Jen,

Kim is right. There ARE some ferals that just can't be socialized. Don't beat yourself up over it. It happens.

I rescued 3 feral kittens just before I moved to CT. I confined them to a cage in my spare room so I had access to them. Everyday I would spend at least 15-20 minutes EACH, holding them, whispering to them and handling them as much as possible. 2 (Ozzie and Deek) of the 3 kittens did great. Grumpy Dave started coming around. It was only after I had him neutered that he reverted back to his feralness. No matter what I did, he never came around. So he's now happily living at a farm with other ferals in upstate CT.

The key is to handle her as much as you can. Even if you have to wrap (papoose) her up in a towel with only her face showing. Talk softly, and pet her. Slowly blink your eyes as this will let her know everything is okay and you're not going to hurt her. She may have to be confined for a little while. But if you keep spending time with her, feeding her, giving her treats, she'll start to know that you can be trusted.

It took me a while to get used to working with ferals. Feral kittens need to be removed from the mamas by 6 weeks. The longer they stay, the more difficult it is to socialize them. The oldest kittens I ever socialized were about 10-12 weeks old. They lived in a tree with their mama.

Patience is the key, Jen. Don't get discouraged. And if it doesn't work out, it's just nature, plain and simple.

Good luck and please keep us posted. If you need anymore advice, feel free.