Socialization Tips?

[Cataria]

Hello all! I have a four-year-old ex-stray named Camo. She was a kitten born around my parents' house and not well-socialized. When she was about two years old, I took her in. A week later, she had six kittens (which I ended up keeping). I now have a total of ten cats, all of which are cats are indoor-only, fixed, and have vet visits once a year or more (since I figure someone will ask, haha).

Anyway, Camo gets along very well with all of the other cats and still absolutely adores her adult kittens. I have cameras in my house that show she is very active and exploratory in my house when I'm not around. The problem is, even after two years, she still has not made up with me. When I am home, she is very skittish and will usually hide under a couch until I go to bed. She doesn't like to be approached or touched. The one plus is that while she was still a stray she learned to eat treats out of people's hands so I can get her to come to me to do that, but I still can't touch her without scaring her. I think the most interaction we get is when I have to chase her around to take her to the vet which I'm sure has done nothing to help the relationship.

I'm okay with having a cat that wants nothing to do with me, but I don't like that she feels that she has to hide when I'm home. Does anyone have any tips on how to better socialize her and get more comfortable with me?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Maybe there's something here;
14 Cat Experts Reveal: How To Get A Cat To Like Me

 

[Etarre]

Does she have her own spaces (like a cat tree or bed that she can mark with her scent) that she can use to 'hang out' with you without interacting? When we first got Juniper, she wouldn't let us approach her on her tree, but she wanted to observe us from it. It was a nice halfway point for her. If she does have comfortable spaces that she 'owns' in your space, you could block off her hiding spaces or use treats to encourage her to participate more while you're home.

There are a lot of good threads on timid cats in this forum, and I'd suggest searching those for ideas.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Try spending time sitting on the floor and reading aloud to her. When upright, humans appear HUGE to a cat. Getting down on her level may help, as well, and reading aloud lets her hear your voice in a very unthreatening way...um...probably not Stephen King or Dean Koontz...she may not understand the words, but your tone of voice will reflect what you are reading!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. What does she do if you are interacting with her kittens nearby? Does she watch? Can you tell if there are any toys that you play with the kittens that she seems interested in, especially if they are toys that can be played with by you and multiple cats at one time? Perhaps ones with treats in them, if there are treats that she likes? While you are playing with the kittens, you could set a plate of treats out for her to maybe come out of hiding and eat - far enough away from you but close enough she can see you interacting the kittens.

You might want to even try scent rubbing your smell on one or two of the kittens as a test to see if that helps. I say test on one or two because if it has the reverse effect it would be easier to remove your smell from them by rubbing the scent from some of the other kittens on them...