I’d like you to meet this Caturday’s Star Kit, Minnie. She is a 12 week old Tabby from Hartlepool.
My Minnie <3. She’s such a beautiful kitten always playing with her mom, enjoys getting cleaned & general everyday things like getting treats and playing with teasers. I got them off an adoptive mother about a month & a half ago and they have settled, but kitten is a bit scared still and doesn’t like to be picked up, etc… I just don’t know what to do to make her get used to me & my partner a bit more (I’ve also got a 3 year old son) which doesn’t seem to bother the kitten; she just runs away when he gets too close.
She eats fine & comes when I feed both her & mom. I had a cat for 7 months which sadly passed away when she developed hypotrophic cardiomypathy (heart disease). I was heart broken but after a while I felt like I could love another kitten again & take good care of them just as they need <3 My late missy was so cuddly & close to me. I know all cats are so different and they all have different personalities, but I’d love to get close to my new babies. The mom is really loving, no problems at all with her, just the baby. Any help will be appreciated 🙂 xxx
Tom is the owner of 4 amazing cats, and using the Daily Kitten he provides a place for cat and kitten lovers to share the love for their own cats and kittens.
pounce!
Pure persistance is all I know. Food, petting and attention. some are almost naturally trusting, some take awhile, and some just aren’t lap cats although they may have other fine traits. Under two months isn’t very long, keep at it, I trust it will get easier for her.
She’s a pretty kitten! Try cat toys that rattle like little mice and try to get her to play with you.
Minnie is so pretty! Her white muzzle and bib are adorable.
Patience, patience and more patience. You can put a shirt or something that you’ve worn where Minnie sleeps. Sit and talk quietly so she gets used to your voice. Play with her with a toy she likes. She will warm up in her own time – cats are all very different!
Good luck and conCATulations!
We just lost (yesterday) one of our “special kitties”, Snicker Doodles, to fleas of all things (we’re fighting a severe outbreak here). She was one of the gentlest and sweetist kitties, but she only liked to snuggle once in a while and didn’t purr much if you picked her up – and it was all at her decision. (She was covered with fleas and although the meds worked and killed probably 200 of them, she was too weak and anemic to survive – and we didn’t have the money to get her a transfusion). The thing is, she didn’t snuggle very often, but showed she loved us in different ways.
Some cats will show their affection in other ways. Always sitting beside or close to their human, or sleeping next to them, or whatever. Sometimes it takes time for a kitty to get close – snuggling is a big move of trust and they will want to COMPLETELY trust their human before letting down their guard that much. You may discover that Minnie is purring while sitting near you… showing that she’s showing affection in the way comfortable to her.
My condolences on loosing Missy. It may take time to get over the loss – we’re in the early stages of the grief process ourselves and I expect to find Snickers sitting by me as I type – and then I’m wondering where she is (and then reality – and usually tears – set in). My wife was one of the people who she DID snuggle with more often and we both have big empty places and have experienced the “where is Snickers?”. It’s good you’ve got Minnie. The love of other kitties does help to reduce the pain of that empty hole in your heart.
Oh, and one thing I’ve learned – don’t force the issue. If you sense at all that Minnie wants to be let loose/put down, do so. She needs to not feel forced (cats don’t seem to like even “kind, loving” coercion and the more you force an issue, the harder they will resist).
The trick is to get them to WANT to snuggle/play/whatever. The love is usually already there, the expression of it you would like needs to grow.
No advice here, just to say that Miss Minny is adorable, looks to be a true “mini-me” of Mom kit! Plenty of good tips above, hope that relationship with kitty grows ever stronger! 🙂
Such pretty kitties! Joan from New Jersey knows what she is talking about. Patience as well as letting them become close in their own time. The tee shirt idea is a very good one too as well as playing with her. You also have no idea what the baby went through with people before coming to you. She could have been abused or somebody may have tried holding her tightly when it made her feel uncomfortable. Just love her as she is and I’ll predict she’ll be a different cat in a few months. Many happy years with your new fur kids:)
Patience indeed. My Nelson had a rough 10 months before I adopted him, and he was very particular about being petted or sitting on my lap. Eventually moved to a place where I had a computer table and two chairs, and eventually he started sitting in the chair next to me when I was on the computer. One day, at the ripe old age of 2+ he got up, walked over to my lap, settled down and thereafter became a total lap rat. As others have advised, the cat dictates the interactions. You have to woo her; compulsion won’t work. The mom cat is spectacularly beautiful, BTW. Enjoy her snuggles and continue to romance the kitten and you’ll probably wind up with more petting opportunities than you can handle.
Beeps li’l pink nose – hey Minnie, concats you were our weekend Star-kit at TDK!
Minnie is gorgeous and her mom has beautiful markings. Well done on bringing them both home to love. Minnie will be watching her mom and learning from her. If mom trusts you, she’ll pick up on it. Also, when you play with her, make sure you’re on the floor so you can be at her level. That makes them feel more secure. Kittens are so much fun, but I realized years ago that they become very in-tuned with us as they get older. It’s like “cat freak” said, it took her baby 2+ years to become a lap cat. I’ve seen the same thing happen time and again. So be patient and love Minnie for exactly who she is. Being accepted is really a blessing for all of us, two-footed and 4-footed creatures.
Pretty Minnie has a sweet pink nose!