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I have almost no kitten experience, but Alley Cat Allies is the leading advocacy group in feral care. They say in the beginning of their Socialized Cat Guide:
Kittens who do not have any contact with humans after they are born
will be feral, regardless of whether their mother is a lost house cat
or a feral cat living in a colony. They will be ...
25
Some common indicators that a cat is happy and relaxed include:
Greeting you (other people, other cats, etc) with an erect, upright tail (often with a twist at the top).
Napping with its feet completely underneath it (especially in an open, unprotected area)
Returning your look with a slow blink
Fur laid flat/relaxed to the skin (not upright, especially on ...
23
How can we encourage our kitten to come up to us, if we're unable to get down on the floor with her?
First of all, get lots of cat furniture. Cats normally like perching up high, so if you give it places it can go to be higher off the ground, it will probably gravitate to them. You can make them even more enticing by placing them by windows or in rooms you spend a lot of time in. You can also place comfy beds on higher surfaces to encourage it to sleep ...
22
I would really urge you to see a professional dog trainer that you trust, with experience with aggressive dogs, and have him assess your dogs and help you out.
But after reading a bit more detail about your situation here than what you gave in another question on why he lunges at children, I'll take a guess at your dog's previous history, which might go ...
22
Zaralynda's answer covers most of the basics, but there are some additional cues that can be very important, depending upon the cat:
"Head-butting" behavior (or "bunting"), where the cat lowers its head and bumps the top of its head against anything ranging from furniture to you, to other cats. This is a bit different than the normal scent-marking behavior ...
21
It may be the cat's personality; however, you may well be able to change that to some extent.
We adopted our cat when she was about two years old. (She is now about thirteen.) At first, she was very skittish and spent most of her day hiding behind furniture. It's possible that she was badly treated by her previous owner, and certainly she was traumatized ...
17
You need to add a relatively tall climbing tree (the number one answer to almost anything related to cats) or similar high-up vantage point near the window and instead of closing the curtains I'd let a view to the outside from this tree. Closing the curtains forces your cat to go on the windowsill where s/he is then suddenly too close to the passerby. Having ...
16
Some cats don't like being held. It's not necessarily a sign of past trauma; it's just personality.
But I notice that you said you "grab" her. If you are in fact making a sudden motion, and particularly if you're picking her up from the floor and holding her to your chest while you're standing, then it's not too surprising that she's alarmed -- she's now, ...
15
The solution has two parts. First, tire out the kitten so she's less likely to view the adult cat as a plaything. Wand toys like Da Bird are pretty effective for most cats (though I have one who prefers snake toys, so we have a wand toy with a feather boa instead of a "bird" attached for him).
Second, make sure that the older cat has enough pathways to ...
14
Feral cats can be domesticated, but that is somewhat dependant on why they're feral in the first place. A cat born wild is likely to stay mostly that way even if it is comfortable with other cats or one human. A cat that is feral because it was "kicked out" or abandoned is more amenable to human contact and can be brought back to comfort with humans as a ...
14
Here are some suggestions that may help:
When he runs, don't pursue him. Your pursuit reinforces his behaviour.
Don't disturb him when he's hiding.
Put a cardboard box or something else he can hide in near your sofa (or wherever you relax). This can help him get more comfortable with being near you.
When he does make an appearance, don't make a big fuss. ...
13
I would say that in this case, letting the cats sort it out for themselves is your best bet since it doesn't seem that there is any physical harm being done. The older cat will let the kitten know that he/she is not in the mood to play, and eventually the kitten will realize that.
However, giving the older cat a place to retreat to would help, somewhere ...
12
I've had cat aggression in the past. Sometimes there is no cure, but here are some things you can do that might help:
Have more (spaced out) litter boxes as this is something for them to fight over (same with food dishes).
Play with the aggressive cats to get some of their energy out. A laser pointer makes this easier
You can get some pheromone calming ...
12
Your dog is pulling on the leash because he is in a hurry to get somewhere.
The easiest way to stop a dog from pulling on the leash is to just stop. When he stops pulling, then you can start walking again. Be patient and consistent. Eventually, your dog will get it: pulling on the leash stops them from getting what they want.
Keep in mind that chasing ...
12
I'm speaking here as an owner of a Shiba Inu, who is frequently the bully as well as split from playmates because their person is unable to tell that they are in fact playing.
Biting isn't always a sign of aggression
Dogs use their mouths to interact with the world, some do it more than others. Play biting is very common when dogs are wrestling. My Shiba ...
12
Are you holding your cat correctly?
Instead of holding it like you would a baby, on its back.
Try holding it so that it is lying along your arm. One arm supporting its rear legs.
See also this link here Yahoo Answers
I'll quote the relevant bit here
Sometimes I carry them in what my wife calls "the football hold," one arm underneath the whole cat ...
12
It sounds like she is a very "soft" dog and was not socialized with people appropriately when she was young. I don't think that dwelling on the "was she abused" is productive... you just have to start from where you are at and try to move forward from there.
You are doing good by letting her take her time but there are some things you can do to help.
have ...
12
I don't know enough about cats to give an answer to how and if the relationship between the cat and husband can be repaired. But one thing got me to react:
Every time he gives her a bath now her head swells.
Something is medically wrong with the cat. Take her to a vet and get her checked out.
11
I adopted a young adult female cat (estimated to be 2 years old at the time) from the street, probably a dumped pet (not feral). She was very skittish at first and never did sit in my lap in the following 14 years, but gradually over time she got comfortable sitting next to me. I've adopted other adult cats who were sitting in my lap within weeks (or days),...
11
Your cat is seeing your friend's cat as an intruder in his territory. It's natural for him to try to drive the intruder out.
I'd suggest the standard method: shut your friend's cat in a room with everything he needs and visit during the day. It's better if the room is one your cat doesn't spend much time in but not essential.
Generally after a few days ...
11
To address your specific question first... if the owner of the other dog thinks it isn't a good idea then it definitely isn't a good idea. It is very important to have dog socialization but they must be appropriate interactions. If the owner feels uncomfortable with the situation their dog will read into that and may also become uncomfortable. When you are ...
11
I think you are thinking about this the wrong way. If it was your child and someone wanted to shake their hand or give them a hug you would not say it is ok for your child to pull their hair, spit on them, pull on their clothing, kick them, or anything else that is generally considered anti-social. So why would the same thing be acceptable for dogs?
...
11
E.B. Karsh did a study on the effects of human contact on kitten behaviour published in 1983. Some essential, and interesting, learnings from that include:
Kittens handled only 15 minutes a day from birth through to 12 to 15 weeks would accept human affection, but would tend to wander and return rather than staying in place.
Kittens handled for an hour or ...
11
How can we encourage our kitten to come up to us, if we're unable to get down on the floor with her?
You mention you not being able to crawl, but are you able to just sit or lie on the floor, maybe propped up by a pillow? One way to convince a cat you're not a threat is to be in its space and then ignore it. The cat will eventually get bored and come out to investigate. However, the lower you are and the smaller you look, the less threatening you seem and ...
10
Its always safe to wait till full vaccination. Taking him to streets or parks is risky without full vaccination.
If you still want to socialize him before full vaccination, then you can make his interaction with known dogs that you know from the neighborhood etc which have had their full vaccination; either at your or their place. Avoid public places.
10
I'm afraid to break it to you but I think the Chessie is the real problem. Dominance hierarchy theory has been comprehensively debunked, being based on studies of captive, unrelated wolves in zoos, which bears no resemblance to the familiar pack structure wolves adopt in the wild. There is also a big question mark over how much wolf behaviour can tell us ...
10
You work on it slowly. Trust is a difficult thing. Take him out, slowly get him socialised to a few people, and more and more. Deal with how he manifests the fear - talking to a dog calmly and quietly works wonders.
You'll also have to use what motivates him to open up. Once he realises that people have food/will play with him/will pet him, he'll start ...
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