Kitten scared of my roommate

[giusyjoey]

Hi there! I have had a kitten for 4 months now and I live with other people in a house. She is super sweet and shy and she gets along with my girl flatmates. She is scared of men though! I tried with one guy I live with, she was a bit scared but he petted her and she was fine, he also fed her some ham. When I asked the other guy he screamed 'she is going to scratch me! I don't like cats!' I said it was cause she would get aggressive if he doesn't socialise with her even if he doesn't like cats. When I took my kitten and saw him she went totally crazy! He is a big man so maybe the size scared her but he totally overreacted when he said those things. What can I do? He doesn't want to collaborate and I'm scared that if it goes this way she would get aggressive [emoji]128557[/emoji]. She is so sweet with everyone but him, even his voice scared her? Help please!

 

[molly92]

Honestly, if they are both scared of each other and they're both going to stay out of each other's way, then it's probably best just to let everyone be. A scared cat will almost always run away rather than fight if they have the opportunity because fighting is much riskier. So if he's not seeking her out and accidentally cornering her, then she'll just run whenever he gets too close and no one will get hurt. If they spend enough time in the same space to where his presence impedes her ability to enjoy her normal routine, then it might be worth doing some desensitization, like feeding her a treat whenever they're in the room together to create positive associations. But don't hold her or force her to stay in one spot when he's around. She should always be able to leave if she chooses. She'll feel much safer that way, and there will never be any need for clawing or biting.

 

[giusyjoey]

Thank you for your reply! I think you are right. The guy who fed her is another one, he likes cats and wanted to give it a go. The kitten was not as scared as when she met the other flatmate, the one who said all those things. thr cat hater. So it's just one person that my Perla doesn't like out of five so I think you're right. Let it be and they'll never get in each other's way [emoji]128522[/emoji]