My kitten is scared of me?

Question

I have had my kitten for going on a month now and it is scared of me and my partner, it always gets under the couch or in places we can't reach it.

It is fine with my dog and loves playing with it, but as soon as we go near it, it runs away.

I've tried nurturing it everyday for about 30 mins but the whole time I'm giving it pats it is trying to get away. It won't even come out when it is time to feed it, instead it eats when we are asleep, My partner is getting really fed up with it.

Anyone got any ideas on how to get it to like us?

Answer 1

I work in rescue. Essentially, you need to approach the kitten as if you were working with a half-wild cat. The 30 minutes-a-day attention is definitely the right amount. What you have to do, however, is isolate the kitten in a room without areas he can hide in (the one exception I would recommend is one of the nylon cubes from Walmart with a blanket in side so he has a 'safety net'). Either you or your partner (not both right now) needs to be the one to go in there (30 min. a day works, but you can also divide it up into 2 to 3 15 minute visits so kitty is exposed to you more frequently). When you go in there, sit in a corner away from the kitten and read a book. Do not try to interact with him. Let him come to you. It may take a couple of weeks. You can also 'entice' him with Three Dog Bakery's "We Pitty the Kitties" freeze-dried Alaskan Salmon treats - place a few near him then try to lead a trail to you (do not reach out for him). Eventually, you should get to the point where he will eat out of your hand. Once you are there, begin touching him slowly and wait until he is really rubbing against you before picking him up. They sometimes cry like crazy when they are isolated (thereby eliciting the 'I am a bad parent' reaction from their owner's), but stand strong on this one. It nees to be done at his own pace or it will never work. He may eventually be ok with both of you but there is also a chance he will bond more strongly to the person who works with him while he is in isolation. I have successfully aclimated kittens/cats under 6 months this way. Good luck!

Answer 2

Scared Kitten

Answer 3

every one likes food, try giving your kitty treats (really good treats) while you play with it. Instead of holding it and touching your cat, try playing with toys that your cat likes. My kitten likes the long stick with the feather and the bell on the end. When your kitten gets scared and hides under the couch, go get the toy, and stick it under the couch and move it around. She will soon get interested and start playing with it. Then, lead her out from under the couch and put a treat on the floor slowly so she doesn't get scared. Do this a lot and soon she will not be frightened of you. She is little and you are TALL so be patient. Good Luck!

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
My kitten is scared of me?
I have had my kitten for going on a month now and it is scared of me and my partner, it always gets under the couch or in places we can't reach it.

It is fine with my dog and loves playing with it, but as soon as we go near it, it runs away.

I've tried nurturing it everyday for about...

Answer 5

let me tell you something I have 1 kitten ok now all you need to do is that if its hiding under the couches or any of those furniture s just call him nicely no like trying to grab him or her because what if he or she bites you right now step 3 is to make sure I has a healthy comfortable place or home to sleep in [made out of [cardbox] and inside of the cardbox he or she needs milk instead of water and cat food and have some relaxing music [volume:10-15] that can calm him down then tame it until it follows you.

Answer 6

You might want to handle it like it were a feral cat. Don't pick it up at first. Let it hide under the couch and let that be it's safe spot. You must approach it in steps. First maybe get one of those cat toys with a stick and dangling feather. Then dangle the feather just enough to let the cat play...
Let it know it can come and go when it wants to but play with it this way for a while......Once the cat builds up trust in you it will come out of it's shell. Once it knows that it can do what it wants to and totally trust you it will start to come out to find you...And every time it shows you attention be willing to play or cuddle.

Let it come to you.

Answer 7

Catnip purfume and cologn? Haha j/k

Anyway, I seen on Animal planet that you (or your partner not both) and the kitten lock yourselves in a bedroom for like an hour. Take a toy and play with her. Don't look at her, cats find staring rude. When she get comfortable to get in an arm's length of you bring some treats and try to get her to take it out of your hand. It takes time to get a semi feral cat into a docile pet.

Answer 8

Since kittens are playfull, get some rope and play with it. it worked with me lol. i feel bad for u man. if rope does'nt work, then its probably the way u treat it i guess. Good luck on ure kitten!

Answer 9

How old is the kitten? How old was the kitten when you got it? Where did you get the kitten from?

Answer 10

if you look at it from the kittens point of view i wouldnt blame it. you are probably about 50 times its size (no offence) and wouldnt you be scared of something 50 times your own size? only advice i can give is to keep doing what you're doing and dont give up. it worked for me!!=]