In case anyone is worried, the stick is not and never will be used for hurting or disciplining AK (or any animal). Originally it is a homemade teaser toy, but I've wrapped the cloth around the top. I use the stick to pet him gently (which he seems to like after he stops growling at me) and to place between him and my hand when I set the plate in his crate, otherwise he likes to act vicious and tries to attack me.
Today's progress: Today, AK was hiding under the bed instead of in his crate when I came in to work with him which was new. AK only hides when we are in the room. We hear him romping around and playing all the time when we're not there so he is a perfectly healthy kitten otherwise! I tried to coax him out from under the bed with food and petting with the stick which worked...but only to get him to hide in his crate again (see video). But after getting him to start eating and getting him to lick off the spoon (which is closely attached to the dreaded human's hand), I decided to try something more daring--licking food off my finger. For this, I used the super special chicken and gravy baby food that he loves even more than his wet food, and it worked!! AK was leery but he did gently lick the food off my finger, only nibbling a tiny bit. I am hopeful that with encouragement, patience, and a lot of baby food, I can get him to leave the sanctity of his crate and approach me without fear. That is my next milestone.
We are still a long way from petting or holding him, but it is crucial that AK only have positive experiences with humans. Petting or grabbing him before he is ready would cause him to lose his trust again and I am hoping to avoid this whenever possible. But I must admit that it's hard to resist reaching out and touching his cute fuzzy face!
