behavior problem in 4 month old kitten

Question
what would be the cause for fear aggression and what steps to correct if any?
First let me tell u about the cat and her surroundings. this is my motherinlaws 4 month old cat and we occaionalu visit, i have 2 children 2&4 is the ages. my mother in law is a very stressed out woman she has 2 diadbled children so the cat just about never gets any 1on1 time or play time. every time we come over the kitten is hiding or she has it in it's travel cage. Why i don't know. My children have never hit or teased the cat i have only seen the cat 4 times since she has had it, because it is always hiding. yesterday we went over and it was in it's cage and my children went over to see her (look through the front opening of the cage) and she started hissing and growling type noise. so i immediately removed my children from around her and i was going to let her out her cage but she started growling more so i put her and the cage in anohter room so the children could not stare at her , this all happened in about 3 minutes. i offered my motherinlaw to let the kitten come to my house for a few weeks so she could be around more sociable people and get used to little people moving around. but she said no. but this is the 2nd cat she has had in the past year that has showed the same signs. i think it is because it get's no attention or played with by it's owner and is not socialized with other people. the first cat was hit by a car and she was very aggressive if you just walked by her she would hiss and she did not like small children at all and they never got to touch her because she would immediately start hissing so of couse i would remove my children from around the cat so as not to get their eyes scratched out. she did scratch my little boy across the face 1 time and i never let him around her again. but thanks for any info or opinion you can give me. sorry so long.
Crystal
Cle11277@aol.com

Answer
Crystal,

Keeping a cat in a crate all the time is cruel.  If this is the second cat that your mother in law has had, that acts this way, then it sounds to me like she is abusing it.  Kittens are loving and playful and do not act like that for no reason.   You need to remove this kitten from her home.  If she is stressed out from caring for disabled children, then she doesn't need a cat to begin with.  I am not trying to be harsh, but this kitten needs to be removed.

Becky