Crying Kitten

[JRH86]

Hi everyone,

I recently moved out of my parents house and, having had cats ever since I was born, decided I needed to get myself one for the new place.
I love my little girl to bits but she cries incessantly whenever there is nobody in the same room as her and it kills me to hear it.
I was wondering if anyone knows if this is a behaviour that I need to train out of her by ignoring her cries or whether it's just something that will disappear when she gets a bit older (she's 11 weeks old at the moment)?

If anyone has any information that could help me here I'd really appreciate it as I'm starting to panic that she's going to grow up to be completely neurotic if this carries on.

Thanks in advance.

J

[Barkingdog]

Can you leave a radio on softly or the TV so the kitty will at least hear people talking ? At night you could try putting something that smell like you in the her bed and buy a clock the tick and put it under your top or whatever you used. The ticking clock remind kitten of their mom's heart beating. My dog loves to take naps on my nightgowns as they're soft and smell like me. So an old nightgown or PJ top would work great.

[Reg]

Hi JRH 86;

Welcome to the forum, and hopefully we can assist you with your problem. It would appear as if your kitten may be suffering from stress considering all that has happened to her in the past week or 2. Being separated from her mother at such a young age can pose a problem to the kitten especially if she has not been weaned properly. I think if it was me I would be looking into a pheromone treatment. The one that comes to mind is Feliway. I would be looking at the plug-in type atomizer which I understand will last about a month before having to be refilled. The pheromone treatment will give the kitten the impression that your place is friendly, and will help to break the bond that she is missing with her mother.

There is another thing that you might try that is a flower essence called Rescue Remedy made by Bach. They make 2 types of it one for pets, and one for humans. The one for pets is better for the cat because it's alcohol free and can be administered internally. The one for humans should only be used topically or well diluted in water. I find adding four or five drops to the drinking water helps greatly in relieving stress over a period of days. It can be applied topically a couple of drops behind each ear, or between the toes, some people put 3 or 4 drops on the belly and give it a light rub in.

A 3rd alternative is just to ignore her and it will pass in time. The problem is it is hard on the nerves both for you and the kitten not to mention what the long-term stress will do on the cat.

Something else you might give consideration to is to get another kitty cat so the one you have will have a playmate. And you could also consider providing kitty with some play toys - either ones that are interactive that you can play with her, or something she can kick around on her own, such as a ball, or anything that will roll or move on your floors.

If and when you get a chance we would love to see a photo of the wee girl.