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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

How long should kitten hide?

5 replies

Jas1985 · 13/10/2020 12:23

Hello all,

Really just here looking for a bit of reassurance and advice. We just adopted two beautiful 5 month old kittens. The foster carer told us that they are very timid and shy, and will need a lot of patience. It’s just me and my partner in the house so we’re hoping we can be the perfect quiet home for them. We have a dedicated room set up for them with toys, litter tray, food and water and scratching posts, plus a feliway diffuser plugged in.

As expected, they’ve been hiding ever since they arrived. They’ve found a safe spot behind the tv stand. We take turns to go in during the day and read or watch tv. Keeping it all very calm at the moment and trying not to rush them. They are eating and using the litter tray. One of them came out yesterday when I put wet food down. She looked a bit frightened but I tried to just ignore her, and she ate a little bit before retreating back to her hiding spot.

Is there anything else we should be doing? Should we start being more proactive in coaxing them out or is our quite passive approach the way to go? Any advice is really appreciated!

OP posts:
SassenachWitch · 13/10/2020 13:47

Do they have any toys? I'd try to coax them out, maybe sit on the floor with a toy that they'll want to chase, or even a piece of string.

FelicityPike · 13/10/2020 13:48

I’d say maybe a couple of weeks doing what you’re doing.

Toilenstripes · 13/10/2020 13:52

I would sit next to where they hide and talk to them in a soft voice. Just tell them how happy you are to have them. Let them hear your voice and maybe tempt them with a few chewy treats.

Toddlerteaplease · 13/10/2020 16:15

One of mine hid for 8 days! Luckily I'd been pretty warned that she would do that.

Jas1985 · 17/10/2020 11:48

Update for you all

So they’ve made so much progress, I’m honestly amazed. They now come out to eat in front of us. They will wander out during the day to use the litter tray or get a drink when we’re there. Every night at bedtime they come out to play with their toys for a few hours, and last night they ate treats from our hands.

Still not letting us pet them but I’m expecting that to take a long time. They were born outside and then fostered, so aren’t used to lots of human contact. If i hold my hand out they will boop their noses on my fingertip, which I’m happy with after only a week.

Thank you so much for all your advice

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