I didn't know if it was tough love and make them deal with contact or a more slow and steady approach of making them accustomed to your scent and behavior.
I suppose my thought process is a bit like what I've read on taming a wild horse. If they associate you with food and water you can begin to gain their trust...
Sugar doesn't care whether I sit in with her eating breakfast, she'll wait until I leave before she'll get out of her box to eat...
At least she doesn't growl the whole time I'm in there with her...
Also began offering dried treats and boiled chicken. Sugar loves it and I can get to the point where I can pat her. Thankfully she hasn't bitten me yet but she has some serious warning growls and makes a point to say "I do not like this thing with your hands on me, give me more treats and piss off"
On the 6th November Sugar has been a bit more hissy than normal and has actually swiped at both me and my brother.
Her behavior made a lot more sense when late this afternoon (on the 6th) she decided it was time to have her kittens.
I had thought it was two weeks or more but nope just doing my own thing in the lounge when I hear a high pitched meow. Thought nothing of it, hearing things, no kittens in this house at the moment...hang on a minute....
Rushed into the kitten room to be growled at by Sugar and to see something wiggling in the box beside her. Kittens!
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| I'm watching you human ~Sugar |
Oh Sugar was fine, she popped out those babies within a few hours (four of them) cleaned them up and happily allowed them all to nurse making me think this isn't her first litter...
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| Four wet little newborn babies...Welcome Little Legends |
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| Now that they're dry... |
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| Belly up to the milkbar |
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| See the look in Sugar's eye? I think this was pre-hiss... |
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| These are my babies, don't make me come out there ~Sugar |
I employ the 'impose but don't force' So when she tells you to back off, back off. Right now her hormones are running wild and her protection instinct is even higher, so just being near her is a good thing. If you can move the food a little further away so you aren't making her irritated when you change them out, you should do that. Mother cats will stay close to the kits for a few days but then would need to go off hunting to find food, so moving the food away won't be a hardship on her.
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