New rescue kitten hiding

[custardbear]

Hi fellow cat lovers
I brought home a very shy stray kitten yesterday. He'd been in CPL for a month so used to people and good temperament. He has hidden under our book shelf, came out for food and went back under.
Should I keep bringing him out or just leave him to settle?
Thanks

It's perfectly normal for a new cat to hide. Were you advised about setting up a quiet room and keeping him there for the first week or so while he gets used to your household?

Are you keeping him in one room? That helps with nervous cats/kittens as too much space can be overwhelming.

Sit in the room, talk to him, read a book, play on your phone (handy for photos when he does something new!), introduce new toys, drop a Dreamie. Give him time and let him come to you.

Leave him to settle. My sister’s cat hid under the piano for just over a week when she first arrived. Our two both hid for a while. The beaver one came out the next day, Matilda only came out for food and to use the litter tray for about 3 days. They’re very settled now though.

Normal. Mine only hid for the day but some can hide for several days. Just make sure there is access to food and litter tray. I spent quite a lot of time sitting next to the sofa she was hiding under to try and get her used to my presence but I don't know if that made any difference.

Yes we've got him in our snug as it's quieter than everywhere else. I am spending lots of time in here and he's got food, kitten milk and litter. I'll leave him then and just chat to him regularly and let him get used to me
Thanks 😊

And water?

Does he have toys and things to climb?

Can he see out of the window?

Yes, water, toys etc. I've got bifold doors only in this room which I've mostly closed the blinds as it shows quite a lot of garden abs through it may be overwhelming for him, just left a couple open at the bottom so he can see out a little

Ah so you have blinds for him to climb then?
Lovely.

My rescue cat from CPL lived under the stairs for two days and nights, I fed him in there and his litter tray was in there. I left the cupboard door slightly open.

He eventually came out late one night while I was watching TV and that was it. He stayed out from then on.

Let him come out in his own time - it can take a good few days. Don't worry if he doesn't use his tray - they can hold on for ages!

It'll be the blinds that will tempt him out, kittens love those.

The hardest part is not to overreact when he first comes out. You need to play it very cool and act like nothing interesting has happened.

He is a beautiful floof 😍 just give him a little time to get used to the new smells and sounds and he will soon start sniffing about. My kitties took a few days of hiding under the sofa and skitting back to their safe places whenever a human entered the room.

We made sure not to crowd them but talked to them, played with ribbons and balls and gave little strokes when we said hello.

As long as they have access to food, water and a litter tray they will soon feel safe.

My rescue kitten didn't come out of the box in our presence for about 3 days. She is now the most friendliest kitten who loves to snuggle up on a lap. However she still hates visitors and will disappear behind the fridge, sofa or whatever is nearest until they leave the house

@TheSpottedZebra

Ah so you have blinds for him to climb then? Lovely.

Lol I went in last night and the blinds did rustle 😆 My other cats ignored the blinds - I forgot kittens aren't quite like older chilled cats 😆

@cobblers123

My rescue cat from CPL lived under the stairs for two days and nights, I fed him in there and his litter tray was in there. I left the cupboard door slightly open.

He eventually came out late one night while I was watching TV and that was it. He stayed out from then on.

Aaahhhh hopefully Stormy will do the same

@ArblemarchTFruitbat

Let him come out in his own time - it can take a good few days. Don't worry if he doesn't use his tray - they can hold on for ages!

He did an enormous poop on the floor yesterday so I've put his tray over where he did that ... it's only laminate in here so it can take it

It’s best to ignore cats and pretend you can’t see them. They will observe then decide when they will deign your with their presence. Cute cat.

I've sprayed some Feliway and I'll keep coming in and out so he's used to me

It's a really good sign that he's done a poo already - it means he's starting to feel comfortable in your house.

@ArblemarchTFruitbat

It's a really good sign that he's done a poo already - it means he's starting to feel comfortable in your house.

That's good, we thought it might be that he was scared

I don't think I mentioned, but in the night he ate his food and dreamies 💕 hopefully that means he's trusting us

Oh he is just beautiful!!

Yes, eating and toileting are all positive signs that he's starting to settle in. It can be a 'one step forward two steps back' process at times but the general trend will be forward.

What your kitty is doing is conducting a risk assessment - checking that you are not predators, trying out different activities to make sure they are safe. Once he's finished and you've passed the assessment he'll be all over you!

Gorgeous cat OP. Not that I'm biased but grey cats are definitely best .

I concur with everything said above. Just leave your cat to do what he wants in his own time and he'll come round before long.. You sound to be doing all the right things

Thanks to you all - he's a lovely blue/grey colour and so very soft too, I thought a feral cat would be more like our first ever cat, who was a farm cat, rough fur and very hard lol 😆