Savannah kitten behavior

[Samber]

lol your original post reminds me of me and my wife and our cats. they will sleep with me like cuddle under the blanket but they wont with my wife. they will sleep by her feet on her side of the bed almost every night, but they never sleep with her under the blanket. also they follow her around everywhere but if im home they only follow me...

 

[Patti]

More than a month has passed since I posted here, so it is time for an update.
As I type this, i am sitting in front of the fire place, with D at my right and Jarvis at my feet. For the past month, I have been trying to back off, and give Jarvis his space. I have been trying to pay more attention to his body language, and only pet him for a few seconds at a time (or until his ears go from forwards to sideways) when he comes within touching distance. I am still picking him up briefly every day, but this is no longer upsetting him, as he gets a treat right after i put him down, and I only hold him for a few seconds at a time. He is still running up to say hello to me when I get home, but he is now giving me a head butt, which is really nice, and while I can't report that he is cuddling on my lap, the distance between Jarvis and me on the couch and floor is decreasing. He is more frequently coming I am still learning to read his body language, but he seems less nervous and as a result, more interested in spending time together. I have taken the advice offered here, and when visitors come over, we are letting Jarvis approach them at his pace (or not) and that seems to be working better. There are times when he never comes out of his room when guests are here, but there are also times when he comes running down the steps to say hello to our guests. over all, he seems more relaxed and more confident, which makes me happy, so thank you to all who offered advice.

I'm really glad to hear that Jarvis has been making baby steps toward developing a bond with you. Even though it may seem to be occurring at a snail's pace, the fact that he is moving in the right direction is very encouraging. Just keep doing what you have been doing - you're doing a great job!!

 

[tkymasters]

My F3 will not allow me to touch her at all, but my kids can pick her up. She will sit in every room with me, when Kronos is sleeping or outside. Kronos ... he's a whole different monster... but I wouldn't try to rush or push them too much. Eventually they will bond to someone and build more confidence. I don't make any attempts at petting Kirby, she will come to me at her own pace.

 

[NikkiA]

I'm really glad to hear that Jarvis has been making baby steps toward developing a bond with you. Even though it may seem to be occurring at a snail's pace, the fact that he is moving in the right direction is very encouraging. Just keep doing what you have been doing - you're doing a great job!!

Thanks, Patti. The most important thing is that he is happy. Even if he never bonds any further with me, at least he is no longer nervous in my company, and he is very strongly bonded with Mike and with his brothers Mickey and D, so I would say all is good. Although I have to say, in spite of that, i have been known to sneak him an extra treat and pet him while he eats it!

 

[NikkiA]

I am thrilled to report that I woke up this morning to a kitty cuddling with me in bed. . .and it was Jarvis! The other two cuddle with me almost every night, but this is the fort time I have woken up to Jarvis in my arms!
I cannot say YAY!! Loud enough

 

[Patti]

YAY!!!! right back at ya!!! So happy for you!!!

 

[Wyldthingz]

Cute. I hope things continue to improve.

 

[NikkiA]

I woke Sunday morning AND and again this morning with Jarvis in my arms. Not cuddling next to me. Not cuddling beside me. In. My. Arms.

He is still a bit nervous around me at times when I am not in bed (ie when I am trying to convince him to stop chewing on the furniture), but I can't even begin to say how thrilled I am that he has decided that he likes to be that close to me.

Both mornings, I woke up expecting to see Diablo, and there is Jarvis! He had actually wormed his way between me and Mickey yesterday, and displaced Mickey entirely this morning!

 

[WitchyWoman]

Great news! Everybody needs love and Jarvis just had to figure out that he can love more than 1 person in his lifetime. Congratulations on making such good progress.

 

[NikkiA]

Great news! Everybody needs love and Jarvis just had to figure out that he can love more than 1 person in his lifetime. Congratulations on making such good progress.

Thanks, Deborah!
I am so happy he is feeling comfortable with both of us and wanting to spend time with both of us. I will admit to helping the process along with treats and play time as much as I could, but I tried very hard not to force him to interact with me.
I think i created the problem by my behavior; once I stopped trying so hard to make him into a second D, and stopped forcing him to interact with me, I feel like things progressed really fast- he has come a long way from the kitten who bit and scratched and ran from me. I can only imagine how much happier he would have been earlier if I had been reading his body language properly and not unintentionally stressing him.