Hello all

My wife and I have recently brought two Siamese kittens (Jenson & Maisy) from a breeder, they were 11 weeks old when we got them.

As expected on arriving in their new home they were very scared and nervous and spent 95% of their time hidden.

Before getting them I did a lot of research into kittens and most of the advice was to leave the kittens to it and not force yourself on them and they eventually come around so that I what we have been doing. We have been putting food down at regular times and trying to hand feed them when possible.

We have isolated them to just our living room/kitchen area and provided them with lots of toys etc. We spend a lot of time in the room watching TV and talking to them.

Within the first week they developed cat flu and were prescribed eye drops and medicine from the vet meaning we had to take hold of them and treat them which they did not like. The treatment was completed last week and they now seem healthy.

We have now had them three weeks and I'm a little worried by how nervous they still are and wondered if anyone can let us know if it’s normal.

They will happily come out and play with each other while we are sat in the room. They still spend a lot of the time in their ‘safe place’ under our table but they do allow us to approach them there and they will allow us to play with them with string and toys etc, they will also let us stroke them and seem very happy when we do (purring like mad) although Maisy will sometimes hiss at first then seems to relax when her brother is getting attention.

Despite this they are very nervous when we move and will run away and hide from us. If we try and pick them up they want to get down straight away.

They are eating fine and using their litter tray.

Can anyone give us any tips to help them come out of themselves and settle in better? I don't want to rush them but am worried if we leave things too late they will never be comfortable with human contact etc.

Thanks in advance.

Hi
37 years ago, one month after I got married at the ripe old age of 20 (!) I decided to go all posh and buy a pair of siamese (we had always had moggies at home) I knew nothing of purposely breeding cats or where you should or shouldnt buy a pet. My new husband and I went to a cattery that were advertising kittens for sale and were met by a queen with her kittens in a rabbit hutch!!! Sick I know, but I thought that was just normal for breeders. The kittens were £11.10 shillings each. They were exactly as you described, we didnt see them for about a month. They hid all the time we were there and only came out to eat etc when we were at work or bed. They gradually got braver and would sneak out to look at us and did eventually become lovely friendly cats. They were very very close though and couldnt bear to be parted as they had formed such a close bond. I would sit with bits of chicken to get them to come to you and gentle play. Where did you get them from? Sounds like they werent socialised as mine werent.

Have they had their jabs? Did you visit them at the breeders (other than when you picked them up) and how were they there? Are they GCCF registered? I ask because a proper GCCF registered breeder should have kept them until 13 weeks after their last jab, and they also should have been well socialised.

However. . . . buy a feliway diffuser and plug that in , it contains calming pheromones (ignore the price, just doit) it will take about a week to start to work fully but will help. Then just keep doing what you are doing - time, love and patience will hopefully win them around.

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please look at my website - www.finesthourcats.webs.com - for gorgeous GCCF registered RagaMuffins and Selkirk Rex

These kittens are young to have left a properly registered breeder who should have encouraged them to be sociable before they left. They should have been vaccinated too, which the obviously weren't if they have had 'flu'
I hope they settle with you after their traumatic start and I'm sure with patience they will do so even if they don't become the most outgoing of kittens.

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How we behave toward cats here below determines our status in heaven. - Robert A. Heinlein
http://www.lambchopsiamese.webs.com

That's what came to mind when I was reading your post. It's not a disaster by any means - but what kind of household did they come from? Kittens that are handled from an early age are usually quite confident around people, but from the little I know about Siamese cats, they are very intelligent and yours might have ideas of their own. If the breeder's home was quiet with not many people around (as was the case with my two), they might take longer to come out of their shells.

You might also find that they are bonding more closely with each other than with you at the moment, but I think patience is the key; interact with them on their own terms with toys (bits of string, stuff on the end of a stick, toy mice for them to chase), and little by little their trust will grow.

How sad - in 1987 when I was 9, we got my first cat Charcoal from a local pet shop. She was a tiny, all-black 10-week old who was also absolutely terrified. She was the last one of her litter left in the shop, and hissed the moment I put my hand in the cage. We were told she was shy 'because she had Siamese in her'...... strange, as I've heard they're very sociable!!!

Looking back, I feel she must;ve come from a very neglectful home But she was very lucky to have found us, as she lived for 13 years and enjoyed life when she got older, despite being so terrified to start with. If we'd left her in that shop, chances are she'd have been taken into a shelter and never been homed at all....

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RIP Charcoal my shy girl 1987-2000, Patch the wanderer 1987-?, Tabby my darling fluffball 1988-2002 & Panda the rascal 1988-2008

Thanks for all your replies

When we got the kittens we we asked if we wanted them registered or not and as we have no plans to breed or show them and it worked out cheaper we didn't bother with it.

We only saw the breeder the once as there was quite a distance between us, but we did meet the mum and dad and see all their paperwork etc. They both looked healthy and were very affectionate.

The house appeared very nice and clean, there were two litters from different cats living there.

They had been given their first injections and the breeder was going to get the second injections done and we were going to collect them at 12 weeks but due to working commitments we decided to collect at 11 weeks and get the second injections done ourselves.

They do seem to be paying more attention to us and they love it when we do go to them and stroke them, purring and rolling over onto their backs, but they will never approach us and run at the first sign of movement.

Philski - Your comments appears to be very true about their bond. They are defiantly very close and go everywhere together, if they get themselves separated they will be crying in seconds and looking envy where for the other one.

Spid - We have already purchased the Feliway diffuser and it has been in the house just over a week now so hopefully that is helping them settle down.

We will keep paying them attention when we can and hopefully they will come round in time.

Previously we had been looking after our landlords two Siamese while he was away for two years and they were so loving and we really hope our new babies will end up with similar personalities.