Semi Feral cat... one doing great, the other of the bonded pair still struggling.

Our household brought in two 10 month old kittens, a bonded pair just 3 weeks ago.  KitKat, the more social at the SPCA meeting, became more skittish at the house & has now grown into such an attention hog!  Sissy however, started out a little more courageous at the house but has resorted to hissing on occasion (1x week), and despite her being around while KitKat is getting her petting quota for the day, will bolt if you walk in her general direction.  She will eat yummy things off of our fingers, very gently.  Are there any recommendations for helping Sissy get more comfortable with us being around?

Thank you!

~ Cheryl

Three weeks is still a relatively short period of time.  Sissy may be one of those cats that is more standoffish - We have six cats and only one sits on my lap.  Another will sit next to me on the sofa but if I pet her, she's gone.  One didn't let us pet her for eight years - now she loves to be brushed!

Keep petting Kitkat - it will offer an example to Sissy.  But allow Sissy to approach you for pets.  If she does, enjoy.  If she doesn't, don't push.

Thank you for adopting them together!

We have two cats just the same as yours! One is a love bug and loves to be pet and the other would run away the minute you got near her. So what I did was try to pet her every time she was near me only to have her meow and run away from me every time. After a few weeks she would keep coming near me meow and  I would be able touch her tail as she was running under the bed. This continued for awhile until each day i was able to touch more of her backside before she slipped under the bed. One day it all changed and she would start meowing near me and I would reach out and she started letting me touch her just a little bit and then meow and go under the bed. Then she started coming around me meowing for me to touch her. And to this day whenever I go in to the bedroom she comes out to greet me jumps up on the bed or rubs against my legs and meows at me to pet her. It took a lot of patience and time but it is always worth it in the end!

Keep working with her.  Ferals move at their own pace.  Learning by example though is a huge motivator.  If Sissy sees you petting and loving on KitKat, she may decide that it is too much to pass up.  Have you tried playing with them?  The da Bird toy is a must and cats go crazy for it.  Last summer when  new feral appeared in my yard, he was so skittish.  Yet, my other feral had socialized and enjoyed some petting and loved playing da Bird.  The new boy just couldn't stand watching his friend have all of the fun.  I also used plain cooked chicken as a yummy reward.  I would offer the chicken right in front of me and gentle touch the top of his head.  Lots of praise too. 

Sissy may never be a cuddly lap cat, but keep trying!!