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help please!! my kitten hates me!

britneybeauty

britneybeauty

hi! this is my first post. i have two cats, one being an f3 female who has just turned 1. she is the most amazing loving little girl, she is super friendly and has a real big bond with me, she follows sprawls all over me and will not leave me alone. she is just perfect. our other cat is a birman boy. super sweet and lovely, they both get on amazing and snuggle and groom each other, a real brother and sister relationship.
i decided that as our birman is quite lazy (lol) and britney (f3) is very active and naughty, we should get another savannah to add to the madness! so i decided to go for it and now have zeus an f2 male. he is 13 weeks old. we've had him for a week now, and he has gone from hiding 100% of the time to coming out and playing, the other two have been surprisingly brilliant with only an odd hiss, generally ignoring him and keeping away for now. the problem is, zeus will play, with toys but is very aggressive when i go to touch him. he hisses every time i go near him and if i try and pick him up i get severely attacked. i've become nervous around him but all perservering, but he just seems to hate me. he lets me touch his face 1 time out of 10 very slowly and gently, but after a few seconds lashes out. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated at this point?
 
Patti

Patti

Admin
Staff member
First of all, Zeus should have been put in quarantine for a minimum of two weeks when he was first brought home so that he could become accustomed to his new home and new humans. He is a baby and has been ripped away from the only family and home he has ever known - how surprising can it be that he is frightened and upset? Plus, given the opportunity to bond with your other cats he will instinctively choose them over you. I suggest you consider quarantining him, even though you haven't done so up to now. Put him in a small room (bedroom or bathroom) with a litterbox and water. Bring his food to him and give him an hour or so to eat then take it away again (be sure to feed him at least two to three times a day since he is a growing kitty), this will teach him that you are his sole provider. You can also offer him snacks (e.g., freeze dried chicken) from your fingers but don't get discouraged if he doesn't take them from you right away.

Do NOT push any physical interaction with him, but sit on the floor and read a book aloud or work on your computer, just let him get used to your presence first. Be sure not to look him in the eyes as this is considered a form of aggression or challenge, but when he looks at you blink slowly and turn your head away. You can also use a wand toy to engage him in play which will help him relax around you. You can occasionally move the wand toy over your legs to try to get him to make physical contact by climbing over your legs. Again, do not initiate any contact yourself during this time, you need to be patient and let him adjust in his own time and way.

Hopefully after a couple of weeks he will begin settling in and trusting you. Once you feel a bond has started you can consider letting him out of the room to meet the other cats for short periods of time. I would not however give him free reign of the home until you know that you have built at least a degree of trust with him. Some cats (NOT just Savannahs) are just not touchy-feely and prefer to show affection on their own terms. He may never be a lap cat but with time and patience you should be able to at least build a mutual respect for each other.
 
britneybeauty

britneybeauty

hi
i kept him in a room by himself for 4 days i should have kept him for longer, ive now quarantined him again,i have literally spent a lot of time say away not too close and talked in a sweet voice, he plays and has confidence to walk around, he is always looking at me and blinking sweetly, which i do the same, so maybe that is a first sign of trust, it is just the hand he doesn't like, i'm just hoping he will come around to me! thank you for your reply :)


Patti said:
First of all, Zeus should have been put in quarantine for a minimum of two weeks when he was first brought home so that he could become accustomed to his new home and new humans. He is a baby and has been ripped away from the only family and home he has ever known - how surprising can it be that he is frightened and upset? Plus, given the opportunity to bond with your other cats he will instinctively choose them over you. I suggest you consider quarantining him, even though you haven't done so up to now. Put him in a small room (bedroom or bathroom) with a litterbox and water. Bring his food to him and give him an hour or so to eat then take it away again (be sure to feed him at least two to three times a day since he is a growing kitty), this will teach him that you are his sole provider. You can also offer him snacks (e.g., freeze dried chicken) from your fingers but don't get discouraged if he doesn't take them from you right away.

Do NOT push any physical interaction with him, but sit on the floor and read a book aloud or work on your computer, just let him get used to your presence first. Be sure not to look him in the eyes as this is considered a form of aggression or challenge, but when he looks at you blink slowly and turn your head away. You can also use a wand toy to engage him in play which will help him relax around you. You can occasionally move the wand toy over your legs to try to get him to make physical contact by climbing over your legs. Again, do not initiate any contact yourself during this time, you need to be patient and let him adjust in his own time and way.

Hopefully after a couple of weeks he will begin settling in and trusting you. Once you feel a bond has started you can consider letting him out of the room to meet the other cats for short periods of time. I would not however give him free reign of the home until you know that you have built at least a degree of trust with him. Some cats (NOT just Savannahs) are just not touchy-feely and prefer to show affection on their own terms. He may never be a lap cat but with time and patience you should be able to at least build a mutual respect for each other.
Click to expand...
 
Jacob Steel

Jacob Steel

Savannah Super Cat
Hey, so I went through something similar, at the time felt like it would never get better. It did and now the kittens and me are all happy together. Just takes time. I would go back to quarantine for a while for him until hes comfortable with you then put the cats food on either side of the door. Also helps to swap toys between rooms, keeps them from getting bored with it and helps mix smells.

It gets better and it wont take that long in the grand scheme of things :D Important to not stress yourself out haha.
 
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