feral baby that wont open up to me

i have a little orange tabby feral 10 week old kitten - 'fernie' over the past 2 weeks his litter mates warmed up, are sleeping in bed with me even. theyre big loveys and seem to be socializing well. poor little fernie just hides behind the toilet! when i pick him up he is just limp. just lays there until im done petting him and when i put him back on the floor he runs behind the toilet again. the others loved baby food on a spoon...he will not touch it for anything. he will eat it in a bowl if i am not close...but when hes with me he just shuts down. any ideas?

thanks

jen 'conditioned to self interest with emotions locked away, if thats what they call normal then I'd rather be insane'

Two weeks is not that long. I had a cat live in my house 6 months before he let me touch him.

Joelle If you want to make God laugh, tell him what you are doing tomorrow Father Mike

Sounds like little Fernie needs some special hands-on socializing that includes caging and isolation from his littermates. And lots of lap-time. Try consulting the Campus Cats website for some tips for this hard little nut ('Taming the Tiger' article).

He will probably always be a fraidy cat, but special attention will certainly help bring him around to his fullest potential. He should definitely be placed with a sibling or another cat or kitten that will become his best buddy.

with the little monster.

Sharon Talbert Friends of Campus Cats

thanks everyone for your replies. ive been working with him several times a day and im seeing tiny baby steps of improvement, which i am thrilled about!!

jen 'conditioned to self interest with emotions locked away, if thats what they call normal then I'd rather be insane'