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Non affectionate kittens

11 replies

thoughtsbecomethings · 02/09/2013 22:44

Have just got 2 kittens and visions that they would be cuddling up with me and kids.. But no they race around playing and don't really like being held for long us this normal or is there anything I can do to encourage this ?

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Ponders · 02/09/2013 22:47

how old are they? we got our kittens at 9-10 weeks & they were not at all affectionate at that stage

subsequently one is an occasional lap-sitter but the other just isn't

they are all different

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thoughtsbecomethings · 02/09/2013 22:48

Ours are also 9-10 weeks. So sweet

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TakeItAsRed · 02/09/2013 22:49

"Holding them" may well be the issue
.
The best thing to do is let them madly race around and play, and derive lots of enjoyment from watching those antics. Join in and race around with them trailing a piece of ribbomn. Wjen they are playing, be a playmate.

The time to cuddle (and teach them all about loving laps) is when they are very sleepy. That's the point to scoop them up carefully, let them curl in your lap because they are so tired (or already asleep) and learn that its a lovely soft warm gentle place to be! with gentle strokes.

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Lonecatwithkitten · 03/09/2013 08:13

The critical thing with most cats is to wait for them to come to you. They are extremely independent so being held on a lap switches on their stubborn gene. So cats will only ever want to sit by you rather than with you.
Plus you have two so of course their mate who wants to climb the curtains is going to be more popular than the boring human who just wants to sit. At this age they are mad, eating or sleeping no other default settings. They will settle down, but need to feel that sitting with you is their choice, after all you are merely staff they have chosen to care for their every whims the sooner you get used to this the better.

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LeGavrOrf · 03/09/2013 08:24

When we got our two sets of kittens they were not very cuddly at all. The two boys would just cuddle up to each other, and the girl kittens would just race around like bats out of hell.

They are now all very affectionate, but yes you have to wait for them to come to you.

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LeGavrOrf · 03/09/2013 08:26

Haha at mad, eating or sleeping. That just about sums kittens up.

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itsnothingoriginal · 03/09/2013 14:44

Our kitten is affectionate but she's a single kitten which I think makes a difference as she doesn't have a mate to snuggle up with. However, she is choosy about whose lap she'll sit on as the kids do try to grab her and make her sit with them which she hates! She's completely sparked out on my lap right now but she always comes to me not vice versa!

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timtam23 · 03/09/2013 21:02

My ex-stray kitten is about 9 weeks old and also does the mad/eating/sleeping thing and he does not like to be "held" or cuddled when in any of those phases - much to DS1's distress as he wants the kitten to "sit on his lap" ALL of the time...

What we have found quite helpful is getting the kitten used to sleeping on a particular blanket which he now loves, so when he's curled up on it and all drowsy or asleep, we lift the blanket & lie it on the boys' laps so that they are "holding" the kitten but he is also on his blanket and has had minimal disturbance - more often than not he doesn't stir at all.

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BonaDea · 03/09/2013 21:10

What takeitasread said.

Let them play. And then when they are sleepy and missing the litter let them snuggle in.

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gobbin · 03/09/2013 22:55

We got our kittens to play with us by kneeling in the floor, putting a towel across our laps and getting them to follow/play with a pencil. The towel saves legs from getting scratched to ribbons!

The torbie female was much bolder than daft orange boy but they're now total lap cats, esp orange boy.