Hereditary traits

[At wits end]

My question is: are feral personality traits hereditary? I just got a female kitten from a litter of 3, all girls, parents are both feral. Mom brought kittens to my friends covered patio during a bad rainy spell and my friend brought them in because they live in a rural area and she was afraid critters would get them. Friend kept them in, bottle fed them and when they were 8 weeks old she found homes for them. They are now almost 4 months. I took one, her SIL took other 2. Hers are chill. Mine is wild. She attacks everything except my dog, she bites, claws, scratches and darts between my feet. If I try to pick her up she bites and scratches my hand but she will come and get in my lap and purr. She has 3 scratching posts but still scratches on furniture. She ran thru my feet while I was walking and I tripped and fell, twice! Is there any hope or should I re-home her? I’m 72, I can’t keep falling. HELP!

 

[Willowy]

This seems to be normal kitten behavior, not feral behavior. Feral cats run/hide from humans. Plus she was taken from her mother and littermates too young, so she didn't learn proper cat manners.

Most of the behaviors you're seeing are play behaviors. The other 2 kittens may seem "chill" because they have each other to play with, but your kitten only has you. One option is to get another kitten for her to play with, if not you'll have to play with her pretty intensely. Fishing pole toys (like Da Bird) and kickaroo-type toys are good, and you won't get bitten or scratched.

It may be that you aren't up for raising a rambunctious kitten. If that's so, make that decision soon, because she'll be a lot easier to rehome while she's small and cute. Contact a respectable cat rescue to help with this, because they can do background checks on potential adopters.

 

[At wits end]

This seems to be normal kitten behavior, not feral behavior. Feral cats run/hide from humans. Plus she was taken from her mother and littermates too young, so she didn't learn proper cat manners.

Most of the behaviors you're seeing are play behaviors. The other 2 kittens may seem "chill" because they have each other to play with, but your kitten only has you. One option is to get another kitten for her to play with, if not you'll have to play with her pretty intensely. Fishing pole toys (like Da Bird) and kickaroo-type toys are good, and you won't get bitten or scratched.

It may be that you aren't up for raising a rambunctious kitten. If that's so, make that decision soon, because she'll be a lot easier to rehome while she's small and cute. Contact a respectable cat rescue to help with this, because they can do background checks on potential adopters.

Thank you for your help. I kind of thought that she was lonely. A kitten about her age or a little older would be a good choice. But the fall factor still bothers me. Think I’ll find a good rescue to find her a better home and see about getting an older cat. I had a male that passed away last year, he was 19. I got him when he was 4 and he was great! Got along well with my dog too. Maybe I’ll look for an older cat that’s more my speed.

 

[At wits end]

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Thank you for your help. I kind of thought that she was lonely. A kitten about her age or a little older would be a good choice. But the fall factor still bothers me. Think I’ll find a good rescue to find her a better home and see about getting an older cat. I had a male that passed away last year, he was 19. I got him when he was 4 and he was great! Got along well with my dog too. Maybe I’ll look for an older cat that’s more my speed.