So I have this kitten, her name is Popcorn because her first food was a popcorn I dropped on the floor. I just noticed this a few days ago when I brought home a new kitten about 5 months old. I adopted Popcorn since she was born so she stayed at my house since her eyes are closed and I watched her as she grew. When I brought this new kitten, I named her Ginger because of her coat; I noticed that Popcorn is very different.
MY NEW KITTEN
Ginger, my new kitten, is very sweet and would always meow and purr and she would brush her body on my feet, and she even slept on my side at night, I was surprised by it so I let her. Ginger would always follow me everywhere I go and she even liked being cuddled, I can also feed her with my hands and it’s what I wanted for a long time, and I can even touch her even if she is eating and she also doesn’t mind when I kiss her; I’m very affectionate. I just adopted Ginger 2 days ago (Sunday). But she’s not playful and doesn’t bite when we play.
MY OLD KITTEN
Popcorn, my first kitten, on the other hand is the total opposite of Ginger even if I’ve been with her since she was born (August 12). She doesn’t like being cuddled, when I would cuddle her, she would stay there for at least a minute then make desperate sounds. When I would hand her a food, she would claw it out of my hands and run, I even have a lot of scratches on my hands. When she’s eating, I can’t touch her because she would growl and try to claw me. And I can only kiss her if she’s asleep because if I do that when she’s awake, she would growl and try to bite me. She recognizes her name, when I would call her, she would turn in my direction but she wouldn’t come to me, except if I have food. Though, even if she sleeps next to me at night, I still feel like there’s something wrong with her because she doesn’t show the characteristics of a kitten. I literally never heard her meow even once, and I’m not exaggerating and I never felt her purr or brush her body on my feet, never. Popcorn also likes to bite, when I would touch her, she would bite my hand but not in the aggressive way because she’s not growling, I think she’s just playing with me because I read that kittens like to bite. My mom even joked that maybe Popcorn is not a kitten but some kind of animal taking the body of a kitten, it was a joke.
So what I want to know is what’s wrong with my old kitten, what’s the reason why she’s like that, and how I could change that. Maybe losing her mother is a factor, her mother was poisoned a few days ago and she was always away to tend her kitten so they didn’t have much to time to have Kitten Education 101, lol.
Answers & Comments
At first, I thought you adopted Popcorn as a very tiny kitten, without her mother. Then, if she was not bottle fed, she would exhibit these characteristics. But, you have said she has been with her mother, until just a few days ago.
Were Popcorn and her mother outdoor kitties while Popcorn was a smaller kitten? That might account for this. Or, if you did not handle her much, until just recently. If Popcorn's mother was a feral cat, that can cause the kitten to adopt similar characteristics if kept with the mother.
You probably should keep the new kitten in the bathroom until Popcorn gets used to her. This can take some time. Give Popcorn a lot of attention, but only as she accepts it. You could also contact an animal rescue league and talk with them about Popcorn and see why they think she is like this.
Has she ever been tested or treated for worms? If a cat or kitten has worms, it can cause them to be quite food aggressive since they are really hungry, and can also be in pain. She could have roundworm or tapeworm.
I am including a link that pertains to taming feral cats/kittens and that might help you with Popcorn, but not sure on that.
http://www.theluckyfew.org/site/feral_cats.html
Sometimes, carrying an older kitten around in a back pack attached to the front of you can help. You would do this for a day, of course making sure there is enough air and such.
It just sounds like characteristics. Popcorn just acts more like a male cat than a female one.
Just a normal cat
she thinks your replacing her so spend some time with her alone without the kitten and make her feel like your not replacing her, or just get rid of the new kitten.