Two steps forward, one back

Mithrandir is our Ninja Cat. He weighs 25 pounds (at least) and yet he can move fast and soundlessly. When he jumps onto the bed, he lands so softly we cannot tell. He just… appears.

Mithrandir jumped on the bed by himself and got petting. A big deal for him.

When it comes to such hunting moves, Mithrandir is confident. It is with people that he gets frightened.

switched on genes

Mithy was one of six born to a feral mother with very similar genes to his own, predominently Maine Coon Cat fur and musculature. His littermates were all shorthaired. The boys had Alpha traits, the two girls were more Gamma, but Mithrandir was Beta Cat Type and very much like his mother in looks.

Even though he was five weeks old when the shelter took them all in, his ferality was deep and lasting. His mother was not amenable to people, yet did not object to humans handling and socializing her kittens. I don’t know how the other kittens in his litter turned out. I only know that we were there for Fudge (his baby name). When I cuddled the ten-week-old and he accepted it, our remaining doubts dissolved.

Within 24 hours he had crept out of his hiding place and ventured onto my lap, all by himself. So he really does want human love.

The science of epi-genetics explains some of Mithrandir’s personality. This is when organisms have genes which can be switched on or off. He inherited feral genes and his early environment turned them up full blast.

environmental influence

Fortunately for Mithy, there was a counter-influence, which was the people in the shelter who started socializing all these kittens. This switched on another prominent set of his genes: the Maine Coon, buddies-to-the-whole-ship genetics, his Beta side.

As I explain in We turned Mithy upside down, we need to build up the tame side, and lower the influence of his feral side.

This works with any shy cat. They might have started as a delightfully cuddly kitten, had some adverse experiences, and developed a feral-like caution. It doesn’t even have to be experiences with humans, because any struggle for survival can activate their wilder, more cautious, side.

To create a safe space for them to bloom, we need to constantly and consistently show them love and care. As bringers of treats and pets, we create a new world for them to explore. They need to build up new reflexes about their new home. Remember that we have a lot more knowledge about our good intentions than our new cat does.

As we gradually overwrite the past with promises of their new future, as described in Helping cats purge the database, our cat will change.

lifelong process

Whatever progress we make can be set back by the simplest of things. A sudden noise, an unexpected visitor, a stumble as we approach them. Once activated, those survival instincts will have influence for varying amounts of time. We acknowledge, if needed we apologize, we keep moving forward.

Our process with Mithy has been helped by the influence of our other cats, who happily demonstrate the good side of their humans. If Mithy hides under the bed, we peek under there to say hello. We talk to him when he shows up for meals. We let him approach us. We let him use our hand to pet himself, because that way we don’t have to guess about how much or how far.

Some shy cats find human kindness awakens happy memories and their process can happen swiftly. With Mithy, who has no memories of human interaction until the age of five weeks, he must work against his earliest thoughts.