Adopted semi-feral mom and kitten.

Hello everyone! I've been reading this site for the last three months after I adopted my two cats. The baby, Aphrodite, has adjusted quite well since we've adopted her. She still is skittish when certain things go happen but besides that she is doing quite well.

The mom, Athena, is another story. After talking to the women I adopted them from I was able to understand her a little more. Athena seems to be a feral cat that was captured around a year old, shortly after she had given birth to her kittens. Before we got her, she had lived with the people who rescued her for about 6 months. My problem is that she seems to be regressing in certain areas. Since we first took her in she has made amazing progress. Athena comes out more often, will eat while my boyfriend and I are in the same room, she allows us to pet her and even begins to purr. My main concern is she has started to hiss at us again, even more frequently than when we first got her. After she hisses I usually tell her no and then pet her and she doesn't attack me or my boyfriend ever. I'm just concerned because she has made so much progress but the hissing has become more frequent. Thanks in advance for listening!

Top is Athen (mom) bottom is Aphrodite (baby)

The hiss is usually a warning sign.  Some cats do not like to be pet more than a stroke or two.  Too much petting for some cats can cause a build up of static electricity.  This causes them to feel little shocks with each stroke.  I would never scold her for hissing at you when you are petting her.  She is telling you to stop.  

One of my cats only handles a pet or two.  He gives me many warning signs that he has had enough.  He often twitches his tail very quickly, his ears may start to go back and flatten, he may hiss and then he may try to bite or scratch.  Many people think that all cats love to be pet, yet that is not the case.  Just watch for any other pre warning signs she may give.

I would back off the petting for a bit.  See if she will come to you for some affection, then offer a quick pet.  If you back off a bit, she may readjust and feel more comfortable.

Thank you for rescuing the Mom and kitten.  The Mom may always be shy and not too affectionate, but give her lots and lots of time and love.  I brought in a 3 year old feral, almost 4 years ago.  He is still making progress!  It took him over a year to adjust to living inside and another year before he was truly comfortable.  When company comes to the house, he rarely is seen.  Yet that is just fine.

Thank you for the advice! The hissing isn't actually when we are petting her though. We both let her smell are hand before we even begin to pet her and usually a few moments after we do she starts purring. It's just been recently that she has started hissing for no aparanent reason and more frequently. Before she would hiss because we would startle her or she'd be out in the cat tower and we'd get too close and we always backed off. She will come out now and rarely hides were we can't see her. She will even venture off the cat tower and roam around while we are both awake.