Our kitten Sahar is 8 month old. My wife and I brought her home 2 months back when she was only 6 months old. She is a cross breed, we took her from my friend who is not a breeder.
We live in a small apartment, and when we brought her home we did the mistake of not confining her in any room. She was always scared and hiding, for the first couple of days we didn't see her at all. She will go out to eat, pee and poop only when we are outside the apartment. We ignored her at that time and slowly we gain her trust and started to roam the apartment but without interacting with us, she used to walk and keep an eye on us, and whenever we make a move, she ran to her hidden place under the couch. One day we woke up and she was a total different kitten, she came to us and played and and night she will sit next to my wife while we are watching the TV.
4-5 days after her change, I woke up in the middle of the night to drink water, I went to the kitchen and she followed me, I couldn't resist to play with her a little bit and here when the incident happened. I sat on the ground and was playing with her then suddenly she jumped on my (out of excitement maybe) and she scratch my face and neck and I bled, I did something very wrong and bad which I regret until today, I hit her hard (one slap on her pelvis) she meowed and ran away. I feel ashamed and low. I regret this action as I know that she didn't understand why I hit her, I feel really bad.
Since that incident, Sahar never interact with me (it happened 6 weeks back). Whenever I am at home she will hide and never came out from under the couch. When I leave the apartment, she plays a lot with my wife, she sits next to my wife, follow her always and she never stops purring, this what my wife always tell me. But once I come back home she will run away and hide, I don't see her at all, always hidden. If I approach her she will hiss and ran away.
I know I did something very bad, but I need your help. Is it possible to gain her trust back and how can I do it?
Please help
We live in a small apartment, and when we brought her home we did the mistake of not confining her in any room. She was always scared and hiding, for the first couple of days we didn't see her at all. She will go out to eat, pee and poop only when we are outside the apartment. We ignored her at that time and slowly we gain her trust and started to roam the apartment but without interacting with us, she used to walk and keep an eye on us, and whenever we make a move, she ran to her hidden place under the couch. One day we woke up and she was a total different kitten, she came to us and played and and night she will sit next to my wife while we are watching the TV.
4-5 days after her change, I woke up in the middle of the night to drink water, I went to the kitchen and she followed me, I couldn't resist to play with her a little bit and here when the incident happened. I sat on the ground and was playing with her then suddenly she jumped on my (out of excitement maybe) and she scratch my face and neck and I bled, I did something very wrong and bad which I regret until today, I hit her hard (one slap on her pelvis) she meowed and ran away. I feel ashamed and low. I regret this action as I know that she didn't understand why I hit her, I feel really bad.
Since that incident, Sahar never interact with me (it happened 6 weeks back). Whenever I am at home she will hide and never came out from under the couch. When I leave the apartment, she plays a lot with my wife, she sits next to my wife, follow her always and she never stops purring, this what my wife always tell me. But once I come back home she will run away and hide, I don't see her at all, always hidden. If I approach her she will hiss and ran away.
I know I did something very bad, but I need your help. Is it possible to gain her trust back and how can I do it?
Please help