She hisses at my husband whenever he picks her up. She bit him and drew blood the other night!
She's a total sweetheart to me....
This is the kitten my cat had back in Sept, that we were originally going to give away but decided to keep. I'm afraid my husband's going to tell me we need to give her away now, since she's "turning mean", as he calls it.
Could there be a reason she's freaking out on him?
2007-11-20 16:00:58 · 13 answers · asked by shellj_foxy 3 in Pets ➔ Cats
she's just a kitten so she doesn't know the rules. It is entirely possible that he has frightened her or threatened her some how. As far as she is concerned, you're her momma and the male is just a tom who is a physical threat to her. Your husband might try spending more quality time with her playing and giving her special treats, petting, and love. It really doesn't take long to earn their trust and once he does it will be much nicer for all concerned.
2007-11-20 16:12:40 · answer #1 · answered by Sptfyr 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In nature, apart from the mother cat, the only creature to pick a kitten up is a predator, so by instinct not all cats like being picked up. Perhaps she doesn't know your husband well enough yet to have developed that degree of trust.
From a cat's eye view, humans look like giants. As men are generally larger than women, they can seem more intimidating to cats. Men also tend to have stronger and louder voices, which can be another factor. Cats rely heavily on their sense of smell, so perhaps she detects a scent on him that unsettles her.
Have your husband kneel down or sit on the floor near to the kitten to see if that helps. Talking to her softly and offering her food treats, will help her view him as someone worth getting to know and trust him more. If she feels safe when being handled by him, she's more likely to accept being picked up by him.
Give her time, she's just a baby, and feels more comfortable with "mum" at the moment.
2007-11-21 01:24:00 · answer #2 · answered by Michele the Louis Wain cat 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
It could just be that she feels safer with you....In my house my cats don't go near anyone else mainly because they know that I will give them attention when they want it. When they are hungry they come and find me. When they want to go play in the driveway, they look for me. When I go outside the hide behind trees and bushes and pop out. We play in the dirt and I hit golf balls and they go chasing after them.
Try having your husband play with her without picking her up. First grab a treat, my cats eat the ones that come in a plastic jar called shakem up. I shake the bottle and they know that it's time for a treat. Have him shake the bottle and open it in front of her. She will smell the treats. Have him give her a treat. Also, try doing it the same time every day. Also, cats like string, so have him take a string and put it by her paws and she will try to catch it. Don't give her toys with cat nip because it will make her go crazy. Also, make sure that he's on the floor at her level. It will make her feel less scared.
Do this for a while and eventually she will let you pick her up. I have one cat that does not like to be picked up at all and two that just love it! lol.
2007-11-21 00:30:05 · answer #3 · answered by nicoleband0 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hissing is a way of saying, kindly back off because you are frightening me. When your husband ignores this warning (or plea) the kitten can feel she has no choice and so she bites.
If he can just ignore her for awhile, she can warm up to him at her own pace. When she is no longer frightened of him because he ignores her, he can play with her using toys and ply her with treats.
Cats and dogs are often frightened by men and children but not often by women. Men and children are probably too rough or too active for highly sensitive cats and dogs and take some getting used to.
2007-11-21 00:28:28 · answer #4 · answered by WooHoo 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Maybe he is picking her up too roughly, she's only tiny and man hands are strong, or maybe he's done something to her and now she won't trust him. Cats aren't like dogs, they are not automatically your friend. You have to earn their trust and once you lose it, it's hard to get back. They are very partial to bribes though, so maybe he should give her a little treat every time she comes near him, but without trying to pick her up - she'll get wise to that and stop trusting him completely.
Patience is the answer.
2007-11-21 00:28:39 · answer #5 · answered by Andrea H 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hmmm.....that's weird. your kitten doesn't trust him yet.let the cat smell him by holding his hand out.let him give it a treat.if he does friendly things for it it will learn. it may take some time so be patient.if you already did this or it doesn't work, talk to your vet or sometimes the people who work at the pet store can help. good luck!=^.^=
2007-11-21 00:22:09 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Could it be she doesn't like him? Is he sure he's never been nasty to her when you weren't there? Or does she think he smells funny?
If she's hissed at him to back off, and he picked her up anyway, it's no great surprise he got bit.
2007-11-21 02:55:38 · answer #7 · answered by who me? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hmm sounds like he might be doing something to the kitten maybe when your not around cause that cat is to little to become that aggresive for no reason
2007-11-21 02:26:24 · answer #8 · answered by nikki 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
he might have done something to the kitten for her to act like that. he might have done something without even knowing it bothered her in some way
2007-11-21 00:08:39 · answer #9 · answered by <3 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe she doesn't want to be picked up. Maybe she was scared by your husband before and doesn't like him.
2007-11-22 02:10:06 · answer #10 · answered by drshorty 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋