So, my family and I are going on vacation next weekend and we have been preparing my 5 an a half month old kitten Pepper, stay at a friends house for the weekend. Today I brought her over to my friends for the second time to see how she was with my friends cat and dog, after not seeing them for a month. We decided to leave them alone and go out for lunch. When we came back my cat was hiding behind her furnace. When I picked her up she freaked and clawed my neck and hissed/yelled at me. So I promptly took her home. 8 hours after the incident, she now won't come near me and if I try and pick her up she hisses at me. Is she mad at me? Will it last? (She's fine with my brother)
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Bad experience
- Thread starter ownerloner
- Start Date
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- Apr 1, 2013
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She's terrified !!! (cats don't get "mad") they react out of fear ! A month was way too long to go, kittens can change overnight, and she's now a month older ... cats don't remember that long, she's growing and experiencing new things every day, in her world. From her point of view, she had no idea where she was, a strange house, strange smells, strange animals (and she knows she's been left in their territory), at their mercy. The only familiar thing she had to make her feel safe was 'you', and you left her there alone, to fend for herself ! On top of that, there's no way to know what happened to her while you were gone !
When you picked her up, she was feeling afraid and was concentrating on the other cat smells, not you. But you were the one who 'grabbed' her, so she thought you were the one to be afraid of. They can't reason like we do, so they relate what ever is happening to them with whatever they smell, or are feeling at that moment. Just love her and give her time to feel safe again in her own territory, don't force her if she's afraid of you right now. Remember, it''s not "you", it's what had her scared when you grabbed her, but she still associates it with you. She probably perceived it as an "attack". Just talk to her all the time in a reassuring tone, and maybe give her some canned food or 'meat' baby food and hold the dish, so she has to come up to you. When she starts eating, start petting her with your other hand until she relaxes. Keep talking to her ! Don't pick her up for a while, until she trusts you again. She'll be fine, but please don't leave her in a strange place while you're gone, unless they have a spare room that they can keep her in all by herself. That way she'll feel secure, because there are no 'monsters' in "her room"! If you had a "pair" of kittens together, she'd feel safer too, because she has her "BFF" with her. (But she would have to have time to adjust to another kitten now too). Good luck, I hope this helps.
When you picked her up, she was feeling afraid and was concentrating on the other cat smells, not you. But you were the one who 'grabbed' her, so she thought you were the one to be afraid of. They can't reason like we do, so they relate what ever is happening to them with whatever they smell, or are feeling at that moment. Just love her and give her time to feel safe again in her own territory, don't force her if she's afraid of you right now. Remember, it''s not "you", it's what had her scared when you grabbed her, but she still associates it with you. She probably perceived it as an "attack". Just talk to her all the time in a reassuring tone, and maybe give her some canned food or 'meat' baby food and hold the dish, so she has to come up to you. When she starts eating, start petting her with your other hand until she relaxes. Keep talking to her ! Don't pick her up for a while, until she trusts you again. She'll be fine, but please don't leave her in a strange place while you're gone, unless they have a spare room that they can keep her in all by herself. That way she'll feel secure, because there are no 'monsters' in "her room"! If you had a "pair" of kittens together, she'd feel safer too, because she has her "BFF" with her. (But she would have to have time to adjust to another kitten now too). Good luck, I hope this helps.
"Preparing" Pepper to stay with friends takes more than leaving her and letting her face the new environment on her own. Treasur04 has explained the situation very well. I agree that Pepper needs a safe place on her own to be comfortable in your friend's house while you are on vacation.
