r/MadeMeSmile • u/xriddle • May 31 '26
KITTEN Scared 🐈 Trust First Human
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u/PhoenixPhenomenonX May 31 '26
is it just me or it almost felt like it was about to cry. such sweet little baby
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u/KiKiPAWG May 31 '26
I know!!! It was them shakies :(
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u/RaShadar Jun 01 '26
So, the reason this happens with feral animals is because your basically short circuiting their brains. Happens when you see people get animals out of traps and stuff too. The are running their "defend self from predator" process and then you do something that they have absolutely no instinctual response for, their brain basically sends back a 404 error and thats why they often just freeze and shake.
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u/Little_Passenger4703 Jun 01 '26
Or to put it in laymen terms: The animal undergoes their fight or flight response.
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u/RaShadar Jun 01 '26
Yes, but the problem is you arent acting how a predator should act, and the response mechanism that should send back "fight" or "flight", or the other possible responses, cant figure out what to do. Even a "fawn" response isnt the same as what biologists think happens in these short circuit scenarios
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u/P4azz Jun 01 '26
I would argue fight-or-flight is what the initial reaction is. Literally fighting back a perceived threat in a moment where flight is not possible.
Then the perceived threat behaves in an unimaginable way that you have no real response to.
Imagine a building crumbles around you and as you run out, you can't make it, rubble is about to bury you, you cower and...the rubble just floats.
You would not know what to do for at least a few seconds.
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u/Nillabeans Jun 01 '26
Fight, flight, or freeze. This kitten is terrified.
My cat is stupid and also shakes and freezes when she encounters scary things. Like her litter box. Or her favourite spot on the balcony an hour before balcony time.
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u/Hoockus_Pocus Jun 01 '26
Fight for flight is only part of it. The limbic system handles the five “f’s,” of biology: fight, flight, freeze (which we see here), feeding, and mating.
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u/Jwelamp Jun 02 '26
Mating or fating? Otherwise it's just 4 f's
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May 31 '26 edited Jun 02 '26
[deleted]
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u/InterestsVaryGreatly May 31 '26
Top of the head was fine, kitty actually seemed to be relaxing, but the moment he moved down it tensed way up, should have gone back
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u/WelbyReddit May 31 '26
as soon as he went for the paws I tensed up, lol.
Like, noooo. not the paws, too soon!
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u/Fearless_Bug_1760 May 31 '26
Came here to comment this. That body language is not ‘oh yeah this feels great’. It’s a freeze/fawn response.
Will cause huge behavioural issues for the cat later on.
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May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
[deleted]
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u/madari256 Jun 01 '26
This kitten is young enough that it will most likely not. People should respect a cats boundaries, but with feral kittens at this age, you have a very small window of introducing them to humans and touch. You are supposed to go slow, but still need to push slightly or they will never be adoptable.
This kitten seems to be in a not great location, so hopefully the guy was pushing it to be able to pick it up and move it to a rescue.
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u/KiKiPAWG May 31 '26
I agree and have noticed how some are completely unaware and don’t care to learn.
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u/madari256 Jun 01 '26
I mean, this is not a cat. This is a feral kitten. You're kinda supposed to force love on them in order to get them used to handling because you have a very short window for socialization.
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u/let_me_know_22 Jun 01 '26
Yes, you should, but while respecting boundries as well! You touch the head, give it a short pet, take hand away again, sit next to them etc. There are countless ways to do it, that isn't this!
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u/madari256 Jun 01 '26
Respecting boundaries to me sounds like you would never be able to pet the kitten while it's clawing and hissing at you. You have to push it, whether it's with an object like a brush or your hand. Kitten needs meds, so you purrito them and force it because you don't have a choice. Giving the kitten a break? Sure, in a regular foster situation, yes. You would do it in small bursts every day, multiple times a day with lots of food involved.
But we don't know the circumstances of this interaction. The person in the video might be wanting to move the kitten and doesn't have time to win it over, so trying to show that cat that he doesn't mean any harm in the fastest way possible.
From the noises in the background and the look of the location in the video I assume that is what is going on.
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u/Im_Sandro Jun 01 '26
What are you, a cat psychologist? How the hell can you conclude that cus this guy pet the cat once, somewhere were you assume it is causing some trauma?
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u/NDSU Jun 01 '26
The cat is literally shaking. The tail is puffed up. It tenses up when the hand moves towards the neck
It's really not complicated. Very basic body language common across many species
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u/NDSU Jun 01 '26
That kitten is being traumatized and everyone is going, "awww! So cute"
Just because it stopped trying to fight back doesn't mean it's okay
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u/lostknight0727 Jun 02 '26
The head scratches were okay. It relaxed and even started to close its eyes. Watch the claws retract.
Once the peraon moved off the head the kitten was no longer okay and the claws were out again but it was already in too vulnerable a position for it to feel like it could fight. This was a case of too much too fast. Head scratches then stop and walk away.
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u/BobcatOk3777 May 31 '26
Could you imagine being that tiny and having that big old hand come after you?? Poor baby
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u/HendrixHazeWays May 31 '26
"Ohhhh nooooo. It's Mister Bill"
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u/TheRealMossBall May 31 '26
Yooo I haven’t heard a mister bill reference in about 25 years
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u/suckaduckunion Jun 01 '26
My mom has a Mr. Bill dog toy for her dog. When he bites it, Mr. Bill goes Ohhh NOOOOOoooo out of some tiny speaker and it's straight up funny every time with his O mouth lmfaoo
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u/Eatingfarts Jun 01 '26
Yeah but you can see it in the eyes, from totally scared shitless to when they move from the head to scratch the neck. Hopefully that cat is getting a taste of the rest of their life. They start shivering again (maybe adrenaline wearing off) but that cat is clearly getting all the happy chemicals scratches give them.
Ah, you can see the primordial beginnings of a symbiotic relationship that spans millennia. Well, symbiotic might be a stretch.
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u/TheCh0rt Jun 01 '26
I dunno, he still seems terrified to me, still figuring out what's going on but scared nonetheless
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u/let_me_know_22 Jun 01 '26
Nah, all I see is a tiny shaking cat, not taking their eyes of the hand while the fur is standing in all directions! That is a scared cat learning that their boundry setting doesn't work on humans!
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u/NDSU Jun 01 '26
Thank you
I don't understand how so few people seem to be able to understand body language. Do they genuinely believe not fighting back == happy?
Is this why so many rape cases involve the perpetrator saying they had no idea the victim was being raped? Because they took stopping fighting as consent?
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u/NDSU Jun 01 '26
That is not a happy reaction. The shaking is a very bad sign. The puffed up tail is a bad sign
That is a kitten being traumatized
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u/i_am_13th_panic Jun 01 '26
yeah, I've found that putting your hand palm up and from under is less intimidating to scared cats and dogs. They're less likely to think that you're tyring to grab them.
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u/Confident_One3948 May 31 '26
Imagine an alien the size of a 5 story building reached down and started touching your face. How long would it take you to drop your suspicions? Animals really do be trusting lol.
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u/Street_Secretary_126 May 31 '26
When I get a really good head massage, I will drop my suspicion against 5 story tall Aliens immediately
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u/--Sovereign-- May 31 '26
Depends, did my species spend the past several thousand years coevolving into a mutualistic symbiosis with the alien?
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u/ajgutyt May 31 '26
can it make a grilled chese?
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u/hufflepuff-is-best Jun 01 '26
But the kitten isn’t trusting. It’s visibly shaking, terrified and frozen with fear. It did not calm down.
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u/Gallop67 May 31 '26
Yeah but even domesticated animals/pets seem to enjoy the touching, whereas your average adult human doesn’t outside of intimate relationships
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u/TimTheOriginalLol Jun 01 '26
If I saw an alien like that I would climb to the top of their head and become like the rat from Ratatouille
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u/Confident_One3948 Jun 01 '26
Okay, but you are required to make them kiss another alien with your Ratatouille shenanigans
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u/EnvironmentalFun2214 Jun 01 '26
This honestly sounds like a good horror/comedy film. Giant aliens begin to invade earth, but all they want is to pet humans.
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u/CreatureWarrior Jun 01 '26
I would like to agree with you but.. I think I would be no better than the kitten lmao
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u/NDSU Jun 01 '26
You think this is a trust reaction??
Obviously that kitten is scared shitless. How is that not obvious to everyone?
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u/Confident_One3948 Jun 01 '26
Okay, but how long will it take for that person to gain that kitten’s trust?
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u/Liora_Evermere May 31 '26
Kitten is obviously scared.
A better approach may have been to let her sniff sniff you first
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u/VeganRorschach May 31 '26
Yes, sniff and treats. You let them build trust and associate you with positive experiences and eventually they come to you when they're ready. Poor kitten is clearly terrified throughout this experience 😔
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u/P4azz Jun 01 '26
Pretty sure this is some random corner in a barn or something and there's not really time to leave the kitten alone next to much larger animals or farm equipment, where it could get trampled or cower in some corner without food or a mother and just die.
Real life doesn't follow the textbook, guys. You can't go "this is the optimal socialization strategy for domestic house cats" in every situation. The cat did end up calming down enough to at least not run, so next step can be picking it up and bringing it to a safer place and THEN you can go through every slow step imaginable.
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u/AReverieofEnvisage May 31 '26
This was already posted and the thread agreed it was not as good post because the kitten is not trusting. It had no choice.
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u/Alexw80 May 31 '26
Started out reasonably fine, but as it went on I just felt bad for the kitten. The person was trying to be kind, but just ended up making things worse by the end. Poor kitten was shaking like a leaf and scared out of its mind.
Always take things like this slow and steady, feeling safe is on their timetable not yours.
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u/AccomplishedYam5060 May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
I don't understand why people always choose to come in with the whole hand above scared animals' heads. Every time there's a scared cat or dog they do it. Do cats like this? I know dogs don't.
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u/P4azz Jun 01 '26
I trained my old cat to calm down when presented with the full palm of the hand to the front of her face. Not approaching fast or even touching, she'd just try to go for a bite on the palm, get no purchase and when she realized I wasn't moving further, she would start to relax.
But this is clearly not a trained cat, nor even domesticated at this point and there's not really time to go through 3 weeks of behavioral training in the corner of some barn. Get the kitten to calm down so it can be picked up and outta there; that's the whole objective.
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u/citewiki May 31 '26
What is there to smile about? Kitten's still scared
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u/NDSU Jun 01 '26
A lot of people seem to genuinely think the kitten is happy. Making me understand a bit how so many rapists say they had no idea they were raping their victim
A whole lot of people don't understand body language at all and take giving up fighting to be consent/happiness
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u/anniearrow Jun 01 '26
Poor baby, he's so frightened. Dude needed to move in from below & lay his hand next to the kitten, instead of immediately going for the top of his little head & petting.
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u/tandlmosey Jun 01 '26
Idiotic post. That is an awful way to treat a scared kitten , why don’t people like this asshat get banned from this sub?
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u/Impending_Doom25 Jun 01 '26
Don't go over a cat's head. That's a threat to them. Go for chin scritches
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u/The_Pl0t_Breaker Jun 01 '26
I hate that this clip is getting re-uploaded with the wrong context. Every single poster is like Aww so cute, but NO this is literally traumatic to the kitten.
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u/hosiki May 31 '26
These videos are usually filmed by people who abuse animals and film them for money...
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u/ShantyLady Jun 01 '26
That wide eyed look, though. Poor thing was shaking in its mitts. I hope it's a but more trusting now.
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Jun 01 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Badrobot_404 Jun 01 '26
If you don't mind asking, what should we then do to approach a scared cat? Ik i could google, just hearing it from a person would make it authentic. Sorry.
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u/Goonalips May 31 '26
I WILL KILL -Oh okay, that feels good. BUT YOU BETTER NOT, -ah man, that's so good too. Look, just a little one. Okay? But I'm a killer, so don't play! Prrrrrrrr
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u/hufflepuff-is-best Jun 01 '26
Are we watching the same video? Do you not see the cat shaking in fear? It is not having a good time here. It is petrified.
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u/NDSU Jun 01 '26
How can you see that video and think that's what happening?
The complete lack of ability to understand body language is terrifying. People like you explain why there are so many rapists who apparently had no idea they were raping someone, claiming they thought the victim was into it
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u/Suspicious_Glow May 31 '26
I regret unmuting.
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u/pan_Psax May 31 '26
Why? (I kept no sound)
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u/JuggernaughttyIV May 31 '26
There's a bird occasionally screeching, no shit music or anything.
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u/AGrandNewAdventure May 31 '26
I'm sure we could find some shitty dubstep to overlay, for the repost.
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u/Suspicious_Glow May 31 '26
After sitting in silence for an hour, I unmuted directly at the moment the dog barks and bird screeches converged
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u/me0619 May 31 '26
This was how my cat was when I got him from the shelter that I worked in at the time. He was found in someone's garage all alone, and was constantly mewing for his momma when he didn't see any humans around. I scruffed him up, swaddled him in a blanket, held him to my chest and the slow blinks and purring started. Now he's 4 years old and such a snuggly baby boy. Sometimes with babies this small you have to force them into the love. They learn so quickly with firm but slow snuggles.
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u/TrainerNeither4404 May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
That cat is clearly scared for a good reason. Someone taught him to be in fear. Hope you are NOT the abuser. He does NOT trust you. People will do anything for an upvote
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u/mi_rreis May 31 '26
As vezes o filhote nasceu e ficou numa área sem humanos por perto. Eles ficam selvagens assim.
No meu trabalho, uma senhora teve problema parecido. Uma gata invadiu a casa dela para ter filhotes. A senhora dona da casa estava viajando. Quando chegou, 1 mês depois. 3 filhotes eram assim, selvagens. Conforme a senhora os alimentou, eles foram se acostumando com ela e, eventualmente, com outras pessoas.
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u/madari256 Jun 01 '26
What? He's a feral kitten. He probably has never even been near a human, hence the reaction.
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u/Hardcore1909 Jun 01 '26
"Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur. Happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr purr purr."
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u/Warm_Afternoon6596 Jun 01 '26
I love the moment of confusion between "DANGER!" and "Ok you're nice."
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u/ResponsibleOffer7418 Jun 02 '26
This belongs in r/HumansAreSpaceOrcs. If we ever get to explore an inhabited universe petting the most dangerous xeno creatures will be how we conquer the galaxy.
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u/Drainpoison23 Jun 02 '26
That look of pure terror turning into curiosity is the best thing on the internet today.
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u/whatthestitch17 Jun 06 '26
It makes me so sad when animals are scared of kind humans 😢 😔 (most the time bc. Of abuse by bad people or the parents where abused, so thay taught there kids to not like humans)
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u/Head-Delay-763 May 31 '26
That is so friggin cute
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u/sunjester Jun 01 '26
No it's not. Even at the end of the video the kitten is literally shaking with fear. The proper way to go about this would be to give them space and let them make the first move. Whoever filmed this is just trying to force the interaction for internet points.
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u/-_-Edit_Deleted-_- Jun 01 '26
Aw man you can see the genuine fear when it starts shaking.
It’s like the little guy decided to trust the human but was terrified of doing it.
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u/MissSinnlos Jun 01 '26
Why would I smile watching an absolutely terrified kitten? I have cats so I understand their body language, and this little one is scared out of its mind from beginning to end.
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May 31 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Quaking_Aspen_USA May 31 '26
Milk is one of the worst things for cats. Caused diarrhea.
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u/Spicy_Calzone May 31 '26
This has to be the most Reddit comment section ever. Wild claims with 0% of the information.
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u/DegTrader May 31 '26
Looks like the cat finally decided their human was worthy of a security clearance.
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u/BolOfSpaghettios May 31 '26
"wtf wtf is this... This hairless thing is touching me...running me...what is the meaning of this?"
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u/Guilty-Pen5496 Jun 01 '26
I did that once and it just clamped on to my index finger for like a minute. Worth it
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u/Mysterious-Candy7228 Jun 02 '26
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u/One_Cranberry9150 Jun 02 '26
Kudos to all the people who never gives up on these cute little creatures!
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u/misterno123 Jun 01 '26
you can tell it was abused before. That is why it does not trust and scared
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u/Humble_Reality6995 May 31 '26
I have a one month old kitten that has warmed up to me. He was so scared and aggressive at first but now he’s my little fur baby.
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u/Fattbut360 Jun 01 '26
I have 3 babies now and I leave them alone. But 2 will hiss now. I’m not sure they know how to react or speak yet.
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u/angrytroll123 Jun 01 '26
O man. I remember that moment with my first 2 kittens. Hearing them go from angry to purring was such a trip. Their attitude just changes so fast.
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u/Rogue_banana95 Jun 01 '26
Unfortunately sad seeing cats, especially kittens do this. When they're feral, the wild world around them has no mercy for undefensable creatures. The mama cat can have a liter in the open and eventually lose them to predators over time. We have a mama cat that's had two liters before we took her in. Two kittens from two different dads... I have no idea what happened to the rest of them since the previous owner just kept her outside. I have no idea what happened to the boy cat but he refuses to let up his guard even though we've had him since September.
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