My ruscued kitten wont eat

Question
i have a new kitten i think he is about 3-4 motnhs old, he was found out side with 3 other kittens hungry and cold. i think he might have been abused because when i try to pet him he reacts as if i was going to hurt him. i have had him for 2 nights and i have put him in the bathroom along with a a bowl of tuna, a bowl of dry food, some water and some milk, anything to try and get him to eat but wont touch any of it. i have 4 other cats in the house but i dont let them in the bathroom, is there anything else i can do to make him eat? im afraid hes going to get sick and i cant afford a vet. anything will be helpful, thank you for taking to time to help me.
Kasey

Answer
Hi Kasey,

Its great that you have taken this little kitten in and you may be right that he has been abused, at the very least he's been scared and traumatized by living on the streets.  Is he with the three other kittens you found?  That might help if he has someone there that he "knows".  What I would do is this:  replace the tuna with regular wet cat food, you may be surprised at how much more he likes it.  Tuna is a great treat for cats used to getting regular wet food but he needs something that more closely resembles what he's probably been eating.  Also, take the milk out, it could give him diarrhea; you can substitute lactose free milk (cats are lactose intolerant) if you want, but again he probably hasn't been drinking milk where he's been so its just one more foreign thing for him.  Sit with him in the bathroom without trying to touch him or pick him up.  Also, avoid eye contact as staring is considered an aggressive act to a cat.  You could even catch his eye and purposely look away--I've seen cats do this to each other when they want to let the other animal know they're not a threat.  When he will let you come near him avoid petting him on the head, many cats are sensitive to having their heads touched, scratch his back instead.  I think you'll be surprised how relaxed this makes him and he'll start eating once he feels he's in a safe environment.  You will have to be patient and its possible that he'll always be a little wary of you, if he's had bad experiences with people at this young age its going to be hard to get him to trust you.  Accept him on his terms and I think you'll find him coming around in time.
As long as you don't think he's sick you can introduce him to your other cats, too, he probably will be more comfortable around them right now than he is with you (don't be surprised if there's some hissing, though, that's normal as the establish dominance).