Need advice: Socializing a Mum and 3 kittens

Hello,

7 weeks ago i started feeding a Mum cat and her 3 kittens who took refuge in a friend's back yard. 5 weeks ago I trapped all 4 of them, and brought them to my apartment with the intent of socializing them and getting them adopted out. When i trapped them, the kittens were probably about 3-4 months old, and by now they should be about 4-5 months old. Over the past couple of weeks, the cats have gotten comfortable with me coming close to them. I spend about an hour or so a day with them in the same room when i give them their food in the evening. I sit in the room and work on my laptop or chat on the phone. They appear comfortable enough to sleep in my presence or to play with each other right in front of me. But, they will run away if i attempt to touch them. Any advice on how i can get them comfortable enough for me to touch them or more effectively socialize them?

I've read online that i should use a towel to catch a hold of them and to handle them as much as possible. I am not sure that's the right thing to do now since they are older and larger than your 6-8 week old kitten, and i think that will freak them out and "destroy" the trust i have built thus far.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Hi,
I think you should use your instincts about what doesn't feel right here, because it is all about trust. When I trapped Jackson, he was under a pound,and hid under the blankets for a couple of days. Food, specifically cat milk, caused him to indentify that with me. I started having my lunch on the floor near his dog kennel and if he started to look intersted, I shared bits of my lunch with him. That was where the trust started with him. Of course now he looks in my bowls and dishes, and believes that we are still sharing. He really liked yogurt!

Food, patience, human contact and time. Those 4 things are what you need. I would not use a towel to catch them. You need to foster trust, not fear. All my ferals were tamed with these 4 things. It sounds like you are doing all the right things. I used to lay on the floor and play solitaire in their area. Eventually, I started to toss them treats. It took almost 1 year for one of them to come around. You have a good to take these little ones in!

A good example is much useful.

Thus, if you have a home cat you can play with and cuddle with where they see it. Preferably if said home cat is their pal...
Even a friendly dog may work this way.

If you dont have any home cat, or cant use her because they are in quarantene, go on the bravest of them. And use the bravest as your example...