Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Kitten room shenanigans


Last I left you there was this...


I didn't have names (I still don't) so I have been calling them "Small, Medium, and Large" for the simple fact that they are of three different sizes.

They wanted nothing to do with me initially. If I reached for them I got hissed at but they didn't really run (I didn't give them much space to do that - purposefully so they didn't). They would look away, not challenge me, it was like they were resigned to it. They didn't have to like it, but they knew whatever was going to happen was going to happen..

Fortunately, they were food motivated..


So they got a little snuggle, I would rub the right spots and I would get positive feedback that it was the right spot, and then we would end the session by offering food. When they ate I knew that while they were afraid of me there was the start of trust. In the above photo, you can see just how far that trust goes..

Very quickly, the littlest one said: "Okay, I've got this, you snuggle me, you play with me, you feed me, you're good" and she told me her name was Bridget. It is not my choice. I tried switching it to Gidget.. but no.. It's Bridget thankyouverymuch.


Briget was DONE being in that tiny bathroom.. she wanted out, so I had to put the baby gate up. She was totally distracted by a good cuddle though, and her huge personality showed her sisters that it is safe and that I'm a good thing, so then this happened..


Medium likes attention and will ask for it if she sees Bridget getting some. Large.. yeah.. she is interested.. she doesn't hide when I show up.. but she still has some trust issues and she will only let me give her love if I pick her up and I can only pick her up if I go very slow and am calm and basically 'meet her where she is'.


a horrible photo to show that she will stay for a few seconds unrestrained when I'm attempting to give her love.

Bridget REALLY wanted out of this room though.. and initially, I thought that was not going to happen for a while. See, I was told there was another litter for me that was coming up from down south.  Turned out that litter was even less social than these three, so she got her wish..


it did not go as easily as I had hoped.. all three of them eventually left the bathroom but they immediately returned to it. This is completely typical, it is why I chose the bathroom as their initial "safe room" as it is smaller and it was easier to acclimate to.. so when I removed the bathroom from them, they beelined it right to the litterbox closet and refused to explore. I felt a bit bad that I had to rush this but I didn't even consider that I would need the bathroom for the other litter.

It has been a day, and they are doing much better. I can walk up to all three of them and that is what matters.. "Large" makes me work for it, but I'm okay with that. In time she'll get over it.

But what about the "other litter"?  Well, that is a post for another day 🐱

6 comments:

  1. Those tough nuts are the ones that can end up being the most snuggly once they figure it out

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  2. We knew you would work your magic on them. :)

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  3. Progress is progress, even if it’s not quite as we might have wished. ��

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  4. the joys of socializing kittens! They are adorable! Thanks for loving on them so well!

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  5. You're good with the hard cases. So I'm glad they're with you.

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  6. Awww...I'm sure they'll come around to your way of thinking soon. Cuties!

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