Socializing feral kittens...

[catfamily]

Thank So Much.I'm printing this out to read later on w/mike.I need to go to bed.I'm so tired.Thanks again.

[catmandu]

Scrappy 2 Was Fairly Wild.
She Would Growl If You Came Near Me, And She Would Grab Her Food And Run And Hide And Eat It.
Now Shes Calm.
Its A Hard Job, But Its Worth It.

[lute]

i'm definatly printing this out! i've needed info like this before. ALWAYS good to have it handy.

[moosmom]

Lizzie,

I've worked with ferals ranging in age from 4 weeks to 4 months. You're right, the older they get, the more of a challenge it is.

The older they are, I'd wear gloves as cat bites are nasty and can get infected, although I've never had to wear them (I was VERY lucky). As far as toys are concerned, get a teaser wand that doesn't have any bells or anything where the noise may scare them. Feathers are good. Also, try giving them catnip. That works well too. Just remember to move slowly.

Younger babies are much easier to handle without a towel. The older the feral, I'd pappoose it. Looking them straight in the eye, SLOWLY blinking and whispering to them is not a threat. When they slowly blink back, that means you're starting to get through to them.

If you can keep your time with them consistent, same time every day, that's good. But it's not necessary. Feeding time, however, is. This will also help them outta their shell, as they will start associating you and food, which is a good thing.

I was advised to wrap feral kittens in a towel and hold them close but unfortunately the ones I was working with were about five months old and it didn't work out very well.

I've worked with 5 month old kittens we rescued from a hollow tree and they turned out great. It was tough at first because mama taught them humans were bad. There were 3 of them (2 black ones and an orangie I named "Grumpy Dave" after my Dad). They were all doing great until I took them in to be neutered. The two black ones (Ozzie and Boo) did great. But, Grumpy Dave reverted back to being feral after his neuter. I tried SO hard again to get him to come around, but he just never trusted me or humans ever again. He's now on a farm in upstate NY.

I've gotten scratched (and have the scars to prove it). But once those little guys had their turns with me in the towel, they knew I was not going to hurt them, just love them and get them to trust me. Being away from their Mama also helped.

[catfamily]

Thank You so much for your help.Things are getting better We still have mega work ahead of us,but like I said....we'll keep it up and give it our best shot I really appreciate your help.

[moosmom]

Catfamily,

Anytime! Good luck! I'm actually jealous of you! I love working with feral cats and kittens.