[whiteghost]

Chloe is a cat I rescued from outside my door. We seen her mother down by our trash hole. We'd throw trash (not food) down there and burn it. I think that cat was just looking to see if there was anything edible. We seen her and her mother but both were untouchable. As in they acted like ferral cats. Well me being me, I took a little bit of cat food down there and put out for them so that kept her hanging around. She was a very pretty kitty. Too bad I couldn't catch her.

Chloe was very young went I got her, less then 6 weeks old I believe, she was probably 4-5 weeks old. I just got lucky and she was outside my door, I snuck up on her and grabbed her by the scruff of the neck before she had a chance to take off again. We cleaned her up and brought inside. She's been a house cat ever since. She was wounded, for anyone who wants more detail on that, I can post it. Feel free to ask.

Her mother had disappeared about a week before I caught the kitten. Chloe is a flighty cat. Not just with strangers, but with people she knows, even with me. Is that because of the way she was brought up during her first weeks with her mother or is it genetics?

She isn't as flighty as her mother was. She doesn't go phsyco or anything. She will take off and hide if a stranger comes in. If its someone she knows (My brother, mom, me, sister, niece ect.) She'll stay put as long as no one goes near her. If they do, she sometimes bolts and sometimes she doesn't. She does that with me also. If I move too quick she's gone.

She can be a very lovey dovey cat though. At night she wants to be the center of attention. She wont leave me alone when I go to bed. She'll be in my face wanting to be petted. She'll try to get on my chest and stand there demanding to be petted. lol.

So just wondering about how she got her temperment. I know it's not unusual for cats to be skittish of people they dont know or only know somewhat, but she knows me pretty well and she has no reason to be scared of me.

 

[doodlebug]

There's just no way to tell how much is nature and how much is nuture. Every cat is different and often change as they get older. For example, Maggie was a standoffish cat until she was about 10, go to pet her and she'd duck away, over the last 2 years she's become a snugglebug and head butt-er. Kobi runs for the hills whenever someone he doesn't know comes in the door (or even on the porch), but after they've been there a while (30-60 minutes) he comes downstairs and jumps in their lap demanding attention. I got both of them at 12 weeks and have no idea what their past held for them. There's just no way to know whether they would have been different if they had a different start in life. And Holly who came from a breeder and was raised in the house, under foot, as a pet, can be very jumpy. Sometimes I go to pet her and if I surprise her, she'll bounce several feet into the air and yap at me. They just need to keep us guessing :lol:

 

[Loving_My_Cats]

I got a kitten for my grandma's retirement present ohhh 10 or sum years ago, maybe more. He was 6 weeks old, and was just terrified of people. To this day he still is. He will let my grandma pet him but not for long, and he wont cuddle in her lap or anythin. And if company comes over, bye bye kitty. I hardly ever see him when i'm over there. I thought my cats were great with people until I got a new boyfriend, he came over they all ran and hid, or hissed at him....if my aunt or grandma or someone comes over that they know they're perfectly fine and demand attention. They are getting to know my boyfriend now and to goto him. I think it's 1)partly how they were raised before you got them and 2) just their personallity. Some cats have general 'trust' issues.

 

[gunterkat]

A cat who has been mistreated by people in their past will often have a nervous or "fraidy-cat" personality. Especially if those people injured the cat, or were involved in the cat getting hurt.
You said Chloe was wounded when you first adopted her, Whiteghost. That could account for her skittishness.

 

[Huge2]

Could be both. Nature in that cats have differing personalities, and nuture in that mum has taught her to be wary of everything (due to the feral lifestyle).

 

[whiteghost]

A cat who has been mistreated by people in their past will often have a nervous or "fraidy-cat" personality. Especially if those people injured the cat, or were involved in the cat getting hurt.
You said Chloe was wounded when you first adopted her, Whiteghost. That could account for her skittishness.

I dont think Chloe was harmed by a human though, I was lucky to catch her when I did. This kitten was just like her momma. She saw you and bam she was gone. I was just at the right place at the right time with perfect timing on grabbing her scruff on her neck.

Thanks for the replies.

I hope I never have to rehome her because I honestly don't think she would be a suitable cat to rehome. I put my kitties first so I doubt that'll ever happen. Something major would have to happen to make me have to rehome any of them.

I dont think she's the type of cat that would take to a new home, and I doubt there are many people out there that would want a skittish cat like her. *Shrugs* Sometimes its a good thing. lol. I love my kitties, but there are times I do not want them in my face.