Hello, My name is Alixandra,

I got my Benal baby from a friend. She is 4 months old.But since she came in last night, shes been hiding under the couch I went under the ouch to get her to show her to the kids. but she ran back under the couch.

I know shes scared and shy because she doesn't know me or my kids.How long would it take her to warm up to us? What do we have to do? She hasn't eaten, drank water or use the litter box since last night. Whats going on? Im very new to this so it would be nice if you can post some tips, dos and dont's. I love animals. I wouldn't want her out on the street, not sure who my friend was going to give her too.

She is declawed and my friend said that she has had her shots.

Hello :)

The best thing to do when introducing a new kitten/cat into the home is to provide a small safe room, where they will have everything they need (water, food, litter etc). That way, they are able to get comfortable on their own (away from grabbing hands and loud noises) and if you frequently visit / sit with them quietly, they will eventually become curious and happy enough to venture out.

If you can still provide that for her, it would be best. But if you feel its too late, or just cannot provide her own space.. you will just have to wait. I'm not sure how old your kids are, but let them know she needs time to adjust and ask them to not grab at her etc. I guess it could take anywhere from couple of days to a week, depending.

Just curious, what country do you live in? I don't mean to offend (as you said, you got her from a friend and she was already declawed) but I'm curious as declawing is seen as very inhumane and illegal in a lot of countries. To be honest, it is quite disappointing to hear that it still happens Cats need their claws for climbing, defence etc, I don't think a declawed cat will do very well outside on their own.

I'm not sure what your plans are, but in my opinion (and again, I'm not trying to be mean or make you feel bad) she should be a strictly indoor cat with supervised outside time/walks etc.

All the best with the new addition
Keets

Hi Alixandra. I know it's not easy when you have children as they desperately want to hug and shower the kitten with love. Unfortunately as these are the first experiences she has with you, then they must be good ones. I would get the kitten into a safe room as soon as possible with a lovely warm bed, litter tray and cat tree with scratching post. Your kitten is probably hungry and thirsty but is just too scared to come out and eat, bless her. You can take the kids in for a short while and just let them talk softly and see if they can entice the kitten out with strong smelling treats that the kitten will love. It's also a good idea to maybe read the kids bedtime stories in there with the kitten so she can get used to you and the children but in a calm and safe environment with the soft sing song voice of story reading. If the first experiences are terrifying for the kitten then that can affect the long term relationship she has with you and your children. All of my cats I had when my girls were young came to listen to the bedtime stories, it was an evening ritual

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Melissa

UK
Oscar - Rescue (Rascal!!!) Bengal

Yea, like others have said, prying her forcefully out of a hiding place does much more harm than good, and prolongs the time it will take for her to acclimate to your household. Now is a good time to explain to your kids about patience, and respecting the cat's space, and treating her right. Of course it helps if you teach by example

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The little monsters 3

Patience is the key! I know it is common to want to hold and love on a new kitty, but know that the kitty is TERRIFIED and SCARED TO DEATH. A new home, new smells, new giant humans. So, please step back with your kids and give this little baby some space. It is so natural for them to want to hide and feel safe. She needs to find the confidence to come out in the open. It will take some time, especially if the kids are loud as some children can be. For example, my bengal cannot tolerate commotion! He runs and hides if the music playing is rock music and loud. When we have company, he runs and hides due to the conversation and voices. When it is just him and me in the house, I try to keep things quiet as that's how he likes it.

Placing a new kitten in a smaller area helps it acclimate to the environment. She may not eat for 24 hours, but if you can provide her with a safe spot with food and water and litter box, she should begin to eat at least. Just know that a kitten can not go without food for very long. 48 hours and health issues can pop up, so I do hope she is nibbling on something.

How sad that she is already declawed. This means she can NEVER EVER be outside as she has lost her only defense against predators and other cats. Not only that, I'm sure she is a lot of pain as the procedure usually makes walking extremely painful.

You are wonderful to take on this little lady, but please, please, please be patient with her. This is traumatic for her and you and your children need to understand this. Give her time, as much time as she needs. It may take days, weeks, months.