# 5-6 week old kitten keeps hissing at me.



## ZeroTransPat (May 9, 2012)

A few days ago, I took in 3 kittens that I've been watching over since they were 2 weeks old. 

They're about 4-6 weeks old now, and two of them are very friendly, and often purr. The two friendly ones look like their mother, and they are male and female, and the 3rd one looks like its father, which is a tuxedo. 
(I only know the father because I've seen him around, and there are no other tuxedo cats around my area but him, and I feed the mother every day.)
They all play together, and eat fine, and such, but the tuxedo hisses when I get close to him. After I hold him, he knows I won't pose a threat, and doesn't hiss, but right before I'm about to open the kitty pen, he always hisses. 
He was a LOT worse when we brought him to the vet when he was outside still. 
He was hissing, and spitting, and growling. 

I can't let them run around the house because I have 4 other cats in my house (One being a 10 week old kitten who is VERY eager to play with them.)
I am worried they won't be properly socialized if I don't let them run around, but they don't have their shots, and their stool sample test hasn't come in yet.

So, I have but 2 questions : 

1) How can I stop the little tuxedo from hissing at me?

2) When would be a good time for them to run around the house and play with my 10 week old kitten?

I know that the snap test doesn't really work at 2 months, so for all I know, these kittens can be FIV positive (highly doubt it, but there is always a chance) so I am worried if I let them out to play, they will infect my other cats.


What do you guys think?


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## sweetcuddles (Jun 30, 2013)

As for question number one, spend time with him, every chance you get spend time with him. He will grow to liking you and stop hissing at you. Also you can speak softly to him that way he knows that you are not a threat to him.


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## dt8thd (Jan 7, 2013)

It's not unusual for previously feral kittens to be a bit hissy. The more you interact with your little tuxedo boy, the more he will come to regard you as a source of affection rather than something to fear or a source of anxiety. Young kittens tend to be more, er, "bark than bite" though, so just ignore the hissing, pick him up and play and cuddle him like you would either of his siblings. 

FIV transmission between kittens wouldn't be a huge concern for me, simply because the sorts of behaviours that put cats at the highest risk of contracting FIV are mating and fighting--neither of which are likely behaviours for 6 or 10 week old kittens. Most kittens who contract FIV do so from their mothers. The odds of your fosters infecting your resident kitten with FIV are _extremely_ low. 

FeLV, on the other hand, is much more easily transmitted. I don't personally feel that FeLV is as contagious as many people seem to think, as I've known of cats that have shared their homes with FeLV cats for years and never contracted the disease themselves, but I would always err on the side of caution, especially considering that kittens, given the opportunity, do spend a lot of time in very close proximity to each other.

...Also, I'm sure I'm not the only person wondering _where are the kitten pictures? _


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

While we were in Sicily our cat Annie got pregnant by an Italian feral cat. She had 3 kittens two of which were so sweet, but little Maggie (the only female) was hissing at me since she was 2 days old. We kept her thinking the female would surely grow to be just as sweet as momma, but boy were we wrong! No matter what we did she hissed, and was always so skittish and frankly a little jerk sometimes. We had her for 12 years until she died of a brain aneurysm (probably from self induced stress). The hissing stopped after a year or so, but she was never very social. I would just keep loving on him and hope for the best!!!


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## ZeroTransPat (May 9, 2012)

The hissing has pretty much stopped!
I guess he got his hissing from his mother who would hiss ALL the time at me. 
Which is kind of ironic because he looks EXACTLY like his tuxedo father.


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## dt8thd (Jan 7, 2013)

LowFatPat said:


> The hissing has pretty much stopped!
> I guess he got his hissing from his mother who would hiss ALL the time at me.
> Which is kind of ironic because he looks EXACTLY like his tuxedo father.


They're adorable, Pat! 

Feral kittens learn from their mothers to be fearful of people, so it would make sense for her kitten to emulate her behaviour.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

dt8thd said:


> FeLV, on the other hand, is much more easily transmitted. I don't personally feel that FeLV is as contagious as many people seem to think, as I've known of cats that have shared their homes with FeLV cats for years and never contracted the disease themselves, but I would always err on the side of caution, especially considering that kittens, given the opportunity, do spend a lot of time in very close proximity to each other.


Im one of those people who have a FeLv cat living with my other cats. Its not a problem. 

One of my vets told me early on in fostering not to keep kittens away from my older fosters or resident adult cats. I kept getting in URI kittens. I just kept them isolated even after they were better. My vet said adult cats help teach younger cats the rules and nuture them and show them when to cut it out. He said kittens left to themselves easily become spoiled brats. They need to learn to interact with other cats.


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