5 Month Old Cat Very Skittish

[Jamesf553]

hey guys. I posted a picture a few weeks ago about a new kitten I brought home from the adoption agency. She's approximately 4-5 months old right now. The shelter said that she was abandoned by her previous owners. She grew up with 2 other cats.

She is a sweet little cat but she is pretty skittish. She is the newest addition in our family as we have 2 older cats (7 and 9 month old) that she now gets along well with. She will come sit next to me on my desk in a little box and let me pet her then but she does not like being approached. She does not like being picked up either she'll jump right away. Also kind of weird, she hates your face getting close to her. If I go to kiss her she will immediately run away. When she is hungry she will come get me and meow like crazy though!

I love her and if this is just her attitude I will adjust but I am wondering if this is normal for a younger cat or if there is anything I can do to help her feel more comfortable or become more of a lap cat? My other 2 kittens are necessarily lap cats or anything but they definitely come up to us for love and attention.

 

[susanm9006]

It is normal for a poorly socialized cat. She probably had little human contact before her surrender. You can try luring her onto your lap with spoonfuls of yummy wet food so that she starts to learn good things come from getting close to humans. You can also try holding her and offering this same treat. It works for some, but not all. She in the end may never be a lap cat but still happy and loving.

My cat is semi feral and also really dislikes having a face come anywhere close to her. It's been six years since I adopted and just in the last few months I have noticed that she is sneaking over and sniffing my face while she thinks I am sleeping. But if I open my eyes she is off like a rocket. We continue to make progress but very slowly.

 

[bluebirdy]

We fostered two (at one point all six fro their litter) kitties from a litter and then adopted them. The male is laid back and can be passed around without batting a whisker. The female is still a little skittish at 11 months but has calmed down considerably from the start. She still fights for freedom almost immediately when held (it helps if we hold her so her paws are over our shoulders rather than cuddling her like a baby. I think she feels like she can escape whenever she wishes). She rolls over whenever you are near and meows for pats. We got her to be more of a lap cat by playing games with treats wherein we would put on treat on a shoulder, then a leg, then the front of our shirt etc. So she got comfortable crawling all over us. She follows us all through the house and constantly meows for a touch whenever we pass but she still prefers to sit beside us in companionship than on our lap cuddling. I was sad at first that she wasn't more cuddly, but I grew to love her little personality.