Board Thread:False Info and Speculative Discussion/@comment-65.93.139.213-20150601034328/@comment-11533671-20150601175433

Jackson's emotional issues and unresolved past rejected the bite which was what caused the mutation of the werewolf gene. It is believed that his shape is a reflection of this inner turmoil - thus he became a Kanima.

Being an orphan or not doesn't seem to have any bearing on this due to the fact that Malia is an orphan and yet didn't become a Kanima. She is a Were-coyote.

Kate's transformation falls under the "shape you take is a reflection of the person" explanation. Her body didn't reject the bite so there was no mutation of the gene itself.