Hi everyone,
Does anyone have any tips on how to make an unfriendly cat friendlier?
About a year ago our family adopted a kitten, 8 wks old, who has been scared of us ever since. The only one she lets pet her is me, and even I cannot pick her up. We are not manhandling her at all -- we have tried to give her space, to be calm and loving around her, and still she has not grown out of this. She is scared of loud noises, my husband's foot steps for example, and runs skittering away. But in the morning, she comes into my bed and licks me and lets me pet her -- so, go figure! It is as if she has an insecurity problem, a lack of confidence.
The hard part is that my children would just love to have a kitten they can hold and pet, and are so envious of their friends' cats who allow them to do this.
What can I do? The pet store recommended Feliway. A friend who is a homeopath recommended some kind of homeopathic medicine. One site on the internet recommended frequent picking-up and hugging -- but that just made her more skittish. Any other techniques out there?
Thanks
Does anyone have any tips on how to make an unfriendly cat friendlier?
About a year ago our family adopted a kitten, 8 wks old, who has been scared of us ever since. The only one she lets pet her is me, and even I cannot pick her up. We are not manhandling her at all -- we have tried to give her space, to be calm and loving around her, and still she has not grown out of this. She is scared of loud noises, my husband's foot steps for example, and runs skittering away. But in the morning, she comes into my bed and licks me and lets me pet her -- so, go figure! It is as if she has an insecurity problem, a lack of confidence.
The hard part is that my children would just love to have a kitten they can hold and pet, and are so envious of their friends' cats who allow them to do this.
Thanks