Hi I've just joined because I bought a 3 month old Bengal male kitten 4 days ago. We brought him home and shut him off in the kitchen/dinning room of our house with litter tray, food and water as suggested by the breeder. He seemed fine at first and we would go and sit calmly with him and play if he seemed interested. He didn't hide and seemed very confident. The breeder gave us some food for him which is all we put down for him.

He started being sick which we thought must be stress so we just made sure he had plenty of water available. He was being sick more frequent so we rang the breeder to find out more about his routine but they didn't get back. He stopped being sick and then started to have liquid diarrhoea outside the litter tray. I didn't make any fuss just cleaned it up. I decided to remove his food for 24 hours to let his stomach settle and bought some feliway spray to try and help him calm down.

I've tried several times to contact the breeder for advice but they just won't respond. I rang the vets for advice and they said it sounds like stress and to keep an eye on him and take him in if it goes on for another 24 hours but as he's drinking still and active and alert hopefully it will pass as he gets used to his new home. I just feel incredibly let down by the breeder and sorry for the poor kitten but I just don't know what to do for the best. Should I leave him in the room on his own or go sit with him? Don't know what causes him more stress! Just wondered if anyone had any advice or experience of this as I've never had a cat so stressed before. I will do anything I need to to help him and any advice I'm grateful for. Thanks

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I would be very tempted to take him to the vet for a health check, although if it is stress related, that will also be stressful for him so its a tough call.

Do you have any plants in the rooms you are keeping him in at the moment that he may have eaten when you're not watching? My boys will eat anything and I no longer have any plants or flowers in the house as so many of them are toxic to cats. If you do, I would move them out of the room as a starter and check for anything else he might be able to get hold off, like pot pourri.

Keep in close contact with your vet as a kitten can't go too long without keeping his food and fluids inside him, he needs all the energy and nutrients he can get.

Good luck and let us know how he is getting on x

I would be tempted to take him to the vet. I'm surprised really that he vet didn't ask you to bring him in.

It's really annoying that the breeder hasn't got back in touch with you.

When we got our kitten we signed a contract which stipulated that the kitten was in good health when passed to the owner. Probably another reason to visit the vet now, rather than wait is that you can say that the kitten wasn't in good health and I'd be tempted to send her any vet bill!

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Oscar and Jasper (or one ear and two ears as dh calls them) black rescue mogges

RIP my sweet baby Dexter, Snow Bengal 19/5/14 to 5/3/15 and my lovely dear old friend Muskey, Brown Burmese put to rest aged 15 on 14/11/15.

Debbie

I think it is always a good idea to take a new pet to the vet for a health check within a few days of coming home. There may be something in the contract between the breeder and yourself (if you got one) which states that you should do this within 7 days.

You are probably doing the right thing to stop food for a while and keep plenty of fresh water readily available. When you do feed your kitty, keep him to very plain food (your vet will be able to give you plain chicken and rice meals for sensitive tummies) to feed your kitten for a day or 2. Your vet may also recommend an antibiotic injection if he/she suspects an infection.

If it is a stress reaction to a big change, then focus on trying to keep things really calm at home. Keep kitty in a small room with water and litter tray nearby and keep noise and visitors down for a day or two. xxx

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The little monsters 3

Hopefully, you've decided to take him to the vet to have him checked out. This will ease your mind. Most decent breeders would take your call and answer your questions. It's possible your boy contacted something before he was sent home with you. Your vet is right -- a change in environment is very stressful for a new kitten. New smells, new things, new people. But, I'd definitely take him to the vet -- better to be safe than sorry and then you can move on with the bonding process. Be patient with the little guy.

Check on the water you're giving him? What type of water did he drink when he was at the breeder? Was it well water and now you're giving him city water? My kids are on bottled water for the time being since I know the city water is very different from the well water. I plan on transitioning them slowly. Also, are you feeding him the same food the breeder did for the time being? Or did you transition over to another brand and did you give him time to adjust?