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Old August 11th 06, 05:10 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Michelle
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Posts: 13
Default 5 Month Olds are still Scared. Boyfriend is now scared too!

Wow, 13 days? I'm starting to wonder what sort of conditions these
kitties came from. Did you get a history from the shelter?


LM007 via CatKB.com wrote:
I really appreciate the responses I'm getting here. It's been 13 days since
we got the kitties and we've been doing everything we can to make them feel
loved. one cat person told us to take them and pet them until they understand
that we won't hurt them. that seemed against the general "let them come to
you" advice I've been getting but we tried it. it sort of works with one of
them. he was really scared and mad when we grabbed him but then he ended up
sleeping next to me on the bed. today he is hissing and hiding again and
seems to have forgotten about our cozy night last night.
the other one got out in the yard and we didn't get him back for 48 hours. I
tried to grab him once but he bit me (this was when it was getting dark after
spending the day trying to seduce him inside with treats and the toy he likes)
he made it into our basement the next day through a hole and my boyfriend
got him after getting scratched up too. that one didn't relax at all the time
we held him and pet him (after sort of forcing him out from under the tub-
which I felt horrible about doing)

I've been sitiing next to them while they eat and just talking to them. but
they still run away when I move.

they have also been peeing on things that they shouldn't every once in a
while.

I feel so badly about this. I have had kittens before (when I was a teenager)
and have had cats that adopted me and I guess I wasn't prepared for how hard
this would be. we are seriously considering taking them back and I know
there's no way around the guilt if we do. I'm thinking they might need a home
where the people aren't working all the time and with someone who has more
patience to heal the childhood wounds these kitties are suffering from.

advice?

Michelle wrote:
Maybe leave them alone for a while...they need time to get used to
their surroundings and then they can deal with making new friends. It
works best if you let them come to you rather than forcing them to
interact.

Like I posted before, sometimes it can take more than a week for
kittens to adjust...and since they are a pair and are not "forced" to
turn to you for companionship, it may take longer.

Good luck!

so it's been 6 days since we've had the 5 month old brothers and they are
still really scared and not affectionate. they lived at a shelter most of

[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
suggest that you not get another. A little shy at first is way down the
list of problems one can have with a kitten/cat.


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