Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Kitten Problem?

i got him about a month ago. I thought with time he would get better but he just doesnt seem to like people. He gets along great with the other cat and cuddles n plays with him but if i try to pet or touch him he runs away or hisses at me. I have barely held or touched him in a month, I dont even feel like i have a kitten. I think I may give him up because I have no idea what else to do. I try to put a treat in my hand he will run up snatch and run away, i try talking calmly and playing he just wants nothing to do with me. Any ideas?
Answers:
Give him until he is over 4 months to want to socialize with humans especially if he came from a feral mother and there are other cats around.
Don't give up on him!
CT
You just have to keep trying. Obviously it's either been abused or has had little contact with people. If you're really calm and really patient you should be able to help its attitude. It will take some time to build up trust, so don't get too down about it.
I had the same problem. I isolated her from the others for a few hours a day even from human contact. Let only one person feed her wet food. Then I started going into the room a few minutes a day. She now lets me hold and pet her for a short while. She's purring too.

I hope this helps.
I have a cat currently that sounds alot like this. I rescued him. Found him in a parking lot eating out of a dumpster. I believe he may have been abused or something because I have had him for about 2 years and he still will not let me pet him. NOW, he will come up in my bed at night, and get close to me then and let me pet him, but he still keeps his distance. I think it's less intimidating for him being on his level like that. I really thought like you did and wondered if I should keep him, but he comes around a little bit more everyday. He'll probably never be like my other cat who is very affectionate, but I know he needs love just the same, so he's mine. Try also laying on the floor flat, and see if he'll come up to you like that. Hardly even act like you're paying attention to him and keep your hand low, not coming from over his head. Keep patience and love and he'll start coming around more. I did ask my vet about it and she just said all cats are different, and if this one lived "wild" for a bit, it just is part of their personality.

Please, if you think you don't want him, get a good home for him or talk to you vet about adopting him out.

Good luck.
i have got a lovely farm cat who is the most loving cat out but when i got him he was wild and we had to cage him for a few weeks to stop himclimbing up the walls and curtains but bit by bit we used to holdhim against his will and fuss and stroke him, in thhe end he realised he liked it,and started to come to us,also have it nuetered,this changes them to
I think that you should give him time liek humans animals can get stressed and then there's something on his mind he prob. doesn't like humans becasue he might of had had a bad past!Justy don't give up!If he doesn't listen have like kitty treats he will come to you sit on the couch with a small fish or milk or something I guareentee that he will jump on the couch and start begging for food or get rid of the other cats!!lol!!jkjk!
My baby girl "Mon Ami" is the same way. She's about 2 or 3 years old. I'm not saying there is no hope for your kitten. I adopted my kitty when I lived in my apartment so she is not used to commotion and people. When I sit down she'll come running and jump in my lap, but it's pretty much on her terms, otherwise she runs away if I try to pick her up. Try and spend as much time that is possible with your kitten while he is young and maybe that will keep him from being skittish. In any case, love him and he'll know it, cats are very in-tuned with human emotions (at least mine are).
Good Luck
it takes time.just some patience it took mine like 2 almost three months and now she sleeps with me. and meows when i come home. hang in there hes probably missing the comfort of his siblins around.just move slow and be patience. your kitten will come around hes still young. he will probably turn out to be your best cat yet. dont give him up . you know he gets along with the others so he cant be bad
My best friend has a cat just like that. We seriously think it is demonically possesed. She has had Lola for about two years, she is still very B*tchy to everyone, but has warmed up to just about everyone, except for me. If you could see this you would probably laugh yor @ss off. My friend will hold Lola, and she will be calm and surine, but if I put a big toe in the room their in Lola Will freak out. She sounds like a lion when she growls.
They did find out that Lola is half wild cat (from a Linx, or bobcat, or some kind of small wild cat) and that is why she is so aggressive. Maybe your cat has a wild cat in it's geneology. Check it out, but in the meantime, just be patient and give it some space, It'll warm up to you, it just might take more time.
you can't let months go by "barely holding or touching him." He will go completely feral.

This will be work. Devote lots of time to at least try. Spend some alone time giving the kitten attention and playing with him. To get the kitten to focus on you instead of the other cat during playtime.separate him from the other cat during your little play sessions for just a little while. LIke, maybe shut him in the bathroom with you so you can be alone in a quiet place while you play with him for a half hour or so before you let him go back to his cat friend. Sit really really quietly on the floor and let kitty get used to you just being near. Its ok if he hides behind the trashcan or whatever. Let him get used to being near you. Break out some fishing pole type toys, yarn, fun things. Then really work at enticing the kitten to play with you. Have some treats in your pocket. When he comes close to you give him one little treat. Devote time to slowly getting him used to you.

Now this is going to be a very controversial thing I am about to say, and people will get angry. But this is the way I honestly see it. Thousands and thousands of really nice, friendly, sweet cats are being put to death every day in shelters all over the place. Every day more nice, friendly, sweet, cuddly cats are euthanized for no good reason other than there arent enough homes.

You have three options here.

1.Devote alot of serious time to tame the cat down, and really put your heart into it. Spend several hours a day to slowly get the cat to warm up to you.

2. Accept the cat for who he is, and just be ok with the fact he doesn't want held or pet. Love him for his loner sassy self and just feed him.

Or
3. take him to a shelter, explain the situation, and ask them to find you a kitten that has a good temperment and has been socialized better. Its a shame to have to do that, but its also a shame all the other kittens don't have homes either. And cats are like people, all are different. Some are friendlier than others, some are smarter than others, some are more aggressive than others, etc.

Bottom line, There are alot of sweet loving cats that need homes and are being euthanized, while this feral little spitter might end up being just be a waste of food and space.
give him time he is only a kitten and he needs you to pat him and play with him you need to be there for him to know you and trust you and to know he is safe with you
thank you
do you know any background on this kitten? maybe he was abused and doesn't trust people all that much, give him more time to get use to you and evenutally he should start to trust you.

though it could be his personality, some cats are more independant and don't want much to do with people.

there may even be a medical problem contact your vets office.
I love cats for this reason. They have attitude. My parents adopted a 9month old kitten when I was 2 years old. Seriously, this cat hid under the spare bed for a year. They put his food and litter box under the bed cause the cat wouldn't come out.

He was a pure redpoint siamese, and due to a kink in his tail wasn't show quality. So the people that had him kept him in a cage for the first 9 months of his life. My parents dispared that this cat would ever be accepting of people. It took a lot of time and care but we had that damn cat for 20+ years.

He loved my baby sister, slept in the crib with her, acted like she was his baby. It was adorable. He was hands down the best cat we EVER had.

I guess what I'm saying here is, sometimes the most difficult pets in the begining make the best friends in the end.

My mother, sister and myself still cry when we think about Gus. we miss him a lot.
I would suggest for you to just be patient, remember, he is only a kitten.
Kittens who are not exposed to humans early in their lives learn from their mothers and quickly become feral. However, if they are caught and handled at a young enough age, feral kittens can be socialized and placed in loving homes. Remember that spay/neuter is the single most important thing you can do to help feral cats. If you can only do one or the other, it is best to alter as many cats in a colony as possible before you begin socializing.
Whether to try and socialize feral kittens depends on two things: their age, and your ability to do what is necessary to ensure full socialization. If you cannot follow these recommendations, it is better to try and place the kittens in a shelter, or if they are over 8 weeks old, fix the kittens and return them to their territory.

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