My cat is so scared

Question
I have a beautful siamese mix. I got her when she was 10 weeks old. When I got her home so was scared of everything. She would hide for hours and hours. I thought she was scared because she was in a new place and that she would warm up in a week or two. She is seven months old now and she is still scared of everything. I can say she has warmed up a little bit. If I am on the couch and I call her she will come to me or when I am lying on the bed she will come to me but any other time she will run. You walk to her she will run and hide. She wont hide as long now but a least an hour or less. Can you maybe give me some tips to get her to open up. Thank you and have a great day.

Answer
Hi Robin.  Sounds like your kitty may not have been socialized properly in her first formative weeks of life.  A lot of people misunderstand how to raise kittens.  They mistakenly believe that newborns should not be touched.  But kittens should be handled daily from birth.  Those who don't receive intense human contact between 3 and 5 weeks usually don't end up as affectionate as those who do.  And if they don't receive lots of snuggling and attention by 8 weeks, chances are good the kitty will remain somewhat skiddish and antisocial as she grows.

As for now, try feeding her treats by hand.  A piece of chicken or tuna or sandwich meat is fine to give her a few times a day.  And I would do this while sitting on the floor, so you seem less dangerous.  This is the best way to socialize a cat as old as yours, in my opinion.  Had she been much younger, I would have suggested wrapping her tightly in a towel and forcing her to sit with you, but I feel at this age, that may do more harm than good, and you could get scratched or bitten if she feels threatened.

If possible, I always recommend to pair skiddish cats with "teachers".  Adopting a very friendly cat may be an excellent idea.  The cat will lead by example to show your Siamese mix how wonderful human attention can be.