So I was walking around with my daughter in the yard and our landlord called us over on Friday and asked if we wanted to pick up our kitty early....so I said yes... (We were supposed to pick her up yesterday) So I'm gonna let you know how it's going since then...
He carried her up to our apt and handed her to me....and immediatly my daughter wanted to hold her, pet her....something. I told her not yet...she freaked and threw a tantrum. Worst possible time i'm sure.... So I took the kitty in my daughters room and I was petting her....now this wasn't the room I had set up for her....she started to squirm like she wanted to get down...so I let her down and she ran as fast as she could and hid under the dresser. o.o Oh boy.
So I moved the dishes and litter box in there and shut the door. I figured all the noise out in the living room and stuff would make her nervous so I turned on the demo on my daughters piano and every so often i'd turn it down a bit more so she could hear more noise coming from the living room...
After my daughter went to bed, in our room (nightly occurance actually) I went in there and sat with the kitty who we named Toodles...(like from Mickey mouse clubhouse which is our daughters fave show and she says "oh toodles" with the show lol) I put one of my dirty shirts in there where she was laying and if I tried to pick her up she would hiss....which is what the landlord told me...so I wasn't surprised. I managed to pick her up (slightly against her will, i'm sure) and I began petting her which she seems to enjoy for awhile.... I brought her out to hubby to see and he said I should sit on the couch and pet her a little bit more..so I did. She seemed like she wanted to get down....So I put her down on the couch and she ran into the corner and hid behind the curtain....I scooped her up and put her back in her room and called it a night.
Saturday morning. around 620am (I had to work at 7) I wanted to see her a bit before I left and she started to meow....like that crying "Where are you" kinda thing.... so I started to mimic it...and she looked at be and tilted her head like "You aren't a cat, and you aren't my mommy...You crazy lady" but then something wonderful started to happen....As long as I didn't move and I kept meowing she came closer to me....And that morning she started to purr and rub on my face and hair....It was a breakthrough! I was so excited I didn't wanna go to work...lol I worked a double that day so after I got home and checked on my daughter I went in there to see the kitty for a bit....
I was laying on my daughters bed (which is a mattress on the floor so if she's sleeping there and she rolls off...she won't go far) and guess who came over and laid on my back for a little bit and then was laying next to me.... She didnt really snuggle up to me...but she did the rubbing up against my face and hair. This only seems to work if I'm knelt down on my hands and knees.. So I sat in front of her with my legs stretched out and she nervously sniffed my feet. It seems like she only recognized me if my hair is over my face and each time I change my clothes she forgets it's me...( I guess cause cats don't change the color of their coat) So I got in my pjs last night and since I don't work till next weekend i'm gonna stay in my pjs...
She doesn't seem to recognize that my hands are a part of me...Is that normal?
Sunday morning I was running late but I did go in the room for a few minutes...She was still in there and I had been keeping the door shut....she didnt come out much so I just gave her more food and water...
That afternoon when I came home she came out to me after a little meowing (the mimic/convo thing) and i picked her up and I stuck her in the cat crate so I could switch her over to where her room actually was so my daughter could have her room back. I tried to make her new room so she couldn't run under the bed but there is a closet that she could hide in. well she managed to get under the bed.....so I left her in there....and left the door cracked in case she wanted to come out...but my daughter didn't realize she was in there so she didn' bug her. That night hubby said that i should bring her out to the living room so I picked her up (after a bit of hissing) so I carried her out to the living room and pet her for a lil bit....My daughter was napping on the couch so I put the kitty right next to her so she could sniff her....and get used to her scent (even though she lived in my daughters room....so i would think she would be used to it) She ran and hid under the curtain.
There's a bit that I'm missing but we moved Toodles dishes out here...they are under the end table next to the couch...(she slept under the couch last night) we have all the doors closed and the kitchen blocked off with a gate...which if she wanted to she could climb over. and her litter box if in the hallway not to far away and it's on the other side of a doorway so the wall is blocking it.
She has come out this morning and was playing with my hubbys work boots and climbing on them and playing with the strings. I gave her a little bit of liverwurst (I love that stuff) she really liked it...
The only times she's really hid today is when my daughter gets little too loud and scares her but my daughter doesnt really see her...so out of sight out of mind...I guess. I think Toodles is sleeping under the couch right now...cause it has been quiet (as far as she goes)
I know this is a really long post and I'm sorry...I just haven't been able to get on cause of work...and I wanted to let you know what has happened so far. She really has only been loving on me...but I think hubby is next.. I'm thinking it's gonna be awhile before she loves up on my daughter (although she did let her pet her a little bit when i was holding her...and she didnt hiss or anything)
Am I doing a good job so far? Is there something that I should do differently? These seem like good signs....but i'm not sure
He carried her up to our apt and handed her to me....and immediatly my daughter wanted to hold her, pet her....something. I told her not yet...she freaked and threw a tantrum. Worst possible time i'm sure.... So I took the kitty in my daughters room and I was petting her....now this wasn't the room I had set up for her....she started to squirm like she wanted to get down...so I let her down and she ran as fast as she could and hid under the dresser. o.o Oh boy.
So I moved the dishes and litter box in there and shut the door. I figured all the noise out in the living room and stuff would make her nervous so I turned on the demo on my daughters piano and every so often i'd turn it down a bit more so she could hear more noise coming from the living room...
After my daughter went to bed, in our room (nightly occurance actually) I went in there and sat with the kitty who we named Toodles...(like from Mickey mouse clubhouse which is our daughters fave show and she says "oh toodles" with the show lol) I put one of my dirty shirts in there where she was laying and if I tried to pick her up she would hiss....which is what the landlord told me...so I wasn't surprised. I managed to pick her up (slightly against her will, i'm sure) and I began petting her which she seems to enjoy for awhile.... I brought her out to hubby to see and he said I should sit on the couch and pet her a little bit more..so I did. She seemed like she wanted to get down....So I put her down on the couch and she ran into the corner and hid behind the curtain....I scooped her up and put her back in her room and called it a night.
Saturday morning. around 620am (I had to work at 7) I wanted to see her a bit before I left and she started to meow....like that crying "Where are you" kinda thing.... so I started to mimic it...and she looked at be and tilted her head like "You aren't a cat, and you aren't my mommy...You crazy lady" but then something wonderful started to happen....As long as I didn't move and I kept meowing she came closer to me....And that morning she started to purr and rub on my face and hair....It was a breakthrough! I was so excited I didn't wanna go to work...lol I worked a double that day so after I got home and checked on my daughter I went in there to see the kitty for a bit....
I was laying on my daughters bed (which is a mattress on the floor so if she's sleeping there and she rolls off...she won't go far) and guess who came over and laid on my back for a little bit and then was laying next to me.... She didnt really snuggle up to me...but she did the rubbing up against my face and hair. This only seems to work if I'm knelt down on my hands and knees.. So I sat in front of her with my legs stretched out and she nervously sniffed my feet. It seems like she only recognized me if my hair is over my face and each time I change my clothes she forgets it's me...( I guess cause cats don't change the color of their coat) So I got in my pjs last night and since I don't work till next weekend i'm gonna stay in my pjs...
She doesn't seem to recognize that my hands are a part of me...Is that normal?
Sunday morning I was running late but I did go in the room for a few minutes...She was still in there and I had been keeping the door shut....she didnt come out much so I just gave her more food and water...
That afternoon when I came home she came out to me after a little meowing (the mimic/convo thing) and i picked her up and I stuck her in the cat crate so I could switch her over to where her room actually was so my daughter could have her room back. I tried to make her new room so she couldn't run under the bed but there is a closet that she could hide in. well she managed to get under the bed.....so I left her in there....and left the door cracked in case she wanted to come out...but my daughter didn't realize she was in there so she didn' bug her. That night hubby said that i should bring her out to the living room so I picked her up (after a bit of hissing) so I carried her out to the living room and pet her for a lil bit....My daughter was napping on the couch so I put the kitty right next to her so she could sniff her....and get used to her scent (even though she lived in my daughters room....so i would think she would be used to it) She ran and hid under the curtain.
There's a bit that I'm missing but we moved Toodles dishes out here...they are under the end table next to the couch...(she slept under the couch last night) we have all the doors closed and the kitchen blocked off with a gate...which if she wanted to she could climb over. and her litter box if in the hallway not to far away and it's on the other side of a doorway so the wall is blocking it.
She has come out this morning and was playing with my hubbys work boots and climbing on them and playing with the strings. I gave her a little bit of liverwurst (I love that stuff) she really liked it...
The only times she's really hid today is when my daughter gets little too loud and scares her but my daughter doesnt really see her...so out of sight out of mind...I guess. I think Toodles is sleeping under the couch right now...cause it has been quiet (as far as she goes)
I know this is a really long post and I'm sorry...I just haven't been able to get on cause of work...and I wanted to let you know what has happened so far. She really has only been loving on me...but I think hubby is next.. I'm thinking it's gonna be awhile before she loves up on my daughter (although she did let her pet her a little bit when i was holding her...and she didnt hiss or anything)
Am I doing a good job so far? Is there something that I should do differently? These seem like good signs....but i'm not sure
