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hello.
Please understand that my English is not very good. Actually i’m trying very hard to write this comment……
I’m your audience from china. I got to know you by “Taming a Feral Kitten Dormouse”. This video was very helpful to me. But I still have some problems.
Here is my situation. I have a tom-kitten about 3 month old. I’m not sure what his breed in English. But I tried to search on the internet and maybe its breed is called Dragon-Li or Chinese Tabby cat in English.
Before I brought him home, he was a feral cat on street. He has been my home about 40 days. After I used social cage, pick him out of the cage frequently and pet him over and over again, now he does not hissing anymore and sometimes he can purr laying on my lap. Your video is more useful than any others i have seen and that is amazing. Although he played well with me, he is still really too timid. He has been always hiding on his shelf and almost never come out when he is alone, except for eating and going toilet. Just like one minute ago he was purring and enjoyed petting, one minute later he take me for a stranger trying to avoid me. I understand some cats just don;t like to be hugged, but I just want him not hiding anymore when I pass by.
So, is there a more effective way to socialize training? Because I only finished the first 3 parts of that video. “petting him and moving away” never succeeded. I’m stuck in this relationship and I haven’t made any progress after that. I really hope he can live a happy life in my family. What should I do next?
Hello Trixie! Thank you for writing, and I am so happy that the Kitten School videos have been helpful to you.It seems like you have come very far in socializing your kitten, so be proud of what you have accomplished so far. You are doing exactly what you should be doing. It sometimes takes a long time for a cat to become comfortable around people. And yousay, he purrs and plays with me, then later he acts like I am a stranger and is scared! Yes, this is very common. A cat’s first instinct is to run from things it is scared of, so if the cat hears a door open and someone is coming, he immediately thinks, “I need to hide!”. I think this response will go away in time, once hte kitten learns that no one is coming to hurt him. I would try to always bring a treat with you when you walk in the room, so he begins to think, “oh, the door is opening…now I will get a yummy food!” instead of being afraid. You want the kitten to trade one thought for another. Also, I would try sometimes walking by him without touching him or even looking at him. So that he doesn’t think every time a person walks in they are going to come for him. Last, I would try to not let him hide. Do not put his food where he can eat alone. If he wants to eat, he should come out to where you are sitting. I promise he won’t starve! But he should not be able to sneak out to get food and then go back to his hiding shelf. He needs to try, too! (But water and litter box should always be available). Last, I would buy a harness for him and have him wear it during the day. Then you can keep him on a leash near you when you are on the computer, phone or studying. I think this is very helpful! But the main tip for you is to keep on working with him, just as you are. Don’t give up! It takes sometimes many months for the kitty to relax and be part of the family. My cat, Creature, was the same as your kitten when I first got him. I would just look at him and POOF he would run! Now, he is my most loving cat and sleeps on top of me every night! But he took a year to be friendly. I hope this helps you, please let me know how it is going! And, your English is VERY VERY good! I don’t know one word of Chinese, and you wrote an entire message! Wow! Love, Caroline