[yvette]

this little girl was found under a fire truck engine when she was tiny and is very timid,i have now had her for 2 monthas and she is 6 months old,she was eating well up until 2 days ago,now i never see her eat, i try dry and wet food (she was enjoying royal canin just fine) and pieces of chicken and beef and tuna, nothing works these days, i got her medical cat grass as i thought maybe her tummy was ill but she is not interested, she knows where her litter is and roams the house freely, but i have never been able to touch her or go near her since i brought her home, she just either ignores me or runs away if i get too close,i do go to her often and talk very gently to her which she doesn't seem to mind and she normally sits on a windowsill in the sun or in a quiet place alone which is unusual for a kitten her age and won't play with me or the 9 month old kitten i adopted at the same time who is very friendly and full of fun,they know each other from the shelter and she adores him but when he wants to play with her she can't seem to handle it,when she thinks i am asleep at night she gets on the bed with the other kitten but as soon as she knows i'm still awake, she jumps off, yesterday i was sitting on my bed and left the room for 5 minutes and when i returned she was on the bed, i told her very gently i was proud of her and she was a good girl, but i didn't approach her as she looked scared and she then peed on the bed, i didn't scold her but she still hid from me for the rest of the day, i really don't know what to do to try and get her to trust me, i have been told to try handle her more but when i have tried it has always been a traumatic experience for her with a bit of chasing initially and she never seems to enjoy it,and it never improved anything,she doesn't purr and seems to just wait for it to end, i have tried leaving her alone and letting her come to me in her own time but that hasn't worked for 2 months now, i have tried treats and toys and i have been only gentle with her to try gain her trust but it doesn't seem to work very well,she has no problem walking past me to get to another room or sitting in the same room as me is also fine but i can't approach her at all. the woman at the shelter where i got her from, told me she didn't seem to like her either,she does not seem interested in catnip as well, i will not return her to the shelter as she deserves a good home but i would like her to enjoy her life and want love and attention. I have had many cats before who enjoyed long and happy lives and were all adopted from shelters but i have never had this problem before. she is not spayed and i would like to take her to a vet but i fear the chasing to get her in the cage and the visit to the vet will cause her great distress at the moment, any advice would really help.

 

[somebody]

Hello and welcome to the forum! Thank you for adopting from a shelter!

First, she needs to be spayed. Yes the carrier will be a trauma, but she'll get over it. There are going to be times in her life when she will need to go to the vet. (What kind of shelter doesn't spay the cats before they adopt them out?)

Secondly, you just have to give her time. Some cats are feral and it can take years to tame them. She probably doesn't know how to play, or love a human. Sounds like the shelter didn't help much, admitting they didn't like her, for goodness sake!

Just let her be who she is. Be there, talk to her, let her see how much fun it can be to be a cat of yours by the way you interact with your other cat.

But, besides from getting her spayed, let her be. She may be in heat now which is why she isn't eating and peed on your bed.

I adopted an unsocialized 6 month old cat 6 years ago. It took 3 years before I could even pet her. Now she is a sweet Lovey who curls up on my chest and purrs and purrs. But it took years.

 

[yvette]

thanks alot for your feedback, unfortunately, i think you misunderstood me, my kitten didn't like the lady at the shelter, the lady was very kind and has a great love for animals,my error for not explaining myself correctly,and yes, her mother is feral and my kitty seems to have those tendencies also my kitten was 4 months old when i adopted her, which i think is too young for spaying, i have, since posting this, contacted my vet and have booked my kitten on monday for a check up and spaying...it does make sense what you said, she is acting differently, i just always thought they become more affectionate when on heat, and i had no idea they could lose their appetite and pee on the bed, that really has eased my mind alot, thank you.

i will definitely give her space and time and continue to reassure her with soft words and kindness.

 

[somebody]

Let us know how the vet appointment goes! Cats can vary on their heat symptoms, and of course I could be wrong, too , but she is the right age for it, and cats can have silent heat cycles.

Thanks for explaining about the shelter. Anyway, you have a very special girl there. Some cats can take years to socialize, I'm glad you have two. She can learn from the older girl, for one thing, and the other kitty can keep you from feeling too frustrated wanting kitty love.

What are their names?