Advice requested - 6 month old

[amiles41]

Hi I'm new to this site. I'm asking for advice on behavior I'm experiencing with a 6 month old cat. The back story: Hubby and I adopted 2 cats from a shelter in July 2021 (Chloe & Peppermint - we named them). Both cats are sisters, both have been neutered/spayed. They were 3 months old when we adopted them. Chloe is lovable, sweet, likes attention and playful. Peppermint is reserved, quiet and only wants attention on her terms. Chloe has bonded with me while Peppermint has bonded with my husband. We give them both the same amount of attention, feed them at the same time, etc.
My issue: anytime I try to approach Peppermint, she hisses and low growls at me or runs and hides from me. I have been nothing but super nice to her, I put my hand out for sniffing before I try to touch her, and I don't scold her when she hisses/growls. So I'm confused by her behavior. She doesn't run, hiss, or growl at my husband at all. I wonder if maybe she doesn't like females though because when we were adopting them and the lady was getting Peppermint out of her cage, she hissed at her also.

My other issue is I'm the one who clips their nails, brushes them, and bathes them (on occasion) and I mainly feed them, but it makes me nervous to do this stuff with Peppermint because of her behavior towards me. I'm to the point that I want to tell my husband he needs to be the sole caregiver for Peppermint because I don't like the behavior and it makes me anxious at times. I thought once they got used to their new home, maybe the behavior would cease, but it has been 3 months and nothing has changed. I have had Peppermint looked at by the vet and she's healthy, so that's not the issue.

Any advice? Not sure if there's anything I can do for this behavior.

 

[crystal dawn]

I'm sorry I can't suggest much, though I think you should continue to at least feed Peppermint. That may help her associate you with something positive. Also if you can find some treats she likes you can try giving her a couple. Basically just work with her and take your time. It can take a very long time to gain a cats trust. HOpefully others have more ideas for you to try to solve this problem with.

 

[ArtNJ]

You are doing stuff with the cat that it doesn't like (nails, bath, even brushing given that the cat doesn't trust you yet). Doing stuff a cat doesn't like has a direct effect on the bond, especially if you don't have a bond yet. For the same reason, one has to be very careful training a cat with any negative stimulai such as a loud "no!" or a hiss before there is a bond.

Your husband might be able to do some of this stuff without a negative impact depending on how advanced their bond is.

 

[amiles41]

You are doing stuff with the cat that it doesn't like (nails, bath, even brushing given that the cat doesn't trust you yet). Doing stuff a cat doesn't like has a direct effect on the bond, especially if you don't have a bond yet. For the same reason, one has to be very careful training a cat with any negative stimulai such as a loud "no!" or a hiss before there is a bond.

Your husband might be able to do some of this stuff without a negative impact depending on how advanced their bond is.

I agree and that's why I'm thinking about having my husband handle her care. She doesn't hiss, growl at him when he brushes or bathes her or interacts with her at all. I think she has a mistrust of females and I don't want to cause her any stress. Not sure how the environment was for them before we adopted them. Thanks!

 

[amiles41]

I'm sorry I can't suggest much, though I think you should continue to at least feed Peppermint. That may help her associate you with something positive. Also if you can find some treats she likes you can try giving her a couple. Basically just work with her and take your time. It can take a very long time to gain a cats trust. HOpefully others have more ideas for you to try to solve this problem with.

Thank you!

 

[japam]

It could be your smell, i.e body lotion or perfume or even diet, maybe something in the ingredients that rub the cat the wrong way.

Whats with the nails, bath, even brushing, it's not a behaviour cats practice, petting aka grooming, yes and play [hunt, kill, eat], yes.