My kitten absolutely hates my boyfriend, and it's starting to really bother us both. She always runs away from him when he tries to cuddle her; will never take a treat from his hand, (but she does from mine); hisses at him frequently; growls at him; scratches him. It's bad. She's not been exposed to too many people yet, so it's hard to tell whether it's specifically him or all men.
He's not a new boyfriend or anything but when I got her he was away, so she'd been with me about two weeks before he met her. I get that she may see him as an intruder in her house because of this. It may also be related to an accident that happened a few weeks ago when the two of them were playing which led to her passing out (thankfully she is fine).
What can we do? We've already got him holding her frequently; speaking in a soft voice; feeding her all of her meals and letting her see the food comes from him; and offering her treats. It doesn't seem to be working. Can anyone help?
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Kitten hates my boyfriend
post #2 of 6
12/10/11 at 11:19pm
How did she act before the event where she passed out? Just fine?
She's probably just associating him with danger. I say keep as you are, love on her and time will heal old wounds...or let's hope. Do you two not live together?
If at all possible, have her stay with him for a bit so they can bond. Good luck with it and please let us know how it goes.
post #3 of 6
12/11/11 at 2:12am
- jcat
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Having him feed her is a good idea, but maybe you could try having him ignore her otherwise. Cats are "magically" drawn to people who are afraid of them, dislike cats in general or are allergic to them, because those people tend to avoid eye contact, and cats equate eye contact with a threat if it's coming from somebody other than their human family members or good friends. If he does accidentally make eye contact with her, he should blink slowly, as that signals, "I mean you no harm". He really shouldn't try to pick her up or hold her right now while she's being skittish around him, because she could feel trapped. You don't want to start a vicious circle.
post #4 of 6
12/11/11 at 2:36am
- Ducman69
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I agree, ignoring is considered polite in cat language, whereas walking after, reaching at, and making prolonged eye contact can be seen as confrontational if not already best of friends. Let him do the feeding, litterbox cleanup, and just hang out and kitty should come around. 
post #5 of 6
12/11/11 at 10:16am
The slow blink is good....also try slow blink, look away and look back (no staring). It's a sign of 'trust' in cat language or even an invitation. I did that with a cat who disliked me and who I would see sunning herself every morning as I went to work. Normally she would hiss at me if I tried to pet her...I think it was because she had some kind of lip condition and was kind of cranky (normally cats love me).
When she returned the slow blink one day I knew it was ok to pet her and we were friends from then on.
post #6 of 6
12/11/11 at 12:15pm
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I read your other post where you described the accident, and I think that is the root of her fears. In her eyes, your boyfriend essentially smothered her. Cats are very afraid of being trapped (some won't use covered litter boxes because there is only one small opening to escape from), and I can only imagine adding unconsiousness into the mix would make her extremely fearful. The best thing would be for your boyfriend to ignore her, as this is the opposite of what caused the accident. The same way you wouldn't make violent movements around someone who was just mugged, you don't want your boyfriend to do anything that could be misinterpreted by your kitten as attempting to trap her. Her backing away from him when he tries to cuddle her is another sign that she is afraid of him coming near her and having the potential to crush her.
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