I have two new 13 week old kittens. I have had them about 4 weeks. One has already become very attached to us (licks us, meows at us, rubs head, etc.) but the other is very scared it seems. He ducks his head when we try to pet him and runs up for food and then runs away after he eats or if we get to close to him. They are littermates and they both came from a friend of mine who has 20 other cats. I believe there is a lot of imbreeding going on, is that bad? He also has 3 children that live with him and I am thinking maybe the kitten was abused or scared by them. Thats just speculation though. My question is, should I seperate the kittens in different places to try and bond with them seperately? I have heard people mention this before but I was wondering if this is something I should do. Also I have heard of putting a kitten in a cage for taming purposes, is that recommended? If I let him roam freely he just has so many places to hide. Also it seems he is teaching his brother to be scared of us because sometimes when we have left and come back it seems they both just run away and want nothing to do with us. Also I have not heard the scared one meow at all. Once he did something like a meow when he was wanting to get to his brother who was on the other side of the door.
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Need some help, seperate the kittens or leave them be?
- Thread starter catguy75
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It may be the shy kitten isn't very well socialized. It may be he had a traumatic experience. You don't know and you can't do anything about what happened in the past. For right now, don't separate them and don't put them in a cage. Neither of those ideas will be of any help. Just give the shy kitten his space and let him hide if he needs to. Don't force yourself on him. Let him come to you in his own good time. Be patient. He may never be as affectionate as his brother. And he may never be as vocal. That's just a personality difference. But as he learns to trust you, I think he'll become less shy and less afraid.
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Some cats just don't meow- others meow constantly. Count your blessings he is not a constant talker-
I also wouldn't separate them or cage them. To add to the advice already given, suggest that you get a wand toy (feather ones are great) and play with them remotely. If the more friendly one wants to play and the more scared one witnesses this, it often will sucker him in to play. Don't force it on them. They will come around when they are ready.
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thanks for the advice! I have also heard about the baby food method. Each time you walk by your shy kitty you give them a small dab of baby food. That way they associate you with always having good things. Have you ever tried this?
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Because I typically work with abused and abandoned cats I can tell you that what works for me when it comes to cats that are hiding or that are shy is to just ignore them. Set up a set routine, and follow it- food at certain times in the day, litter pans scooped same time every day, fresh water at a certain time, and other than that unless the kitten is ill. Simply pretend the kitten is not in the room. Once you stop expecting them to perform a certain way for you (by ignoring them) you take the pressure off, and they will start to relax. Setting up a routine will cause them to trust them as long as you stick to it and don't do any surprise visits. Make time also in this schedule to go into the room you know the kitten is hiding in, and sit down on the floor and read out loud to the kitten softly. When you finish a chapter (or whatever) get up and leave but put down a treat right where your body's imprint was on the floor- then just leave the room.
