Cat only relaxes with me?

[splenda]

We got Splenda as a kitten after she was found as a stray. She's very playful and will play with anyone and everyone, and has been like that since the first day we got her. We kept her in my room before letting her roam the house so that her and the dog could get used to each other, so I'm not surprised she has formed an attachment to me, but after almost 8 months, she still has yet to really form a connection with anyone else in the house. 

My parents say that with them, she's always in "attack mode," which is just what we say when she's in a very playful mood and wants to pounce and wrestle with you. She drives them absolutely up the wall and sometimes they can't stand her and her hyperactivity. But then when I get home, she settles down and wants to lay with me for a nap. Of course I get play mode sometimes, but whenever I'm with her, we are mostly cuddling. 

She will only sleep in my bed, and only when I'm there. She has yet to ever sleep with my parents or my sister. If I'm not at home/out of town, she sleeps either under my bed or on the couch. My parents keep their doors open because the dog sleeps with them, so she could just go in there, but she doesn't. Whenever she does go to my parents rooms, it's just to jump on them. She will jump on them to wake them up and then sprint off, but with me she just curls up and goes to sleep.

She's also like this with visitors. She will let me pet her all I want, but she won't settle down and let a visitor pet her, only play with her. Whenever someone reaches their hand out, she will either bite it (playfully--it doesn't hurt at all) or she will just walk away from it. She has hissed at many of my friends for picking her up, but she lets me hold her however long with little struggle. 

I wish I could get her to settle down and let people just pet her, because that's what they want to do, not just play the whole time. And she hardly ever really plays with me, why is that? We will play chase where she runs at me and pounces my leg, then I'll run at her, but when I catch up, she's just purring and wants me to pet her. She won't do this with anyone else. 

So TL;dr, she isn't mean to others, but she will only play with everyone else. She only relaxes and sleeps with me, and only lets me pet her.

 

[rampionrampage]

Sounds like she has separation anxiety and is burning that anxiety off on other people. When you come home it's like a relief.

My former bottle baby used to get really stressed out and obnoxious when I wasn't home. She did grow out of it mostly.

Thing is, your cat is still her own kitty. Other people might want to pet her, but that is their want and not necessarily hers. Forcing that will just stress her out more. Some cats only ever bond with one person deeply.

Cats often don't like being picked up, and she clearly trusts you enough to let you do it.

Doesn't sound like there is much going on here that is too bad. I think she just needs more time, especially now that she is out and about. She associates you with safety, eventually she'll settle in more with the wide-open world.

BTW, fantastic name.

EDIT - For sleeping under things, maybe put things under the couch and beds. Beds can be blocked off with things like under-bed storage. I did this with another cat who often was scared. She eventually realized she was safe.

Also, make sure she has her own spot in several areas of the house. Maybe a hooded cat bed? Safety without withdrawing completely?