question to kitty moms or dads

[Mari333]

My new little kitty has been here for about 3 weeks. He was found by one of my friends with 6 other kitties under her porch in the freezing cold out in the country. They are all safe and warm now in various homes.
I already have 2 other very gentle cats and a gentle dog, and a parrot. Nonetheless, I noticed that new little kitty is very very shy and was obviously traumatized by his ordeal, so I gave him a lot of leeway to get used to his new family.
he has gone from hiding on the front porch and hissing, to now sitting in the living room under the recliner, where he is now 'touching noses' with the other cats and accepting tuna treats from my hand. he still wont let me pet him, but he is slowly coming out from under the recliner..(he was under the dining room table for a while yesterday, then went back to hiding under the recliner)
he has even touched noses with the dog
now, when I come in to shake food into the cat dish, he meows...the other cats run to eat, but he wont make that trip into the kitchen to eat his food...so my question is, should I just wait? will he eventually get hungry enough to finally make that trip to the cat dish? to the water dish? I dont think I should baby him and bring the dishes to him, he wouldnt starve himself, I assume.
again, I dont want him to think I will bring his food and water to him because he is still afraid to come out fully.
what do you moms and dads of kitties think? will he eventually make that scary trip to the kitchen?

[mikeytherat]

1. We usually keep newbies isolated from the General Population for a few weeks.

We use a bathroom with a window, and let the newbie have that room and the other pets will sniff around the door. Let newbie come out and play a little more each day with the others. Should take a week or so to integrate.

mikey_the_rat

[Arkansas Granny]

2. It sounds to me like he has made remarkable progress already.

I would continue to let him set the pace and I'm sure he'll make that trip to the kitchen soon. Just be patient. Gaining the trust of a feral cat, even if you start when they are young, can take some time. My Toots was a feral kitten and it took several weeks before she was comfortable with being handled and even longer before she explored the whole house.

[Mari333]

3. thanks I will just wait and keep talking to him

he watches me petting the other cats and I can see he wants it too but he hasnt quite made that leap. thanks.

[Orsino]

4. You can ease the n00b into the routine...

...by moving a dish for him to just inside the room--or start outside it. He will be able to eat without fully committing to entering the kitchen, or cozying up to the other cats.

[Mari333]

6. oh my it worked!

I moved the food dish out of the kitchen into the dining room and he came right out. hes eating it now. I will slowly move it every day a little closer to the kitchen til he gets used to it. thanks...!!

[Jamastiene]

5. This will work.

Don't take the food to him, but meet him halfway and move the dish a little closer to the "normal spot" for kitty food each day until he gets the idea. He may be just a little shy and still getting used to his new surroundings. It sounds like he's adjusting, just maybe at a bit of a slow pace. He'll come around if you are patient with him and meet him halfway.

Domino wouldn't let anyone touch her until I picked her up one day and held her close to my chest where she could hear my heart beating. After that, she sort of bonded with me. She didn't like anyone else touching her except the one girl at the vet's office, because she did the same trick with letting her hear the heartbeat. I don't know what it is about that trick, but it worked with Domino. It doesn't work with every kitten...just the ones who are halfway tame and calm enough that you CAN pick them up, they just won't volunteer to come to you. It's hard to explain how to tell if they are receptive to that trick or not. It's something you have to see and notice about the kitten in "purr-son." :)

[ThomCat]

7. Good Post!

Letting a young kitten hear your heartbeat is often very soothing. It reminds them of Mom. :)

Bringing him a food dish and gradually moving it to the kitchen a little each day is a good way to gradually build up his trust and courage.

Be patient. Please expect that it might take a few more weeks before he is ready to explore and trust. He's scared and alone.

But once he bonds with you, he'll have more courage as long as he's near you. That moment when he bonds with you will quickly change everything. :)

[applegrove]

8. Build a Hansel & Gretel path of kitty treats to the kitty bowl when the other

pets are somewhere else.