Kitten Anti-Social Behavior - can it change?

jchop2112

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Reaching out for some guidance from the vast body of experts here :)

We've had two 2 month old kittens (different litters) adopted from a shelter for less than 24 hours. I realize that it's probably too early to be too concerned but thought I'd ask anyway. Any suggestions on how we can help one of the kittens would be much appreciated!

After weeks of discussion, we decided to add two kittens to our family. We spent two days at our local shelter playing and petting and cuddling kittens and decided on two that tugged at our heart-strings the most. 

One kitten (A - because her name hasn't been decided) is super cuddly, sweet, purrs non-stop from the time you pick her up, doesn't bolt when you reach down to get her, is super-loving and just a doll. The other (B - no name yet) is stand-offish and will bolt and hide when she sees us coming. 

Kitten B was the one that hid in a corner when we first met her and hissed at us when we tried to reach into her pen the first day we met her. On the second day we met her, she eventually came to the front of the pen and was playing with us through the grate a bit.

We adopted kitten B knowing she had some socialization issues that would need to be worked through. No problem (we thought at the time). We thought that, given enough time, she would get more and more used to us and eventually perhaps maybe she'd be a sweet cuddly kitty. Now I'm a little worried we didn't do enough research?

For the past 24 hours we have been doing as was suggested by the shelter and, aside from sleep time last night and periods of rest throughout the day, we've been holding and cuddling and playing with both kittens. Kitten A is a puddle of mud from the beginning. If she could speak she would be saying "I just love all of you" all the time. Kitten B hisses at us and hides if we approach her after putting her down - even after holding her for a while. She does not fight being picked up much. She protests just a bit but doesn't bite, scratch or show hyper-aggression at all. Just a little hiss and a mini-token struggle. We were told to wrap her in a towel and love her to pieces and eventually she would work out of those anti-social behaviors. She does relax when we're holding her and never struggles to get away. We can even hold her unwrapped without an issue. She has never purred for us since we met her. 

I think our worries are magnified because the two kittens are so completely opposite. 

In your experience, with enough time, do most kittens that behave this way develop a sense of trust and end up well-socialized with their humans? Or in your experience, by 2 months are these behaviors set and more of a personality type than a behavior?

There were plenty of loving, sweet kittens from which to choose - we just thought that since she was more likely to get passed over because she was a little "shy", she would be someone we could teach out of this. I'm hoping we were right.

I know it might be too soon to be so worried but I am. :(

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 
 

catpack

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At 8 weeks of age, this kitten certainly is NOT set in her ways. It is very likely these kittens were born under two very different circumstances. Kitten A was likely born of a stray (once owned) mom or was part of an "oops" litter of kittens. Kitten B may have been born of a feral or not very well socialized mom. This why you get kittens with such different dispositions. Or, perhaps, kitten A was handled as a young baby and developed trust with people and kitten B was not.

I think you are going about things properly. Just know that it will likely take time to break the fear that kitten B associates with people. (This could be a few days to a few weeks.)

One trick that is used with timid or fearful kittens is to feed them canned food in your presence, or, better yet, some Gerber Stage 2 Chicken & Gravy or Turkey & Gravy.

I would keep both kittens confined to a small space in which kitten B cannot get under furniture or anywhere that you cannot reach her (a bathroom is usually a good option, or a large dog crate.)

Do the two kittens get along? We're they socialized together before you adopted them? Did kitten B have any litter mates that she was attached to?

Coming to a new home, with (perhaps) an unfamiliar cat and adjusting to all the new smells and sounds can be a lot to take in, especially for a timid kitten.

I think it would be worth to invest in some Feliway Diffusers (can be purchased in pet stores or on Amazon.)
 

aconklin03

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We got two kittens a few years back, a female from a petstore and then a male a few weeks later who was from a rescue.  When we got the female she was very loveable and wanted attention and to play.  When we got the male, he was a little standoffish.  He was scared and took a bit to come around to us.  The rescue had gotten him from a barn, so that was likely why.  Both cats now are very used to us and are loveable with us, though the male still doesn't like strangers.  He'll go sleep on my bed if we have company and won't come out until they leave.  But, with us he is cuddly and doesn't hide.  It's not only possibly from different beginnings but also cats have different personalities.  
 
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jchop2112

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At 8 weeks of age, this kitten certainly is NOT set in her ways. It is very likely these kittens were born under two very different circumstances. Kitten A was likely born of a stray (once owned) mom or was part of an "oops" litter of kittens. Kitten B may have been born of a feral or not very well socialized mom. This why you get kittens with such different dispositions. Or, perhaps, kitten A was handled as a young baby and developed trust with people and kitten B was not.

I think you are going about things properly. Just know that it will likely take time to break the fear that kitten B associates with people. (This could be a few days to a few weeks.)

One trick that is used with timid or fearful kittens is to feed them canned food in your presence, or, better yet, some Gerber Stage 2 Chicken & Gravy or Turkey & Gravy.

I would keep both kittens confined to a small space in which kitten B cannot get under furniture or anywhere that you cannot reach her (a bathroom is usually a good option, or a large dog crate.)

Do the two kittens get along? We're they socialized together before you adopted them? Did kitten B have any litter mates that she was attached to?

Coming to a new home, with (perhaps) an unfamiliar cat and adjusting to all the new smells and sounds can be a lot to take in, especially for a timid kitten.

I think it would be worth to invest in some Feliway Diffusers (can be purchased in pet stores or on Amazon.)
Thanks for your quick reply. I picked up the recommended baby food and stopped by our local pet store to see if they had Feliway Diffusers. No luck. I'll check online resources.

Both kittens are being confined to a smallish bathroom but they are able to hide underneath the vanity. We're gathering pillows/blankets to stuff that space so it's not a hideaway. 

The two kittens were not socialized together at the shelter but the shy kitten was in a pen with a pal and they both seemed shy and we did see them playing together several times while we were at the shelter.

The two kittens do seems to get along okay, however, shy/social issue kitten B definitely has asserted herself and has hissed at Kitten A when she was approached to be played with. Kitten A definitely got the message and gave her the space she wanted.

We've noticed this morning that when we have Kitten A out of the room and cuddling in our lap, Kitten B has meowed loudly as if she's saying "Hello. What about me? You think I didn't notice that you took her out and left me in here alone??" I'm no cat behaviorist but that makes me feel hopeful. If she didn't want our attention at all I don't think she'd be calling out to us? Or am I humanizing a little too much?
 
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