My Stray Is Antisocial

kikiara3

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I've had this kitten that I got from the animal hospital 3 days ago. He still will not move from one spot. He lets us pet him but not pick him up. He won't even play with none of the toys. He's not hissing at us anymore though. I don't know how to get him to want to sit and play with us without freaking out!
 

sivyaleah

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Aww poor thing. He isn't "anti social" - he's afraid.

Keep him in a confined space for a few days. It can be incredibly overwhelming for a young kitten, let one who was stray, to have too much space at once.  It should be a quiet area, and make sure there is a soft spot for him to rest on, fresh water and food, litterbox (ideally NOT next to the food) and, some hiding spots to help him feel more secure.  

Spend time in the room with him put don't push him too much at first to interact with you.  The fact that he isn't hissing now is a very good sign.  Don't pick him up either yet. He's obviously not ready but with time, patience and love will come around eventually.  

How old is he? Most cats should be socialized to humans early on and if not, can be somewhat difficult to deal with at first.  But if young enough (younger than a couple of months at most) you should be able to eventually get him to warm up to you. If older, it will be more difficult but not entirely impossible - he sounds like he's on his way at least.  It's a shame shelters do not mention this more often.  

He may not recognize what a toy is and, unless you play with him, he will not play himself.  Try using a wand type toy to draw him out and, try some special food treats also.  

One of our cats literally lived under the bed for weeks so you're already way ahead of that!  
 

Shane Kent

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sivyaleah  has given you some great advice.

Think what you would do if you had a massive animal hovering over you and weren't sure what they wanted.

3 days is not very long, took over two weeks for one of my kitties to "start" warming up to me. As for not wanting to be picked up, I have a 5 years old cat at home that does not like being picked up. She is very social, sits in the TV room when my friends come over and has no problems with them petting her. If the cat never likes getting picked up it is not the end of the world.

Be patient, he will warm up to you and probably will let you pick him up once he gets settled in.

Take all of sivyaleah  advice and apply a lot of patience. A good thing to know is that cats are not all the same, so if a friend says "it only took me ... long" or "it was easy ..." please ignore them and carry on with what you are doing.

I wish you many happy years with him.
 

kirathecat

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First of all, yes, do exactly that 
 
Keep him in a confined space for a few days. It can be incredibly overwhelming for a young kitten, let one who was stray, to have too much space at once. It should be a quiet area, and make sure there is a soft spot for him to rest on, fresh water and food, litterbox (ideally NOT next to the food) and, some hiding spots to help him feel more secure.  

Spend time in the room with him put don't push him too much at first to interact with you. 
Just want to add a few things to try

When in the room with your kitten sit on the floor and try to make your body appear as small as possible, don't invade his space - this way you can show him you are not a threat.

Try reading a book to him - it will help get him accustomed to your voice.

Give him something of yours to smell so he can get to know you.

Offer him some food/treats: just put it in front of him or try giving it from your hand. Stay in the room when you feed him.

Try a wand toy or just a string to play with him.

The idea is to teach your kitten to associate you with good stuff (like food and play). That can only be done gradually. So be very patient and though you might want to pick the little guy up and cuddle, resist that urge, let the cat come to you when he is ready.

I'm sure, given time and effort you will have a loving cat. Best of Luck.
 
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