We've had Coconut (yes, we named her) for a bit over 2 weeks. She is about 10-12 weeks old now. She is in a large dog cage, with places to hide and room to lounge and play. We've made progress in that time: she loves to play with wand toys and chase the red dot, and she will eat tuna off my fingers if my hand is still. She has started to purr when she plays. Where we haven't made progress is in her accepting touch.
We have been using the play sessions to touch her with the toy. She tolerates it for a second and then moves away. We can stroke her with a gloved hand...but only because she is very scared and huddled in a corner.
We are at something of a crossroads. Do we A) keep on with slowly gaining her trust, working up to (hopefully) touching her while she eats? or B) add more forced interactions to desensitize her to being touched?
A) has been working...but slowly.
With B), I'm afraid of losing her trust and making her more afraid. On the other hand, if she gets used to being touched...maybe things will go faster.
Any advice is welcome.
We have been using the play sessions to touch her with the toy. She tolerates it for a second and then moves away. We can stroke her with a gloved hand...but only because she is very scared and huddled in a corner.
We are at something of a crossroads. Do we A) keep on with slowly gaining her trust, working up to (hopefully) touching her while she eats? or B) add more forced interactions to desensitize her to being touched?
A) has been working...but slowly.
With B), I'm afraid of losing her trust and making her more afraid. On the other hand, if she gets used to being touched...maybe things will go faster.
Any advice is welcome.