Just got a kitten - can anyone offer a bit of urgent advice?

[LackingInspiration]

She's lovely, and very friendly and confident. However she hasn't eaten since she got here - we picked her up at 11am. And she's now been asleep for nearly 2 hours. I know cats sleep a lot, but I'm just checking whether or not we ought to try and get her to eat something soon?

She's 10 weeks, btw, and has been perfectly fine up until now.

Also, she knows our children already - we've been to visit her lots - and there were children in the family she was born into so she's really used to them and to being handled. My children are being so patient but are desperate to pick her up and cuddle her (which they've been doing at her old home) but we've been holding htem back so she can get used to here first. How fair (or not) is it to pick up a sleeping cat to let them sleep on your lap? She's curled up in her bed now, btw, in the living room.

She'll prob be starving when she wakes up!

Let her sleep for now.

let her find her feet today.

DONT FORGET TO SHOW HER WHERE HER LITTER TRAY IS!!

I wouldn't pick her up just yet. Quite stressful for her, let her come to the kids first I think- food wise mine would only eat cats milk and mashed up chicken for the first week- biscuits were a little bit too hard for him and he would go anywhere near red meat

Ooh agree that the minute she wakes up pick her up and plop her in litter tray :)

We showed her where her litter tray is already, and it has some of her old litter in it. She's just woken up so I've stuck her in there - thank's for that advice!

Do you really think I might have problem with what she'll eat? She's been eating all sorts of different dried kitten food up until now - I didn't expect it to be a problem. I'm a bit concerned about giving her something different to what she's used to so soon...and we have no kitten milk! Might have to send DH out to pets at home.

Keep offering her what she is used to if you can, and if she will not take that then a tiny bit of something else to tempt her perhaps? You could always just give a little cooked chicken too. As a one off it is going to be fine to use that just to encourage her. She is probably just a little overwhelmed with the change of environment just now and will settle down in a day or two.

Gah! She's just come back in from where her litter tray is and gone straight back to sleep in her bed!

Ooh! I do have some cold chicken from lunchtime - what a coincidence. I'll offer her some now. I haven't actually offered her anything yet - just shown her where her food is. The woman who gave her to us, when I asked, just said 'any good quality dried kitten food'

Yay! Gave her some chicken in little bits, then gave her a few bits of her dried food, which she ate; then made her a 'trail' to her bowl, which we put right next to her bed. She's just eaten loads.

I've taken her to her litter tray again, but I can't tell if she's done a wee in it or not. How do I tell? Or do I just not worry unless she does a wee on the floor somewhere!?

She's gone back into her bed and is looking a bit sleepy again. Maybe she's just taking time to wake up? She played for about an hour when she first arrived, so I imagine she is fairly knackered!

Bless her! Its a hard life eh

Prob best to try and stick to what shes used to foodwise you really dont want her getting an upset tummy.

You said shes in the living room, you prob know this already but try and limit the area she can wander in to just that room if poss for the first day or so-mainly so if she suddenly needs the litter tray she can easily and quickly get back to it.

It sounds to me like you're worrying a little too much. If she's used to children already then I'm sure she'll be fine.

I wouldn't worry about how much she is sleeping. It has been an eventful day for her after all! She'll soon perk up and want to play

I would also recommend sticking to 'good quality dried food' if that's what she is used to. Giving a different type of food could upset her stomach if she's not used to it. If you've shown her where her food is, she'll find it when she wants it.

Try not to worry so much and enjoy her

Sorry, crossposted!

I bet she'll be in the mood to play when the kids have gone to bed! You can have her all to yourself then