Foster kitten advice?

Question

So I am a first time foster parents to a litter of kittens. I have helped my aunt foster tons of kittens so I have dealt with a lot of difficult kittens.  But none as difficult as Ronda. She is the biggest kitten in my litter. Her little sister hisses but is no big deal, and her little brother who was sick and super skinny when we got them (probably wouldn t have lived another week) already purrs. But Ronda wont let me touch her. She hisses and swats and bites. She doesn t bite as hard as when we first got her but she still tries to bite.I am running out of ideas to get her to trust me. I pet her a little when she eats but she growls the whole time she plays with me when i have fluffy mice and things in my hand and even though i touch her with the toy as soon as she feels my finger she backs us. I have started following  her around their condo. letting her sit somewhere and putting my hand close and slowly getting it closer. I did this for more then an hour tonight before she sat in one place long enough for me to touch her (just touch with the yip of my finger on her paw no petting) I need some advice on getting her to trust me. Please help

Anonymous · Answer

She is having a trust issue and needs more personal time with her, she needs to learn you are not going to harm her and humans can be enjoyable rather than the enemy.

Try and spend some time directly with her in a separate room, talk to her and get her used to your voice, play with her a lot, get some of the excess energy worked off using a lure toy or whatever she likes.  Even a laser if she will chase it around will get some extra energy off.   When they get tuckered out they don't have as much vinegar in them to hiss and spit, and since you have been their form of entertainment for the past hour or so our no longer an outsider trying to get her but more of a playmate and something good to look forward to.

It will take a lot of hours and training sessions to gain her trust and confidence in you above and beyond what your spending with all the other kittens.

Mircat · Answer

You'll probably find a bit of help in each of these sites:

http://www.catsofaustralia.com/aggressive-kitten.htm

https://www.petfinder.com/cats/cat-problems/stop-kitten-biting/

http://www.sdhumane.org/site/DocServer/BT_Cat-Cat_Play_Aggression.pdf?docID=622

http://www.ask.com/youtube?q=How+to+stop+my+cat+from+attacking+my+feet%3F&v=oqdnhtMYJ7Q&qsrc=472

If the kittens were removed too early from the mother cat then they didn't get the chance to be socialized by mom and taught how to be a cat.  Mom wouldn't have allowed this kitten to be aggressive and would have taught it some manners.  That's the problem with kittens being removed from mom before 12 weeks.

You need to do some observations with the kitten and start watching to see what sets it off and how long it can tolerate certain situations.  That's where you can see what the root cause might be.  I had a cat who could handle being petted 4 times then would lash out.  Getting ready to claw or bite was communicated by the narrowing of the eyes, ears rotating, tail thrashing about, the body language was really clear once I paid attention!  It took several months but we progressed slowly one extra pet at a time 5 pets for 3 weeks, 6 pets for another 4 weeks, etc. until the cat got used to being petted, getting lots of verbal praise and treats.

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/cat-behavior/socializing-your-kitten

http://www.breedlist.com/faq/young.html


Good luck!

Laura · Answer

she needs special one on one time with you, for hours a day.  she needs to learn that people are good and able to be trusted.

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Foster kitten advice?

3 Answers