How long do new kitten blues last?

[hannahthespanna]

I feel awful even typing this.

we adopted a beautiful kitten 10 weeks old 2 weeks ago. She’s beautiful and settling in well.
Shes in her own safe room which is our second lounge. She’s playful, eating well, using the litter tray.

But I feel totally overwhelmed by the responsibility. I want to be a good mama for her but am finding it a bit all consuming and overwhelming. Friends have said feeling like this is quite normal but how long does it go on?

I’ve had two cats from ten weeks old and hade never experienced what you are on about. Kitten blues? What is it like baby blues? Don’t want to sound rude just I’ve felt happy and excited getting a kitten. The only stress was getting the second one and feeling bad about my older one but I’m not sure what kitten blues is

It's never really gone away for me. I've realised that owning a pet is just not for me and it really gets me down. He's lovely, don't get me wrong, but I genuinely hate having a pet. It's not for everyone IMO and it's unfortunate that you don't necessarily know that ahead of time. If I could rewind time, I'd absolutely choose differently. But hey ho.

Wtf is kitten blues?

Can I ask if you wanted the kitten and if you are a cat lover in general?

(no criticism here!)

Just to send solidarity OP, I grew up with cats and I am so used to them. But when my husband and I got our very first kitten of our own (an older kitten, about 16 weeks) I too felt totally overwhelmed. I used to have nightmares about disasters happening and having to tuck him into my dressing gown and escape - it was the weirdest thing! But once I had settled into life with him it all calmed down, probably took about three or four weeks for the anxiety to ease x

I had a very similar experience; I, too, struggle with change. It was hard at first; my kitten was high-energy and almost adopted an alter ego of pure madness at times. I was so overwhelmed and considered taking her back to the rescue. However, after a few strong words from my pet-loving family, I tried to calm down a bit and instead put in more routine. I started structured play sessions (20-30 mins morning and night, at least), introduced treats so she knew her name, and made up games where she could find/hunt them out. Bought her a massive cat tree for her to scratch and sleep up high. She was free around the home in the day, but I also kept her safe in my living room overnight, and she was more than fine with that. She is now an 8-month-old, neutered, free-roaming young cat that goes outdoors. For me, the biggest difference was after she was neutered and could go out, she uses up all of her energy outside and mostly toilets out there too. In fact, now, she's so independent that I miss her when she is not inside! She is the sweetest cat, and I am so glad I did not give up too soon. Keep going, once it all starts to settle, the anxiety definitely reduces significantly, and everything feels normal again.

Don't think of yourself as her "mama" or her as a "fur baby." She's a pet who will become a well-loved member of the household, but she is not a human child.

I understand where you're coming from. I've always had dogs but puppy blues is a real thing! Baby animals are overwhelming, they're needy and intense and it's a big change if you're adjusting from having no pets at all, or even an older pet.

When we had our second puppy he was a nightmare. I'm not sure if we forgot what the puppy stage is like or if he was genuinely a terror compared to the first, but it was difficult to adjust to. It was only for the first few months though, we had him 13 years and he turned out to be the perfect dog 😍

Hang in there, in a few months you'll forget what all the fuss was about.

Kitten blues is definitely a thing. Ive been there.
Im better with older rescue cats and the very old ones are an absolute delight.
They know what they want and they do that.
I have a 16 year old and a 5 year old. The 5 year old was a rescue jet black kitten who I got at 8 weeks and the anxiety was intense. It was like having a baby. Am I bringing her up right, is she happy, should I be entertaining her more etc ad nauseam.
Luckily the older cat keeps her in line and they play together a lot.

Ive always had my cats and kittens in bed with me. They need cuddles.

What do you mean "mama"? You're not her mother - she has a mother who she was taken away from!

Cat mothers generally reject their kittens after breastfeeding ends. My kitten had been completely rejected, hissed at and cuffed by her motherwhen I got her. She looked to me for comfort.

Ten weeks is too young to be separated from her mum & litter mates- should be minimum of 12 weeks. Also unfair to keep her isolated at night when she’s so tiny. Shes gone from having her mum, brothers & sisters all the time to be being completely alone for half the day.

The Cat Protection League says it is fine for kittens to be separated from their mother at 8 weeks old.

Please relinquish this baby to a safe place. And while you do that release her from her one room and at least try and give her some love. Poor darling!!

I had this for a few weeks when we adopted our two (they were year old rescues, not kittens). I'd never had pets before as an adult and only goldfish as a child. I must have started half a dozen threads on here worried about various aspects, it was just such a big change and big responsibility. I just wanted to get everything right for them. They're still with us 12 years later, one is lying across me in bed as I type. Just need to give it time.