I took in 3 feral cats a few days ago, a mother and two kittens approx 3-4 months old. I have two obnoxious dogs who will lick them for hours, plus two other cats, so I put the 3 of them into a small bathroom. They're extremely scared of me and have been hiding in a cardboard box I turned over, but I definitely see some progress. My current cats have a fascination with one of my makeup brushes (no idea what its made from), so I introduced it to the kittens. And after smelling it for a few minutes, they actually put their paw on it... so I started moving it around, and they were playing! Of course, they didn't actually get up, but it was nice to see them batting it around and chewing it a little. Then, I put a couple pieces of food right next to their paws, and they ate it! Its a big improvement over the "statue" mode they were in a few days ago. I finally coaxed both of them to eat from the dish I brought in. They were hesitant to do so in front of me, but the food got the better of them.
Of course, if I leave and come back to the bathroom a little later, its back to square one, but I have confidence they'll be okay. I'm not sure the Feliway is working, but I'm still spraying it in the room and on their blankets. The mother is a problem though... I can pet her, but she hisses a little bit and is really scared. She tries to find anywhere to hide from me. All 3 are very docile, fortunately. From the first day I've been able to pet them without biting or scratching, but I can tell they're very frightened. Also, when I'm home, I put a baby gate in front of the bathroom door. I know I need to be patient with them, but is there anything else I can do? Would separating them help?
Thanks!
Thanks!