We got a 4 mo old kitten, Laxmi, from Siamese Rescue, 3 weeks ago. She is a beautiful seal tortie point, healthy as a horse (eats and poops like one!), and is terrific with our other 3 cats -- she modifies her behavior to suit each personality -- wildly playful and aggressive with the youngest one, and more cautious with the stuffed shirt, cuddles with the elderly, rehabbing gent...
She is quite gentle with us both claw and tooth-wise, and when we hold her and stroke her she purrs and rubs her cheek on us. She rubs my ankles for food, sleeps on my legs at night, and if, in the night, I pick her up and put her over my heart, she will lie there and take pats for an hour. Very sweet little girl.
She can lie on our bed on her back in that terrific, undignified position that cats assume in the summertime. As long as I verbally reassure her that I will not bother her, she stays in that position with us in the room.
Her problem is this: if we are standing up and reach a hand for her, she darts away, looking absolutely panicked. Consequently she is not getting as much human attention as some of the others, despite appreciating it a lot when she does. She does not solicit attention from the humans ever, either -- just accepts it when we do pick her up. We try not to reach for her too often, but as my screen name suggests we DO have 3 kids, 6 and under. They are good and gentle (or I would NEVER have gotten more cats, yet!), but naturally they are semi-rowdy.
This panicking seems to have preceded our household, anyhow. She was being kept in a cage by her fosterer's bed. She had been found, alone, in a person's basement. I am wondering if someone not cat-familiar spent a lot of time chasing her down to round her up, and that is why she is so apprehensive of hands moving toward her, however slowly.
I was trying to figure out the best way to help her get past the panic so she will get more attention and feel safer with us. I was thinking, what if I reach for her to trigger it, then once I have her lie down with her (she does not like to be held by a sitting or standing person) -- thus associating the "grab" she anticipates with a soothing feeling, afterward?
Anyone got any ideas how to help the poor sweetheart? She is a lovely pet and we took her understanding that she might end up being a "cat's cat," but she does love attention and I think could become a people cat, under the right circumstances.
She is quite gentle with us both claw and tooth-wise, and when we hold her and stroke her she purrs and rubs her cheek on us. She rubs my ankles for food, sleeps on my legs at night, and if, in the night, I pick her up and put her over my heart, she will lie there and take pats for an hour. Very sweet little girl.
She can lie on our bed on her back in that terrific, undignified position that cats assume in the summertime. As long as I verbally reassure her that I will not bother her, she stays in that position with us in the room.
Her problem is this: if we are standing up and reach a hand for her, she darts away, looking absolutely panicked. Consequently she is not getting as much human attention as some of the others, despite appreciating it a lot when she does. She does not solicit attention from the humans ever, either -- just accepts it when we do pick her up. We try not to reach for her too often, but as my screen name suggests we DO have 3 kids, 6 and under. They are good and gentle (or I would NEVER have gotten more cats, yet!), but naturally they are semi-rowdy.
This panicking seems to have preceded our household, anyhow. She was being kept in a cage by her fosterer's bed. She had been found, alone, in a person's basement. I am wondering if someone not cat-familiar spent a lot of time chasing her down to round her up, and that is why she is so apprehensive of hands moving toward her, however slowly.
I was trying to figure out the best way to help her get past the panic so she will get more attention and feel safer with us. I was thinking, what if I reach for her to trigger it, then once I have her lie down with her (she does not like to be held by a sitting or standing person) -- thus associating the "grab" she anticipates with a soothing feeling, afterward?
Anyone got any ideas how to help the poor sweetheart? She is a lovely pet and we took her understanding that she might end up being a "cat's cat," but she does love attention and I think could become a people cat, under the right circumstances.
