Pet peeve: Kitten is friendly but won’t accept petting

Dear Cathy: I am the mother of an adorable, almost grown, black kitten. While she is friendly, she won’t let me pet her. Whenever I reach toward her, she dodges my hand. Someone might have hit her before I adopted her from an animal shelter. It doesn’t help that my brown tabby chases her and is cross with her. How can I convince my little black cat that I only want to pet and love her? — Marian, Lincoln, Nebraska

Dear Marian: You can train her to accept your touch. Get a stick or wand long enough to reach her but that keeps you at a distance so that she won’t bolt. Tap the stick lightly on the floor or furniture around her. If she stays put, use a training clicker to mark the correct behavior and toss her a treat.

When you think she is ready, make sure she is looking at you before touching her with the stick. If she runs, return to touching the floor around her again. If she stays put when you touch her, click the clicker, and toss her a treat. Each day, scoot a little closer to her and keep clicking and rewarding every baby step until you can touch the kitten without her running.

This training could take months. But if you are diligent, you can train your scared but friendly feline to feel safe.

Dear Cathy: I have a 9-year-old male indoor cat named Cream Puff. He was feral for about five years when someone rescued him and took him to our shelter for medical treatment. He has feline immunodeficiency virus but remains healthy.

He’s a very loving cat, but he likes to bite and claw my hand while lying on his back and sitting on my lap. I know he’s playing and not being vicious. I’ve tried to correct this biting and clawing behavior but to no avail. What do you recommend? — Mark, Lynchburg, Virginia

Dear Mark: Petting-induced or overstimulation aggression occurs when a cat has suddenly had enough. You can’t correct this, but you can honor and redirect the behavior. Watch your cat’s body language so you know when to stop.

He may stiffen his body or flick his tail, which indicates he’s about to react. Or he may only tolerate four or five strokes before reacting. Always stop petting him before he reaches his threshold, and give him time to calm down. When your cat is on his back, do not pet or use your arms or hands to touch or play with him. Instead, give him a stuffed sock to play with, so he can bite and claw the toy and not your hand.