Adopt a shyer young cat or bad idea?

[Jomummy1013]

As thread title says really.
Would you adopt a young cat (14 months old) who can be quite shy?
I was meant to be adopting a ragdoll kitten before but fell through 😭 a friend of mine is retiring from breeding due to her own ill health and has two cats available, mother and daughter. She has enquired if I am interested in either.
The mother is 3 years old but the daughter is only just 1 year. The daughter can be shy, the mother not so.
I already have a couple of cats, well one cat and one kitten, so I figured may be easier to introduce a younger one into the mix.
I wouldn't want the poor thing to be traumatised, I have three children who are 13, 9 and 8. My friend has a 4 year old grandchild who she said the kitten is ok with.
Should a shy cat be avoided? X

I've adopted 3 cats over the years, and all have been very shy. The first were a bonded pair of feral siblings, and I just let them come to me in their own time. Took years, but both ended up cuddle monsters. Sadly the boy had to be pys this Feb at only 8, and I got another young (2yo) cat, this time a stray. Again I've been leaving him mostly to settle himself & not been pushing it at all, but he and Girlcat are now excellent friends and he's slowly coming round to me.

I suppose in your situation it's a case of whether you can trust the younger children not to pester the new cat & let her come to them.

@Allergictoironing thank you for your reply.
I do really want the kitten she is so lovely and one of my other friends has her sister.
I love your username btw!
My friend is concerned about her beloved cats' potential new homes.
She wants to be able to vet the homes herself but at the same time, she needs to rehome ASAP. Her health is so poor now. x
I'm sorry about the loss of one of your fur babies.
You think that with time, a shy cat can be a winner?

And my kids would leave her alone if I asked them to. They would be desperate to love her and cuddle her, the cats we have already are incredible tactile 😂

Ideally I think she’d rehome them together and to a home without younger children. If she can’t find a home like that I would have thought the less shy 3 year old would be a better fit for your home?

My shy cat stayed shy with strangers, but with me she absolutely ruled the house and her sister!

@BungleandGeorge I thought this too. The mum is really friendly. The mum also has a litter of kittens - moggie kittens - she is a registered ragdoll but escaped and came back pregnant. The lady has mum and 1 yo daughter and four black/black and white kittens to find homes for.
I thought she may try and home the 1 yo with one of her 10 week old half siblings? X

Did you have your shy cat from a kitten? D

No she was 5. She was an ex breeding queen in a kitten farm. She's a Persian.

Mine never became that fond of visitors, but then again there's just me & them in the house. And since her brother was PTS, Girlcat has become much more sociable - at her recent annual MoT/jvaccinations, the vet found it hard to listen to her heart through the loud purring! She happily comes out to say "Hi" to my DSis & nephew when they come round.

The new boy Tobias is very much still a work in progress, but he's getting bolder every day. He's rather food oriented, so is already taking chicken or ham from my fingers without snatching at it; I have great hopes that he will learn to trust me and become another snuggle cat. Watching Girlcat writhing on the floor having belly rubs in from of him is definitely helping!

Oh not really that young then.
Did you have family in the house, or was it just you and a partner? Sorry if that's nosy, I'm wondering because I've got children. Only two live with me though, my two girls, who are 13 and 8. X

@Allergictoironing this is lovely.
If anyone has photos they wish to share would love to see!
Is Girlcat her name? x

This is the kitten x

No, only me.

No, her "real" name is Lassa. But when I first got her & Linton (her brother) I referred to them on here as Boycat & Girlcat as I wasn't totally sure I would keep those names, and that's just stuck.

She is beautiful.

I doubt very much I would be able to resist adopting her OP - she's gorgeous!

I have a very shy cat, Socks, who has never sat on my lap and likes to be off outside doing her own thing, or if she's inside, she will be upstairs by herself. I have to watch to make sure my other cat, Matt, doesn't bully her or eat her food.
But every night she curls up on the bed right next to me purring her little head off, and I love that she trusts me to keep her safe while she sleeps. Ddog (Staffie) shares the bed too and I usually lie in the middle with one either side.

I've had my shy cat for nearly two years, and tbh it's a little wearing.

She doesn't like fusses or cuddles. She'll sit on my lap in the winter, but no purring so to speak.

She runs away if I move. It's just her and me, and I'm a bit sad as I've waited soooo long to have a pet, and I feel like I'm stuck with her. Awful person I am.

So No, I'd never get another shy cat.