Feral kitten. Need advice.

[moosmom]

You've done the right thing by letting Tiki sit nearby while the kitty eats. As far as getting her used to your kitty, I wouldn't bother since she'll be going to your Dad's to live. Does your Dad have another cat??

One thing about feral kittens...the younger they are, the quicker they come around. Make SURE you have a collar on her, or have her microchipped in case she gets out. Feral cats should NOT be let out under any circumstances. They need to be totally indoors.

You and your Dad are to be commended for taking in this kitty (Love the name!!!). She will give your Dad many years of joy and that probably wouldn't have been if she had been left out to fend for herself.

Way to go!!

[Laura's Babies]

Now that you can handled her, why not walk her through your house (holding her close to you). That is what I did with the 2 ferals I had once we could handle them. That was to get them use to their surroundings and the assorted noises around the house, I did that several times a day and only for a minute to start with. I also put a radio in the room I kept them in to get them use to the sounds. This is a completely different world than what she is use to so introduce her to it slowley.

[momofeight]

Hi, it's such a wonderful feeling to rescue a kitten. Almost two years ago, the people who lived up the street moved away, and left their cat. She was so scared, it was terrible. I started feeding her, at first she would take the food only after I left. I did not know at the time that she was pregant. In fact, I did not know about the kittens until she carried them to our barn. It took awhile, but we were able to catch the Mom, and all four of the kittens and have them all spayed, and one nutered. Right after the surgery two of the kittens were very calm and wanted to be close to us, those two stayed inside that very first night, and have never been out again. The Mom was calm and I was very tempted to keep her in, but the other two were really wild. I kept feeding and taking care of the remaining three outside. One day the male just followed me into the garage, and into the house, and he settled in too. The mom dissapeared for a few days, and we were really worried. She came back, but seemed ill. Took her to the Vet, who said she was just very run down. In came Mom that very day. With only one very scared female outside I did not know what to do. This one would not let me get close to her, but I was so worried and sick leaving her outside. It was like a miracle, another cat showed up. She was terrified and ran to me to be held. I could'nt belive it, she was in too. Now I have Teezie ( the mom ) Tippy ( the only boy ) and Bootsie, Callie, and Flower ( the scared last little kitty ). All five have been inside, living happy for over a year. Bootsie and Callie have been in for over a year and half, that is how long it took to develop their trust, and come inside. I never had a cat before, now I have five, and I don't know what I would do without them. As for the other cat that showed up and scared Flower inside. His name is Skiddy. He had a very badly hurt foot and was starving. He now lives a happy life with my Son. We were able to rescue six cats in all.
I do know one thing to pass on to you. It is very important to have your Dad spend alot of time with this kitty. Feral Cats develop a strong bond with the person taking care of them, and they don't pass the bond off very easy. They usually bond to their caretakers, and are never very comfortable around lots of people. I read this in a pamphlet given to me by my Vet. I have also found alot of really good information by just doing a online search for feral cats.
Good luck with your kitty. People tell me how lucky my cats are, but I am the lucky one. I can't tell you the amount of joy they have given me. Lois