HELP me my cat is always cranky

hello people of the cat site I've been trying to get someone to help me with my cat for awhile now. My cat has been always cranky, if you get near her she'll growl and if you make contact with her she'll hiss/scratch/bite, so obviously she doesn't like being touched, but I most often cant help it since she's soo cute! I don't know what to do.



if this helps here's some things that may help find the problem ( some of these things may not be useful idk a lot about cats)



- our only other pet is a hyper Jack Russel which from time to time scares her so much that she floofs her tail



- she came from a family that forgot to feed her a lot and didn't treat her too nicely



- she was a stray when we found her



- she's some type of striped Bengal cat I think (she has these markings on the top of her head that you see on Bengal cats)



- usually whenever she gets food she eats half her bowl in the first 10-30 mins of getting it and leaves the other half untouched until the night



- she doesn't drink her own water only the dog's water



- if you let her outside all she does is walk a few steps off the porch and onto the cement walkway and roll around



- if you give her catnip she gets even more cranky all she does is roll around and if you touch her she claws at you





IF THERE IS ANYTHING YOU KNOW OF THAT COULD HELP ME GET MY CAT TO LIKE ME PLEASE TELL ME

if you need anything like a picture or something just ask

I wouldn't describe your cat as cranky, per say. She was neglected and abused, so it is going to take extra effort to get her to trust humans, but given your cat's history and environment, she doesn't actually sound that bad (you don't make any mention of destroying furnature or or litter box issues, for example), so making some changes will probably help.

1. generally, keep trying *NOT* to touch her when she doesn't want to be touched. it is hard(cats are so soft and snuggley looking), but, your cat needs to learn to trust you before you touch her. When you touch her despite her wishes, it makes her trust you less.  instead start with things like just sitting in the same room as your cat, and, if she looks at you, give her a series of slow blinks, which should calm her and make her like you more ( slow blinks are a form of body language that cats understand as friendly) 

2. Get a wand toy and play with her... a LOT. it is fun and strengthens your bond with your cat (it will also calm her down and make her more at ease in general)   ( Two popular choices for toys are the cat dancer (which cats love and is very inexpensive) and "da bird" (which is more expensive, but provides a different experience for your cat), but really any wand toy should work, just be sure to put it away where your cat cant' access it when you finish playing)

3. try and get some vertical spaces where your cat can go to get away from that dog (jack Russel Terriers are a breed with a reputation for having issues with cats, so you need to put extra effort into that relationship). It clearly scares her, and a scared cat is a VERY unhappy cat (and also one disinclined to be petted). having places your cat can jump onto to feel safe will work wonders.  Some Tips on Adding Vertical Spaces are right here on the site.

4. make sure you feed her in a place the dog can't reach.   An ideal option is to set up a safe room for your ca with food,water, a place to sleep, scratching post, and liter that is inaccessable to the dog (a cat flap, possibly an electromgnetic cat flap added to the door can create a safe space the cat can enter but the dog can't) 

5. once you deal with the dog issues and play with your cat a bit, and your cat is somewhat calmer, you could try clicker training. it can be fun, and will build the bond with your cat, but I would wait till your cat is less nervous.

-On catnip, some cats don't respond well to it,so I wouldn't worry, and if your cat really is part Bengal, you wont' need it anyhow.

-i also wouldn't worry about your cat not venturing far from your house outdoors. I'm a proponent of having cats indoors, but if you really want your cat outside some of the time, you probably will have better results once your cat feels safer.

Another thing, start feeding her twice a day instead of once, so that she feels more secure that there will always be food.