Friday, November 9, 2012

I am an impatient woman


I quite often am horribly discouraged at the progress the "painter kittens" have been making in their socialization.  I feel like I am failing them, and that I stink (yes, I know, but that stupid little voice just chatters away some days - especially when I'm tired)

I must remember that when they are older it takes time.

and then what happened last night happens, and it makes me smile.

I went downstairs and decided to just watch TV.  No pushing, no forcing interaction, no offering food, etc.  Just me not moving, not looking at them.. and after about half an hour Jackson jumped up on my lap and gave me a sniff.  Twenty minutes later Evelyn did the same thing.  She was funny because my eyes swung down to see who it was and we made eye contact.  She froze like a deer in headlights for a heartbeat and then she ran.  But hey, she was on my lap!! :)

I was starting to worry about Frida, as she just sat on a pile of towels watching everything.  She has been dealing with a little diarrhea and I had to help her clean off (went surprisingly well considering clippers were involved) and since she wasn't moving and wasn't playing..  Well I got out some baby food and slowly brought it to her and she ate.. so I was immediately less worried.  In the last few minutes she started to play with some toys.  My husband thinks she needs a full name and title, so she is currently Lady Frida Floofface.

Elsa is doing well. She plays incredibly hard, almost to the point of being scary, with Ella and now Jackson.  Occasionally when the screams get too hard and she isn't giving them a break I'll intervene but the second Elsa stops the kitten stands up and jumps up on her to initiate play again.. She is starting to 'play', which is downright adorable, but it also is a little intimidating for me.  She runs at 100 miles an hour, turns on a dime, jumps in the air, etc.. When she starts I have to remind myself not to flinch.  She is reacting so much more like a socialized cat that I have lost a lot of my fear when dealing with her.  I have started offering her my hand and she has started to lick it!!

I found some calming treats at the shelter and offered her some last night.  She ate a couple of them then shunned the next few.  I tried offering them to the kittens thinking if they felt a little calmer they wouldn't be so fearful, well Jackson thought it was the *best toy eva!* and proceeded to try to shove it under everything and anything.  He and Evelyn had a lot of fun trying to pull it back out.

I think I'll take a nap in the kitten room this afternoon..

18 comments:

  1. Oh that is great that they are beginning to trust you some. It does take so much patience. Hope they all continue to improve. Have a great day.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This really is great news and lots of progress. As you are accustomed to quicker socialization you might thing you were failing (which you are not) but some kitties do take a little bit more time to trust a human.

    ReplyDelete
  3. They'll get there in the end, even though it might not feel like it at the moment.

    The Paw Relations

    ReplyDelete
  4. awwww - it is hard to see the progress when you are in the middle of it, but there is progress (and don't worry about those treats - no one here will eat them either). It sounds like the kittens are good for Elsa. I think sometimes with those teenage moms (I think I remember reading she was pretty young) that they are first teenagers and THEN moms..... so, take a deep breath...and take a nap :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. A little patience and tlc works wonders

    ReplyDelete
  6. It is sounding like great progress to me. A nap in the kitten room sounds like a wonderful idea. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Progress! I'm really happy about Elsa especially. Kitten therapy. :) Sounds like it can only get better from here.

    ReplyDelete
  8. If I thought it would do any good, I'd tell you not to worry so much! But being a worrier myself, I know that hearing that doesnt help as much as people think, lol. But just in case I'm wrong: Don't worry so much! You're doing great with them!
    You know, that nap in their room is probably a good idea. If you're sleeping, they can climb on you and wont worry about your eyes looking at them!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Never make eye contact!! Fatal lol

    ReplyDelete
  10. You are doing an excellent job, don't be so hard on yourself!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I am not a patient person, but I always say, good things come to those who wait. Sounds to me like you are doing an excellent job. Keep it up!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous1:11 PM

    "Lady Frida Floofface" sounds like it will fit her perfectly!
    You might not be patient, but you're doing a good job!

    ReplyDelete
  13. For years my spare cat room was my studio, and with frightened cats I went in there and just did what I did--stood at my easel and quietly painted with pastels, listened to a recorded book or to music, maybe stood at my work table and shuffled some papers, and they always started by investigating my feet and soon ended up sleeping on them. Once they grew accustomed to my feet I started interacting with them more and more, talking to them, and touching them and playing with them was so much easier. On my work table, 36" x 48", they were always curious about the little paper and pencil noises I made and ended up investigating. Eventually I sat on the floor and did work and they crawled all over me. I think they were comfortable in large part because they knew my attention was elsewhere, and that I was generating happiness because I loved what I was doing. Sleeping on the floor is great!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Awwwww!! The kitties are just full of beans! Yay for looking after them! Take care
    x

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wow, you sound like you're doing great! I think patience is key in so many things but so difficult!

    Thanks for the link. I'm reading through it right now.

    ReplyDelete
  16. ice to meet you. I think I'll enjoy following the kittens' progress.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Taking a nap with them is a great idea - provided them are ready to sleep and not play. My wild kitties always trusted me more when I was sleeping.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Progress indeed! Mowzers, those kittens will come around, we just know it! As for Elsa, that whole run at 100 mph/turn on a dime thing? Yep, we got it going here too. We kittehs like scaring the humans that way!

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...