Is it possible to get a feral kitten to like being held and petted?

You will have to let her come to you. If you force yourself on her and she doesn't like it, you may deter her from being petted for good.

As fsr as I see and can tell, it's just like people. It's a personal behavioural thing. Some people loved to be fussed and petted, others don't.

I've had cats before, not rescue, had since kittens s, never harmed or scared or anything, but they just don't want to be petted unless it's on their terms. It's just personality.

So it may be a combination of neglect at a young age and personality.

You've done everything right, and they are clearly not in any distress or discomfort. So it at just be case of time. Or it may just be her personality.

Good luck, lovely you took care of the little thing.

It depends on the cat. I have adopted 2 feral kittens and have raised them at home with the exact same conditions. While one of them is very affectionate and loves to cuddle the other cat hates human contact and tends to be very reserved. All in all it is a matter of chance but try your best to respect their spaces and read their body language to understand what they like and don't like.

All 3 of my cats were feral and I can tell you, it takes time. Lots of time. In fact, it took about 4 years for my boys to even get on the couch with us. My newest kitten took to me though and she likes to be held by me. They were essentially wild cats but they will warm up. I would suggest watching and listening to Jackson Galaxy. He is fabulous and has taught me a lot about how to handle my more skittish cats. One thing I will say is do not continue to try to pet. You can be in the room and for sure talk to your kitty but petting like that will make her not trust you. Let you smell your, your glasses, phone, etc something with your scent and then calmly move away. Let her get used to you and do not force the issue. She will come around. Good luck!

Its possible that they will start to be okay with it. It just takes a lot of time. You could start by getting some cat treats and getting the kitten to come to you, do touch her just yet. Give her a week of you just giving her some treats and let her come to you. We did this with our feral kitten and she used to jump on our laps afterwards, as long as we didn't make any quick movements she was fine. Then my mother moved out so we have to start the process all over again. But I wouldn't try to force her in any way, you could get hurt if she decided to bite or even scratch you and it would stress her out.

I would definitely try to spend some time either giving a few treats and even getting toys to play with her. Like the stick with the string and feathers, I'm not sure what its called but that could help with bonding as well.

kittens who leave mum too early can be antisocial Be patient with her and give her attention gradually.with time she should improve

I wouldn't pet or hold her anymore if she doesn't like it. Like another answer said, she was probably abused.

The best way to win over a cat is to give her space and let her come to you. If you try to force her to allow you to pet or cuddle her, she will start avoiding you entirely and become even more afraid.

It can be sad, but some cats just don't like being held that much. It doesn't sound like this has anything to do with her being feral, and likely has more to do with her personality. Each cat is different, and some of them like some things that others don't.

Is she spayed yet? If not, get her done quickly - that may make her a little more social. But feral cats are a 50/50 chance of being social with people. Even if the cat had been raised inside all its life, there is no guarantee any cat will like being held or petted.

Females tend to be more standoffish in the first place - males are more cuddle cats.

I will say honestly, it's RARE that ANY kitten, feral or spoiled and papered from day ONE, enjoys being held and pet at this age. At 6 months to about a year-and-a-half, they are all over the place with tons of energy and aren't really that calm at all. Think of your kitten now entering its "teenage" years. What teenager likes affection from their parents? Exactly, LOL.

So don't take it personally, as most cats are like this, and many don't like to be held at all. My 3 year old cat enjoys being held for only short bursts of time. My almost-2 year old will gouge my eyes out if I try, but he will tolerate my husband holding him for about 2 minutes. Don't force it, either. Just let her be her and do her thing and keep showing her love and kindness. One day, you'll be mindlessly petting her and she'll be purring and you'll wonder how in the heck that happened.

It will happen. Just be patient.

You should just leave her alone, she does not like being petted, so why pet her? you are only causing her distress, she may have been abused when someone held her, leave her be.