Hand rear question

[Kittybang]

Hi was curious are hand rear kittens personally and behaviors different as they become adults then compare to cats that wasn’t hand rear by humans ? Just curious and wondering, cause my cat is hand rear by me , and she’s quirky and kinda an odd ball once in a while .

the thing that caught my attention was how she plays with me . I read that you don’t ever want to hand play with kittens cause . As they grow up they won’t grow out of it , and I’m guilty at hand play . Cause I was trying to get her out of her shell , and I kept doing it . And I still do it but not as much anymore . Even thought she’s a little thing she still has claws and fangs and she knows how to use them lol but sometimes when she plays with me .

she gets really into it and bunny kick and ect then other times she just go after my hand and chews me up like she’s rabbit lol she doesn’t always go it . Cause I always watch and I know the signs to look out for . So before she gets to hyped up I’ll calm her down . I’m just worried that if anything ever did happen to me . Will she ever be able to take to another else ever . Especially she’s gonna have behavioral issues too that most won’t have the patients to wanna understand. Unlike myself I’m used to it so I’ve grown to learn and develop patience’s .

so was curious is she the way she is cause she was hand rear or is it cause of the hand play when she was a kitten ?

 

[StefanZ]

I handplayed much with our first residents when they were kittens. As adults they did never bite, aside of gentle love bites...


So handplay doesnt need to give bad behavior as adult.
But you must mark clearly when and if it hurts, so they know exactly where the limit goes.

 

[fionasmom]

I hand reared Jamie who is now 8. Because he had no siblings or mom to teach him manners, he was truly a little terror with the biting and scratching in the name of play. People at work asked me what had happened to my arms. But he is a sweet and intelligent cat who talks all the time (by the same token no mom was around long enough to teach him to be silent). I started to put on rose pruning gloves when we played, which is not the best thing to do as it does not discourage hand play. However, he somehow learned that he could only play rough if there were gloves so something was accomplished. Even now he will come up and put one tooth on my hand and look at me as if to say " I know there aren't any gloves" and he won't bite.

Letting your cat know in a cat friendly way that it hurts might help. Try to discourage playing with your hands entirely and divert the kitten to a toy. With puppies, a high pitched squeak from the mom alerts them to the fact that they are biting and it sometimes works with cats. Stop the game and walk away when it happens, but not in a way that you are punishing your cat. Don't use negative reinforcement like a water bottle.

How to Get Kittens Not to Bite You — Kitten Lady

 

[Kittybang]

I hand reared Jamie who is now 8. Because he had no siblings or mom to teach him manners, he was truly a little terror with the biting and scratching in the name of play. People at work asked me what had happened to my arms. But he is a sweet and intelligent cat who talks all the time (by the same token no mom was around long enough to teach him to be silent). I started to put on rose pruning gloves when we played, which is not the best thing to do as it does not discourage hand play. However, he somehow learned that he could only play rough if there were gloves so something was accomplished. Even now he will come up and put one tooth on my hand and look at me as if to say " I know there aren't any gloves" and he won't bite.

Letting your cat know in a cat friendly way that it hurts might help. Try to discourage playing with your hands entirely and divert the kitten to a toy. With puppies, a high pitched squeak from the mom alerts them to the fact that they are biting and it sometimes works with cats. Stop the game and walk away when it happens, but not in a way that you are punishing your cat. Don't use negative reinforcement like a water bottle.

How to Get Kittens Not to Bite You — Kitten Lady

Thank you for the reply, yeah little girl I got her at 6 weeks , I started hand rearing her some around 4 weeks while she was still with her litter mates and her mom . But unfortunately I had to take her at 6 weeks so that she could survive . And I did figure that also like you said about yours . He has no litter mates or mom to teach him how to be a cat .
I’m covered in marks for her lol especially my shoulders lol cause I usually sit her on them when I take her out with me lol

I did that since the day I got her so I’m used to it but I’ve had ppl get after me lol cause all the marks , but it’s only on the outside lol and figure I’m going to die one day .
Curious did that ever make him more aggressive with people lol

 

[fionasmom]

I am going to add that being scratched and bitten is not always safe. While Jamie has never injured me after the first months of arm scratching, I have been in the ER twice thanks to my flame point boy who was not hand raised and is an entirely different cat. Once with cellulitis and once with cat scratch fever, which is an actual disease and not funny once it get started.

Jamie is not aggressive toward anyone. Like many cats, he does not take medication easily and does not like the vet but he has HCM and CKD and has made it through several ultrasounds/ECGs. His behavior was really confined to rough play.

 

[Kittybang]

Cause mine she is idk iffy with people lol I don’t even understand her sometimes lol also I always make sure to wash any cuts or bites with soap and clean the cut .

 

[fionasmom]

Lots of cats, especially any who were from a feral mom, are iffy with people or attached very much to one person.

 

[Kittybang]

Her mom was never a feral lol I’ve had her in stores off her leash and she would walk around . And greet ppl at the door lol that did surprise me , but she do not like kids no matter what idk why either . Do cats understands there owners ?

 

[fionasmom]

She sounds very socialized and sweet. None of my pets, including dogs, have had much interest in children and unless they are going to be around them I don't consider that to be a problem or failing.

Cats understand. I have no doubt that all of my cats understand me. A couple just chose to follow their own path.

Are you worried that she may have to go to a new home at some point?

 

[Kittybang]

I’ve learn anything can life and that’s life is unpredictable you know . I love her so much she’s my best friend ever . I’m just worried if anything should happen what’s gonna happen to her . I worry more about her than myself at times lol I was in another and was robbed . And I had her with me and I was worried about her cause . Some homeless person took all her food . And I was more upset with them taking from a cat then taking from me lol . And some people couldn’t understand how stressed and worried I was and they even got annoyed. But if you never had a bond with a cat . Then you would truly understand she’s like my kid , had her since she was a baby . I took the responsibility to heart lol

also she’s supper attach and bonded to me she’s the sweetest lil baby ever to me . But not to everyone else haha

 

[fionasmom]

Let's be optimistic and figure that nothing is going to happen but it is always good to give thought to that and it is a somewhat frequent topic here on TCS. Everyone's circumstances are different, but it might be a good idea to consider who would care for her if something happened...and I don't mean anything that bad, but even an interruption in her care if you were not available for a short time.