first and foremost before doing any introductions to the kitten.

The dog cage can be a good idea (I've done that), but if you can let her have her own room, that would be even better. With introductions, but before you actually let kitties interact, use a dry rag or small towel and rub that on the kitten, then put that towel in her room, in addition you can also put anything that has the kitten's scent on it in her room. Let her explore her new room, but visit her often. When you visit her, get down on the floor at her level and talk gently to her. Offer her your hand to sniff, but don't try to touch her unless she seems agreeable to that. You can leave a piece of clothing with your body scent on it in her room.You might also bring an interactive toy, like Da Bird, to help her interact with you in a non-threatening way by doing something enjoyable that comes natural to kitties--hunting "prey."

Once she is more used to you, take the towel that you had rubbed the kitten with and gently rub on her--especially her cheeks (if she's agreeable) to also transfer her scent onto the towel. Take the towel and rub on the kitten again to mingle their scents and place back in her room. Kitties are very scent-oriented, so this helps them "recognize" each other. If the kitten has any bedding that is used regularly, put that in new kitty's room and any bedding that new kitty uses out for the kitten to use.

Also, once she is more used to you and her room, put the kitten in the room and let the new kitty out to explore without the perceived threat of the kitten for a half hour or so a couple times a day. Their scents get intermingled that way too.

I have found that grown cats are more agreeable to meeting a kitten as opposed to another mature cat, so your two might interact sooner than you think in a positive way with minimal hissing, etc. First she just needs to get used to her new surroundings, though.

I would NOT vaccinate her if the vet suggests this until she is completely healthy as evidenced by her appearance and lab results. I'm not pro-vaccination, so I'm biased here, but most vets nowadays get that they have been over-vaxinating kitties for years and any kitty with a compromised immune system brought on by disease or stress should not be vax'd. And if you're going to have her spayed, do any vax's a month or more before or after the spay.

HTH a bit and you have an awesome time with your new duo!

Jules

 

[p3 and the king]

On the vaccinating... I am in vet med school so I can tell you that most will not vaccinate her until she is healthy.  With her background, and her condition, if during the check up, a vet is alarmed... They will not until she is healthy.  But eventually they will usually before they spay her.  About a week before usually.  Some like to wait 2 weeks but no reason to wait a month.  The reason is, like with humans, cats can develop flu like symptoms after vaccinations and their immune system needs to except it and build it up. 

As for not getting vaccinations at all, I'm not sure a vet would recommend that?  If you need to leave her with a kennel or take her to a groomers, you will need up to date vaccination records for her to even be accepted.   Plus, many city or state ordinances make it a law that you have to have your pets up to date on vaccinations.  True many pets are perfectly healthy never having them... And it is a personal choice of every pet parent.  Still I would recommend it.