Expert: Tina - 4/25/2007

Question
I just adopted an 8 week old kitten from a local humane society.  She and her mother had been brought in as the owner of the Mom could no longer care for her.  My kitten was the only survivor of the litter and I assume was not handled much.  She is a pretty nervous little lady.  When I approach her she hisses and sometimes growls.  She never strikes out unless I am picking her up.  I know its important that I handle her as much as possible.  Should I bear the bloodshed (mine not hers) and force the issue or be more laid back?  Right now she is in a bedroom with access to food, water, litter pan all of which she is usingand she seems fairly healthy.  My only concern is she is quite gassy and has a little bit of a rigid tummy.  Any input?  Thanks for your time.  

Answer
Hi Alicia,

Good for you for adopting this poor baby from the shelter! It's very normal for a kitten her age to act this way whether born in captivity or not - it's her natural instinct to defend herself from potential predators by putting on a big show of spitting and hissing, and she's pretty scared being away from mom for the first time in her life.

Kittens socialize very quickly, and yes you do need to "push" the issue with her to get her to socialize faster. AT her age, it is safe to pick her up, if she strikes at you try putting a towel over her and wrapping her in it, hold her close to you. Feed her treats such as pieces of raw chicken or turkey by hand.

Here is an article with tips on socializing your kitten:

http://catnet.stanford.edu/articles/socializing_ferals.html

The rigid tummy and gassiness is a big concern - she probably has internal parasites, very common in kittens. Take a sample of her stool to your vet and they can look for worm eggs in there and give you medication if they find any. It is possible it's just the diet change, too. I highly recommend feeding a high-quality canned food only, or even better a home-made raw food. Here are some links on cat nutrition and why canned food is superior to dry food and raw food is even better:

http://www.catnutrition.org
http://www.catinfo.org
http://maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm

Best wishes to you and your kitty!