Socializing Feral kitten, approx. 4 months old

[knightrayven]

Hi, I work for a cat rescue group as a volunteer. I've fostered a bunch of kittens, from 2 weeks to five months, with good success. But now I've got a feral kitten, roughly four months old, that was brought in and neutered last night during our monthly clinic. He was supposed to be a catch-neuter-release, but we got talking about him and since he was so little, we decided to try socializing him rather than put him back with his colony. He's in a goodish sized dog crate in my spare room, using the litter box (mostly) and eating dry kitten food and water.
He's even eaten a little chicken baby food off of a spoon that I held through the bars of his cage. When I open the cage to change his water or clean his box, though, he throws himself against the sides of the cage in pure panic. I don't know how to begin socializing him, I'm afraid to do more damage to his view of humans by making a mistake.
I've gotten a little, mostly contradictory advice. Some said to withhold food unless he takes it from my spoon, some said to just put the food in there and talk to him from outside the cage for hours a day, some said to put a TV or radio in there so he gets used to human voices, some say he needs quiet. One lady said to wrap him in a towel 'like a burrito' and hold him for as much of the day as I can, but the poor thing panics when I open his cage door, I have no idea how to get him out and burrito wrapped without hurting him or me.
I've read a couple of articles online, again the information is largely contradictory. Does anyone here have experience with this, can you offer some advice? I could use some help!

Knightrayven

[Momofmany]

Welcome to TCS!

I've socialized ferals from the age of 10 days to up to 2 years. I'll start with some techniques that I use, and I'm sure that others will jump in and add to the list. Socializing them is all about doing things that are more natural to their instinctual behavior, and it is all about gaining their trust.

Cats love routine. The easiest routine to establish with them is feeding times. Do NOT with hold food. Rather, pick a couple of times a day where you deliver food and water to him and make those times consistent each day. What you are doing with wet food on a spoon is an excellent technique.

Cats are threatened by things "higher" than they are. When you are in the room with him, get down on his level. If you stand over him and look down, he will immediately interpret your behavior as one of domination and therefore a threat.

Cats greet each other thru "eye blinking". Cats are also threatened when another cat stares them down. To use this in your favor, if you happen to catch his eye, either look away quickly, or slowly blink your eyes at him. If he returns it with his own eye blink, you know that you are making progress with him. I have former ferals that all I need to do is blink at them and they come over to me for loving.

Since you can't really handle him physically right now and still need to do some bonding with him, an alternative is to grab a good book, sit on the floor next to the cage and read out loud to him. It will get him used to your presense, and also your voice.

If you keep him in the cage, put a sweaty t-shirt of yours in there with him to get used to your scent.

I would honestly try to get him out of the cage and give him a little more space in the room. If its a bedroom, lose the frame and put the mattresses on the floor for a little while (so he can't hide under it). Make sure he does have a place to go and hide (a box set on its side with the opening facing a wall is a great hidey hole for him). Which leads to the next point.

Don't force yourself on him right now by trying to pick him up and cuddling with him. It will only set him back. If he is loose, it gives him the option to walk up to you. He can't do that in a cage and therefore anytime you open the cage door to do something, he's going to feel threatened (you are towering over him).

If you have had him tested for disease (FIV/FeLV) and he is healthy, introduce him to another cat to serve as an "ambassador" to you. The most progress I've ever made with feral cats is when they have befriended one of my socialized residents, and then watches that cat interact with you. If his cat friend isn't afraid of the "big scary human", then why should he be?

Interactive wand toys are a great way to entice him closer to you. But if you use them and he comes close, don't make the mistake of grabbing him. It will be a set back.

Remember, he will socialize on his time, not yours. Patience is an extreme virtue when you work with feral cats.

Some of the advice you got isn't entirely off base, but some of it is better suited to a very young feral kitten. Once they pass the age of about 3 months, you have to walk a little more slowly with them. I have picked up 6 week old feral kittens and when they hissed and bit, just held them close and told them to get over it. At 4 months, they don't respond that easily.

[Ondine]

I agree with momofmany. I prefer to take the gentler way, especially when they're older and a little more set in their ways. Read to him, talk gently to him, move slowly whenever you're in his room. And do try to expand his world a little - that crate must feel awfully like a trap right about now.

And remember, you may never turn him into a lap cat. Some aren't - we have a former feral that I've managed to pet maybe 6 times in the two years he's been in the house. But we love him and I can't tell you how thrilling it is when he looks up at me and blinks. He know I'm his friend - just don't touch me thank you very much!

[knightrayven]

OK, those are some good ideas! I've already started with a routine, I'm a creature of habit myself so that comes naturally. I've got a blanket tossed over the cage and I sit next to it when I talk to him, so I don't loom over it so much. It's funny, I was reading to him earlier today! I talked to my husband about letting him out of the cage and giving him the run of the room, but he says there's too much furniture in there, it's a guest bedroom with a bed, wardrobe, dresser, et cetera, and my daughter usually uses that room to play in, so her toys are all over as well. In order to let him out of the cage at this point I'm afraid I'd have to move everything out of there and into the basement, and my hubby is definitely resistant to that idea! My 'boss' at the rescue is going to give me some flea treatment (advantix or something like it) and a dewormer pill, he's got tapeworms. We drew blood last night for the leukemia test, she didn't have the 'kit' on her though so the blood's in a lavender top. I'm sure she'll let me know soon, I'm expecting her call. I really like the idea of an 'ambassador cat' but I don't think any that I have are suitable. My own two are female, fixed littermates, about four years old, and they fairly tolerate the kittens I've brought in to foster. They are very friendly to me, but I think they'd fight with Drake (the feral baby) rather than warm up to him. The other two I've got are maybe a month younger than Drake, friendly to me as well. They make friendly advances to my girls but are regularly rebuffed. I don't want to put them in with Drake because he's bigger and I don't want them hurt. Besides, they'll probably only be with me a few more weeks, we're in the process of interviewing families for them and I think it will damage thier psyche's to introduce them to the wild boy.

[Momofmany]

I honestly have never tried to socialize a feral cat that is inside a cage. My instincts tell me that you can't make progress with him unless he is given the opportunity to socialize with you. They need to have some sense of control of their environment to relax enough to interact. He can't do that while in a cage.

Is there another room in your home with less traffic? I've used bathrooms and small porches when my bedrooms were not available at the time.

And if you don't think your resident cats would make good ambassadors, then don't use them. I was fortunate to have a king of ambassadors living with me for many years. He loved anyone that came thru the door.

And honestly, if you don't have an environment that will work in your favor, is there another volunteer that can work with him?

[StefanZ]

I believe much of your problems as now are of him not yet landed. Not yet stressed down. Not yet convinced there is really nobody mean to him. New, yes, unaccustomed, yes, but not threatening or harmful.
He isnt not there yet.
And thus - all those good advices how to foster - cant work out properly.



Different rescues uses often different ways to foster.
Why, some use even a dog-cage with good success... A forumit here did told once she fostered over 10 ferals into adoptable homecats with them in cage... She is an exception but apparently this is makeable - and sometimes even - the easiest way, for example with a feral who must get medicine: you dont need to chase him every time...

The easiest way is to have help from a friendly home cat. Or even a friendly dog may do! But some experienced fosters prefer not to use another cat but interact directly: foster - the cat....

And so on.

One thing strikes me. Does he have somewhere to hide some? A cat igloo, or a sideturned cardboard box will be fine. He shall not disappear from you deep hidden several days, but he shall have somewhere to rest alone. Necessary!!!
This will help much in cooling down, downstressing, landing.

You are yourself a little on that thought - when you write about tossing a blanket on that cage. Yes, it is a step on that way.
Momofmany is also thinking along similiarly: he must have possibility to stress down by a possibility to go aside some.. Hide a little..

Feliway can also be helpful. Shouldnt be necassary, but cant harm, and here with him sky high - might help extra much.


Edit: I see now what you write about your own cats.
Shy ferals are usually submissive to homecats. there are seldom real problems. NON-shy fertile males can beat up the homecats - but this is a different story...

You can though always interact with your cats so he, while still being in the cage, can look at you being friendly with other cats! This could help some...

[knightrayven]

Originally Posted by Momofmany

I honestly have never tried to socialize a feral cat that is inside a cage. My instincts tell me that you can't make progress with him unless he is given the opportunity to socialize with you. They need to have some sense of control of their environment to relax enough to interact. He can't do that while in a cage.

Is there another room in your home with less traffic? I've used bathrooms and small porches when my bedrooms were not available at the time.

And if you don't think your resident cats would make good ambassadors, then don't use them. I was fortunate to have a king of ambassadors living with me for many years. He loved anyone that came thru the door.

And honestly, if you don't have an environment that will work in your favor, is there another volunteer that can work with him?

Well, for one, the room he's in has no traffic, when I said my daughter plays in there I mean she did before I brought Drake home. I've got her to pick up her stuff and put it back in her room where it belongs. She's nine and tends to spread out if I let her! I'm still working on my husband, but he's already agreed to move stuff to the basement so I can let Drake out of his cage, but he won't be able to do it until tomorrow or the evening after.

In the meantime, I've been reading out loud near the cage, feeding him baby food from a spoon, and he sniffed my hand when I held it outside the bars near him. I even put a bit of food on my finger and held it just inside the bars and he licked it off, so I think we are making progress. I'm sure it'll be better for him to get out of the cage, that's why I'm getting my husband involved.

Also, I got the call from my 'boss', he is leukemia negative, and I'll be getting his flea and worm treatment tomorrow evening.

As far as finding another volunteer, there are seven of us in total, and when I agreed to take him I was told that no one else had the room, they all have as many cats as they can take already! If I hadn't taken him, he would have been released back into his colony.

I think he's my 'crash course' in ferals, I'm the least experienced member of our group, and my first feral. They've all given advice, but as I mentioned before, it's contradictory. The one that suggested the 'burrito treatment' swears by it, no matter the age of the cat, but I think it's probably exactly what I DON'T need to do, I want him to trust me, and I think that'll do the opposite!

[Skimble]

As for letting him out into the room you need not move things to the basement. Just do your regular kitten proofing. Put breakables away, unplug electrical cords that he might chew, etc. I cover any mirrors with a blanket.

Put something in there for him to scratch on, a cardboard scratcher, post etc.

If it is not practical for you to have a mattress on the floor, then leave it as is and fold any overhanging bedding up on the bed leaving it open. He may hide there but will most likely go to the boxes.

Put a cardboard box in the room turned on it's side with the opening facing a wall. You can put one on either side of the room so he will have a place to go no matter where he is in the room when you enter.

Tap lightly or say something softly at the door before you open. This will let him know you are there and not startle him as much.

Get a dirty, sweaty shirt of yours and put his food bowls on top of it. Replace the shirt occasionally.

Leave a treat where you were sitting when you get up.

Play a radio or CD with soft classical music. Leave a TV on a news channel during the day to get him used to different voices.

Keep reading to him. Stretch out flat on the floor on your stomach (if possible) to read or work on a laptop.

When you can, just sleep in there some. He will feel safe enough to get closer when you are asleep. I started out by pretending to sleep.

I use those wand or string toys while lying flat on the floor and my head turned slightly away so I am not even close to looking in their direction. While playing I will stop and be very still leaving the toy where it landed. That gives him a chance to come investigate.

Do everything in slow motion. This will help tremendously.

Be consistent and patient. It is not possible to know when things will change for him but you are off to a great start. Just don't set a time limit on him. There is nothing as special as earning the trust of a feral cat. Keep posting. So many experienced people here to help. Good luck.

[Diane Michelson]

Once he gets a little less freaked out, you might want to try catnip, if he likes it. Sometimes they sort of forget that they hate people while they are rolling around on the catnip. You might also try giving him yummy kitty treats or bits of chicken from your fingers, when he gets to the point of taking things from you. He needs to associate "human" with "good things". It can take a while, especially since he isn't a baby, but, most of the time, it can be done. Patience and slow movements are the key,

[Skimble]

Originally Posted by Diane Michelson

Once he gets a little less freaked out, you might want to try catnip, if he likes it.

Check any research you can find on ferals and catnip before trying.

A 30 year experienced rescuer of ferals once said that some ferals will react agressively with catnip. She recommended 'honeysuckle' or 'valerian'. It is the same crushed herb type like catnip.

Many say that a cat will not react to catnip until after 6 months of age. Some cats do not react at all.

These are just things I have heard through my time in rescue. It's always best to check information out for yourself to decide what is best for you.

Hope things continue to go well.

[Diane Michelson]

A couple of my cats start wrestling with each other when I give them catnip, even if I put it down in different locations. Maybe with a feral, she could try a catnip toy first and see how he reacts? I have not tried honeysuckle or valerian, I will check those out. I do think the most important thing is associating people with good things. I put out catnip for my TNRed ferals and they love it, but I don't stay out with them, since some won't come up if I am not behind the screen door.