Kitten hated me then bonded to me nearly immediately, is this normal?

[cherryberryboo]

Hi all im new here, i picked up my 11 week old ragdoll boy hunter last saturday, when i got to the breeder he didnt want to be anywhere near me hissing and hiding from me and scratched me trying to escape when the breeder picked him up and passed him over, it worried me because all the kittens i have known didnt act this scared when meeting new people. But we still took him home and we had him in a carrier on my lap for the journey, it was a hour and a half drive and he looked so scared and was crying for a lot of the drive until he slept near the end

I figured id have to do bonding and introductions the normal way so i put his carrier in the bathroom with his food and toys around and waited for him to come out, he just continued to stay in the carrier not moving so i left After 10 minutes to see if he would come out when alone, i came back 10 minutes later and he was in the same position but shaking now which worried me so i thought screw it and picked him out from the carrier and sat him on my lap and it was like i flipped a switch he just immediately became brave and was rubbing against me purring, wanting pets and going to his toys and playing happily he had immediately bonded to me, no hesitant sniffs no moving away when i pet him he just became so loving in seconds, my brother came in to see him and hunter was playing with him happily.
Because he had immediately settled in
I wondered how he would feel about meeting my dog, hunter was raised with dogs and my chihuahua has always been great with cats, i ended up introducing them that same day and they didnt immediately bond but they quickly accepted eachother, they had a “dont be hostile to me and i wont be hostile to you” agreement and mostly just chilled in different areas, its been a week of this and they have become close enough that they happily sleep near eachother, they have both attempted to get the other to play but they dont understand eachothers way of playing so it kinda just freaks the other out and so they give up.

Its been absolutely perfect the entire week, he is heavily bonded to me, meowing at the door when I leave, following me, constantly wanting to be near me and cuddle, him and my dog live perfectly fine with eachother getting closer everyday, i just find it weird that we basically skipped through introductions and bonding in literally a couple hours especially since he didnt like me at all when we first met, is it a ragdoll thing? Our past cats knew me for years and never bonded this heavily but hunter just immediately fit in as if he had lived here all his life

Heres some pics one showing him and my dog chilling together and another showing him being cute cuddling up to my face while asleep

 

[ArtNJ]

Normalish. Kittens can take anywhere from no time to about a week to get comfortable with new humans or pets. A few minutes would be rare, but within the range. Dont mistakenly assume he will be great at adapting his whole life though, cats very much tend to get worse at it as they age.

 

[Alldara]

It's pretty normal for kittens to be afraid at first. They have only known their first home, mom and litter mates their whole life. Then they get taken someone else. That's pretty scary. Most of the time, we can figure out what's up with a pet if we try to think of things from their perspective.

Calcifer came to us at 5 months and developed some grey hairs from the experience!

Then, to him, you finally comforted him in a way he understands (physical), so being still a young kitten (11 weeks is still a week too early to let kittens leave in my personal opinion), he bonded to his new carer. Mammals (inc humans) have an instinct to bond to their carers when young.

 

[maggie101]

My cat Coco was under my couch 3 months,bedroom a year,then came came out on her own. She loves to be brushed. Eventhough she was too scared to be picked up I brushed her and she loved it. She just needed some tlc. For a long time she would cling to me hard so I assumed that was all she needed and still does after 8 years! She is bff with my cat peaches and eats in my kitchen. At first I had to feed her in my living room then slowly moved it closer. Right now she's snoring in my ear!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Well, let's think about this from his point of view...he was jerked away from his mother and siblings, shoved in a cage, the cage was shoved in this THING that smelled funny and made a lot of noise, and then he was locked in a tiny room alone, and he was terrified. Then, then, THEN, you came in, lifted him out of that cage, held him close enough that he could hear your heart beating, and comforted him. You are the one who made all the Bad Things better. And he is yours. Depending on age, it can take days, weeks, months...but your baby immediately saw you as a source of warmth and comfort, and gave himself to you entirely. That's precious.

 

[Juniper_Junebug]

Well, let's think about this from his point of view...he was jerked away from his mother and siblings, shoved in a cage, the cage was shoved in this THING that smelled funny and made a lot of noise, and then he was locked in a tiny room alone, and he was terrified. Then, then, THEN, you came in, lifted him out of that cage, held him close enough that he could hear your heart beating, and comforted him. You are the one who made all the Bad Things better. And he is yours. Depending on age, it can take days, weeks, months...but your baby immediately saw you as a source of warmth and comfort, and gave himself to you entirely. That's precious.

This is such a sweet perspective. I had a similar experience with my Juno, who I was told was six months at the time (but she was probably younger). She was my first cat, and based on what I had read, I was prepared to leave her alone, allow her to hide, and spend some time earning her trust. Instead, almost immediately after I let her out of the carrier, she walked straight to me, climbed onto my chest, and aggressively bunted my cheeks. And thereafter, she would plant herself on my chest whenever she could, which now makes sense-- she was searching for a heartbeat. It felt like nothing short of a miracle.

 

[ailish]

My cat Coco was under my couch 3 months,bedroom a year,then came came out on her own. She loves to be brushed. Eventhough she was too scared to be picked up I brushed her and she loved it. She just needed some tlc. For a long time she would cling to me hard so I assumed that was all she needed and still does after 8 years! She is bff with my cat peaches and eats in my kitchen. At first I had to feed her in my living room then slowly moved it closer. Right now she's snoring in my ear!

My one-year-old rescue hid behind a dresser for two months. I provided food, litterbox, and talked to her whenever I was in the room. Never forced her to do anything. Eventually she came out, but wouldn't leave the room. Another month and she was out of the room. My sister had a cat, you could take her to any new place, plunk her down, and immediately she was exploring every inch of the place.