Help

i've been looking for some advice. i've had cats before and never had this problem..i recently got 2 kittens. they were in the paper and i went to go get them..this lady i got them from said she found them about a week before i got them i've had jade and kada for a little over a week. they were found in an old barn. i've had them in my bedroom and recently opened the door for them to come out and explore. but they are still very scared. they are 2 months old. they hide under my bed and are very afraid of humans. i try to spend as much time as i can with each one and handle them and snuggle with them, but nothing seems to be working. i just want to know if eventually they will stop being so scared, let me handle them more, and come out and be nice cats. is it just going to take a longer time because they are still kittens and still that scared?

It might take a while if they are barn cats and not used to people. They also have each other for company so dont have to depend on you for affection.

In the long run though its good they have each other. They will end up being better socialized having a playmate. At least from what I have found out.

I would try giving them treats put it down let them come to it. As time goes move the treats a little closer untill they take them out of your hands. You can even do that with the food if you have the time. Just so they trust that your hands are not gonna hurt them but mean good things.

I would not pick them up if it causes them to get upset. Eventually they will come out and come to yu at there own pace.

Talk with them alot and let them hear your voice. It will take time but hopfully with a lot of patience they will come around.

You dont know what might have happened to them in the 2 short months before being found.

I think that alot of the kittens' timidity is because they are prob. feral and their mom was prob. feral. I'm fostering 2 litters - both approx. the same age & born under the same house, but 1 mom was a stray (now named Chrystal, spayed & happily living in my house) and the other mom was at least 2nd generation feral. The stray's 3 kittens are totally tame, but the ferals are very skittish - they tame down once I catch them, but by the end of my work day, it's back to being skittish again. I also have a 3rd group of older kittens, also 3rd generation feral, and of 4, only 1 is really secure around me; at about 12wks old he has really come around. There is a 2nd one that approaches and if I catch him and hold him long enough, he relaxes; the other 2 are very wild, so I don't try to catch them at all.
Good luck on taming your babies - I think that time being handled is what works best. Please keep us posted & bless you for giving those kitties a chance at a good life

i think if you keep things quite and on a regular basic and keep there lives very simple at this point and not a lot of vistors i think they will come out of there shell and learn to trust you give it some time good luck just keep trying

It can take a while. I gave two kittens from "my" a feral litter to my Mom and they lived behind her stove for a month after they got there - and they had been at least partly socialized before they went to her! Patience will be rewarded!

thanks for all the suggestions..i have been getting them used to me as much as possible. i feed them once in the morning and once when i get home..so i hope that helps them get to trust me, and know that it's okay to come out. i keep moving there food bowls a little closer to the door each week. i spend maybe 5-10 mins talking to them and petting them, to let them know it's okay to be loved by a human..i keep things to a minimal. they still hide under my bed, but come out at night sometimes, and explore. so i hope thats a good sign that they are starting to get more and more comfy. i'm going to be very patient with them. I'm going to give them a good home, even if they don't turn out to be cuddle bugs! i'll keep possting on how things are going. any more helpful hints or suggestions along the way would be and is appreciated!

Keep up the good work!

I should add now that both Mom's cats (Caspar and Moe) are now complete lover-boys; they sit on Mom, sleep with her, and adore petting, snuggling, and (in Moe's case) having long conversations.

Keeping in mind they never saw a human until they were about 5 weeks old, and they are now 18 months old, they've come a long way - and you are treating your kitties about the same as I and Mom treated ours - it is likely you, too, will have a couple lovies eventually!

question...i'm not sure if this was stated i know i read somewhere to take away there hiding spots. i just wanted to know if anyone has done that and what the outcome was. i was told to make it so they can't hide under my bed anymore, and i was told to just leave them there, because that's were they feel most comforatable. or can i take that hiding spot away after a period of time?

I wouldn't take away their hiding spot. Seems to me that would just make them more upset. Eventually, they won't need it because they'll be too busy bugging you for lovies - but they probably will want it if a stranger comes to your place.