This is Jelly. He will be three years old this summer. We got him when he was three months old and he was very cute and quiet as a kitten when we were picking, and it matched with our energy.

We lived in a small apartment, my mom and him. As a kitten he was very quiet and scared, but after he got to know us he was quietly affectionate. He would sleep between me and my mom on the couch and follow us around.

Then we moved to a bigger house when he was a year and a half old and as soon as he got here he became more scared. After a while he got better but still way more scared than before. We didn’t do anything out of the norm: teasing him a bit, petting him, and everything else.

Soon it became the habit where he would only ask for pets in the morning and then disappear for the day, sleeping either under or on my moms bed, then come out sneakily at night and lay next to us to watch. We close our doors at night and leave the rest of the house to him.

Every time we stumble or carry something and walk towards him he sprint off into the basement and hide. Even if it’s just me walking past him he gets very very cautious and ready to sprint.

Don’t even talk about guests. As soon as a stranger walks outside our door and stands in front of it Jelly FLIES off to the basement and hide under the sofa. When guests come in it’s impossible to see him, and I just feel like he’s being a bit too scared in his own house.

Any tips to help him? Also if I want him to get closer to me is it too late?(I mean I pet him gently, I feed him snacks, and tries to play with him(he just looks at me like I’m stupid sometimes) Am I just not an animal person?(literally no animals seem to like me pet or not, even though I’m being the most calm and gentle you could be)