Hope all goes well RiaBoo :D
Looking forward to seeing photos :)
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Hope all goes well RiaBoo :D
Looking forward to seeing photos :)
Looking forward to the first pics of baby Hank in his new home!:applaud:
Hi guys!
Well, we got Hank back home now, all went well and so excited that he's here. But..... he hasnt stopped 'crying' / 'meowing' since we got back. We've let him explore etc and left him to get to know his surroundings, but it's quite upsetting hearing him pining for his other family. He's such a vocal cat... not sure if anyone of you experienced this too when bringing a Maine Coon to his new home.
He's not scared of us which is a good thing, but coz its such an unfamiliar place I think he's really overwhelmed. I know he'll get over it in time, but it's quite upsetting. :cry:
I dont think I'll take pics yet as I dont want to scared him even more haha.
Ria; Delighted to hear hank is home:partydance:
The lady who we bought Winston from, told us it was normal for the kitten to cry for abit after he left his home. Winston cried for about 30 mins in the car before settling down though I felt it was better that he was on my lap as I was able to pet him and reassure him.
Perhaps a little TLC for a while, put on some classical music (We played classical music on the radio on the journey home last week!) and just stroke him gently to reassure him . I have no doubt that this evening or tomorrow he will be well settled.
It depends from kitten to kitten... But I'm sure it will be all right after he's gotten used to his new home!
I haven't had any experience with this kind of situation, since there were always other cats around to comfort the new kitten in its new home.
Anyway: Maine Coons are very vocal cats even when they're not "whining". They love to "talk" to everyone and everything around the house. So you'll have to get used to that as well. :winkwink:
At the start we had a bit of crying from both of ours on the journey home. Then every now and again they would start up again. Of course, we did have a long journey home (5+hrs) and they were in seperate carriers away from home for the first time. I know what you mean when you say its upsetting. I just wanted to explain to them both that everything was going to be fine, but I dont speak 'Maine Coon' and they dont speak English, so I was pretty stuck. :(
At home, they cried a bit but not too much to be honest. As we came home with two, they normally only made noise when they were seperate from each other. As soon as they found each other again they stopped.
With ours, (been here 4 days now) they have settled really well and, as Karol said, one of our two (Storvenn) likes to 'talk' :)
Personally I think its awesome, but then there are times when its not quite so awesome.. 1am in the morning a few days ago, Storvenn decided to have a 'talk' on in the hallway. I ended up getting up and going downstairs to sleep in the same room as him. :) Last night he was 'head butting' my daughter to wake her up at 3am for 'play time'. :winkwink:
We've not had any 'I miss home' crying at all that I can tell from the last three days. They have both settled in really well.
I sure Hank will have plenty of love and affection showered over him in the next few days to enable him to settle in nicely.
Thanks for your advice guys. Well at the moment he's found a 'safe' spot upstairs behind the washing basket, we hear an occasional 'meow' and he answers back when we talk to him. So plenty of reassurance and strokes when he comes near us. I held him for a while and he let me stroke him for a little bit, which I think is a good sign.
Our 2 year old is back home from his grandparents and he's taken to Hank already. The thing is he wants to play but Hank doesnt. But he's been gentle and nice to him which is lovely to see. *phew*
He hasn't eaten, drank or used his litter tray since we brought him home, I would guess this is due to all the change. Were just waiting for our 2 year old to go to bed in a couple of hours, then Dave and I are going to sit down with him in the living room and give him lots of fuss and playtime. :kisses::hopeful:
Just back from the shops and popped into see how Hank was doing.
Winston did not use his litter tray until the following morning after he had arrived.He just did a "small job".
He didn't do a "big job" until Monday morning and we were very relieved to see "the gift" left on his litter tray that morning :laugh:
Ever since then he has used his litter tray regularly. We also gave him a special treat when we discovered he used the tray and heaped lots of praise on him.
Now I know what Mums & Dad's go through with potty training :AddEmoticons00941:
Glad to hear Hank is home Ria. Its always hard hearing them cry but he will have settled by tomorrow I'm sure. Our dogs cried a lot when they came home as 8 week old puppies - it's such a frightening experience for them but after a night they seems to settle, once they realise how much you love them and no harm is going to come to them. I hope you have a good time playing with him tonight when your ?son goes to bed. I will look forward to seeing photos when you feel the time is right.
Well.... Im sooo tired! We finally managed to make him feel more comfortable at the end of last night and he came down to have a little explore of the kitchen and living room. I can tell that he trusts us now, he's just very wary of our home because it's much bigger and of course different than what he was used to.
My son was sick last night (temperature/cold) so I was up most of the night, plus Hank was also 'crying' early this morning, I think he just wanted company. So at 4 am this I came downstairs bleary eyed and laid down on the sofa. He watched me for a little while and then he came for a snuggle and we both went to sleep until about 6. :tired:
So Im very tired, hardly had any sleep, but very happy that Hank is feeling more comfortable, he even sat with us in the living room this morning watching TV!
He still hasn't eaten/drank or gone toilet, but Im not worried, he'll do it when he's ready. :thumbup:
I could do with a sleep tho! :AddEmoticons00912:
oh no poor you!! Maybe you can try to sleep a little during the day? :hug:
But I'm glad to hear that Hank is feeling a little more at home. Once he gets used to the new environment and the new sounds and smells, he'll surely start eating, drinking and using the toilet.
Nice to hear he's at home. It takes a lot of getting used to from both sides. He is only a baby and missing his known surroundings/family/canopeners, is making him insecure. He should start eating by now. It is very important for a cat to eat every day. Otherwise he can start having problems with his liver. Try playing with him and throw a bit to eat, when he eats that thrown another. In this way maybe you can tempt him to start eating. Do you have a catpate or other canned food? This smells nice, otherwise try to warm it just a little bit so the smell is irresistable for the little one (in microwave or by adding warm water). Stir a little water with the food so he gets his fluids aswell.
Thanks a lot Patty, he's eaten a little bit not much today (just a few morsels). I've tried him with kitten food and mince but with no joy, he sniffs it then just walks away, it seems like that he's still not comfortable. The last time he had anything was yesterday morning before we took him home. I will try what you have suggested and fingers crossed he'll eat something, as Im getting pretty worried now. :unsure:Quote:
Originally Posted by Patty
Poor you Ria, hope he starts eating soon it must be very worrying. I'm sure cats are different to dogs but when I brought Elsa home at 8 week old puppy she wouldn't eat either. I had to hand feed her for a week! She is still a fussy eater at a year old! I have to cook mince for her - she won't eat just dry biscuits. Let us know how he does tonight.
Ria: Did the breeder give you some food to bring home and did you introduce him to the same food that he had at his old home? Our breeder gave us a small bag of Royal Canin "Babycat 34" which he just loves :hungry:
I might suggest a small bit of tinned tuna (in spring water)? It's very tasty!
Winston just loves this and gets some along with his dried food every day. The only thing so far that he has refused is "kitten milk". He detests it.
My husband has already called him "a good grubber". We have been very lucky in that there was no problem with eating & food from the time we got him home. It was the one thing that would have worried me :hmm:
I am sure it is just because of the settling in period.
How are things with Hank today? Has he eaten a little more and used the cat toilet? Is he feeling a little more at home?
Hi guys, sorry for the lack of updates over the weekend. It has been a worrying few days, but things are looking up. Once I get 5 mins to myself I shall post some new pics and tell you all how things are going. But for now, I gotta sort out my house, toddler,kitty and work :rolleyes:
Thank you all for your advice and concern!! :grouphug6:
Hank's log - stardate 25.01.10.10.46
Hey all, just seconding Ria's thanks for the concern and advice.
Hanks certainly a lot comfier in the house now, nice to see him having what I call the 'Mad 5 minutes' that cats do, where their eyes glaze over, pupils dilate and they suddenly spontaneously race off in a random direction, usually over the sofa or up someone's back as my old cat used to !
So that's nice to see, he's been coming a lot for cuddles and loves a stroke, actually he tends to pine swear loudly if we leave him in the room so he's never really without company.
He's also starting to be less causcious of our toddler, this morning (5am be it!!) I was sat down stairs next to our poorly son (Still got a cold) and Hank was laid across both our laps which was nice.
Thankfully he's using the toilet like it's never been alien to him, only thing is, not sure if it's as he rushed the ending but he's come out a couple of times with poop stuck to the back of his legs. Removed the most of it with a comb and tried wiping the residue away but theres still a little there which he's cleaned off himself but I hope that's not always the way with semi-long hairs? Don't want him getting sick.
As for food and drink, last night he had a very little water, and drank with his paw. This morning thankfully he had quite a good drink which between water and food has been my biggest concern.
He's had a few mouthfulls of mince this morning but nothing much, hopefully he'll have a proper feed today. I've got royal canin kitten food arriving in the post today so that will be available for him as well.
We've already got some lovely pics i'm sure Ria will be uploading soon for everyone to see.
So here's some photos as promised of Hank... will upload more on my personal album. He's settling in very well, he has made our living room 'his' but still very wary about the kitchen. He panics when people are coming down the stairs, but were getting there, thank goodness!
He's a darling and the whole family already love him to bits! He's such a softie!!!! :kisses:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2720/...86717d4a_o.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4037/...00189db1_o.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4002/...70f95fff_o.jpg
He's a real cutie!!! So nice that he's settling in and getting used to his new home. In a few days, it'll be as if he always has been there... :smile:
SUPERB!!!! Look at his little white 'beard' and paws! :cheerful:
You must be really happy and Im slowly begining to see why people have warned me that once you have 1 coonie.. you will always want more. ;)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tomiam
ohhh they are such an addiction! We got our first maine coon 3,5yrs ago, and last month, number 3 joined our family!:excited:
Hank is absolutely adorable Ria. I love his white paws and his big white chest. It nice to see him using the tree and I love the one of him on your lap. So glad he is settling in now. I see you have added some more to your album so I will go take a look.
Ria: Hank is a stunning kitty.
He is so big, much bigger then Winston :excited:
Love the photos and must check out your other ones now!
So glad he is finally settling :)