Can feral kittens be tamed?

A friend of mine is considering adopting a feral kitten that is 10 weeks old.

She called the shelter and the person told her the kittens are feral. Their mother was a housecat that was dumped and then had these kittens in a barn.

I guess one of the kittens seems very wild/scared, but the other one is getting friendly. They only saw humans for the first time at the age of 8 weeks.

She is nervous to adopt a feral because she wants a cat that will be cuddly and friendly. She doesn't want a cat that will "scratch her eyeballs out while she sleeps"

Thoughts?

One thing she could do is adopt the more friendly one and the more scared one together. The friendliness IMO is more likely to "rub off".

Kittens are much more malleable than adult cats, I think, and I took Elsa from a cat that would run if she saw someone through a window, to a cat that sleeps on the foot of my bed every night, and has to do her "nummies" on my blanket first.

Of course it didn't happen overnight...

Feral kittens will be easily spooked, but not aggressive. Any seemingly aggressive behavior will be a reaction to fear at this time. Does the friend have another cat already? Feral cats tend to be very cat friendly and a already tame cat in the home serves as a wonderful bridge.

But yes, 10wks is young yet and easily tamed with patience. I actually suggest that if she's only to take one that she considers the more wild one. It will be a bigger challenge, but that kitten may not be adopted otherwise.

Kitten(s) will need to be kept in a small room for a couple weeks or so, like a bathroom. This makes interaction easier and it will be easier if vet care is needed in that time.
I estimate that 8 weeks of proper taming could have them tame and friendly with their owner(s).

Feral kittens can be tamed, and these two are young.

That said... the risk of wanting a cuddly cat and adopting a kitten is the same whether the kittens are feral or not. When they're that young, you have no idea WHAT personality they're going to have. If she wants a cuddly, friendly cat, then she should adopt from a shelter a kitty that's older and they already know what it's personality is like.

It'd be really sad for these little kitties to be adopted - your friend finds she doesn't have the patience for this - and returns them. It'd make it that much more difficult for THEM to trust anyone.

The bond you have with a former feral that you socialized can be intense and incredibly rewarding. But it takes time, you MUST turn off your clock, and then there's no guarantee they'll be cuddly at all.

Example: Lazlo and Shelly. Littermates. Lazlo was our first rescue kitty. We brought him inside when he was 8-10 weeks old. 10 days later, we though maybe he needed a friend, so we brought Shelly inside. They took a couple of weeks to be really comfortable - that was it.

Shelly is outgoing, likes meeting new people, is an ambassador kitty and likes other cats. He loves brushes, being petted, and was a lap cat from about age 2. Very bold guy, very friendly, very affectionate!

Lazlo still isn't really a lap cat (about to be 9 years old). He LOVES brushes and is affectionate - a spaz about headbumping - but is terrified of anyone but Gary or I. And if he's "on alert," he'll still bolt if we drop something, or sneeze, or cough or something.

This a shelter worker will know about kitties that are a bit older. But with kittens - it's anyone's guess.

^that said, I have three feral born kittens that I got around ~7wks old that are cuddly. So you never know.

(Though really all of my cats are varying degrees of cuddly/clingy except Boo who was also feral born. But then he does really love pettings and butt scratches)

That's my point. Lazlo is loving, but not cuddly. Shelly is cuddly. There was no way to tell at 7, 8, 9, or 10 weeks that it was going to turn out that way. In fact - I'd have bet the opposite, because Lazlo liked being inside Gary's shirt, and purred up a storm. It was once he got comfortable that he didn't "need' cuddly anymore.

Jack was semi feral, and he's a love bug!!. He can be jumpy and scared at times though over the least little thing, but he's got a lot better. He hates being picked up for a cuddle as well, so i just don't do it anymore to save stressing him out.

She just has to have that bit extra patience with it that's all

Originally Posted by LDG

That's my point. Lazlo is loving, but not cuddly. Shelly is cuddly. There was no way to tell at 7, 8, 9, or 10 weeks that it was going to turn out that way. In fact - I'd have bet the opposite, because Lazlo liked being inside Gary's shirt, and purred up a storm. It was once he got comfortable that he didn't "need' cuddly anymore.

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I think it's part nuture, too. There's no way that the dozens of cats I've raised/worked with were all cuddlers but I always end up with cats on me. Even other peoples cats…

I plan to start integrating MewMew and Boo come spring when we can finish enclosing the deck, which will provide a safe zone for them to see and sniff each other. Once Boo is inside I have no doubt I wake up to him laying on me with the rest of the cats.

If you're gentle, and spoil your cats too, they all come around.

Yes, they can be tamed!!! And it is positively the most rewarding experience I have ever had . It takes alot of patience and you need to spend alot of time just talking and being near the kitten at first. I just trapped five cats/older kittens in December and have kept one of them, Magilla. It has been six weeks and she is totally trusting of me now and plays with my other cats. You can read about her on the feral thread Something I didn't plan and I have posted there about my experience with taming the three kittens. I used a large cat playpen in the beginning. That way you can slowly reach in and pet them and they cannot run and hide. That is very important in the beginning of the taming process. You don't want them to have a place to run from you because if you have to go after them and pull them out of a hiding place, it is more traumatic on them. A cage offers you the ability to sit near the cage and reach in with your hand and pet very gently.

Each cat is different in how they come around. Pixie was purring on day two after being trapped. Avery is still quite scared to this day and really needs a home. Magilla is very loving with me now, but is frightened of other people.

Once a feral trusts their person, their loyalty is astounding and uncomparable to anything I have ever known with owning cats. It is worth the effort. .

I would caution anyone working with feral kittens. A true feral kitten (aggressive, hissing, spitting, hiding, striking) can never be "tamed" the kitten can be socialized though which is a big difference.

We have at our house over a dozen socialized "strays" They all had feral tendencies when they came here. Now they jump on laps, stay in the same room with us, but if something startles them- we have what we call the "Stray Cat Scramble" and they will ALL flee. If they are on your lap, they leave behind either deep punctures of claw marks. So "tame" docile, like a house cat- no, but socialized and able to live in the family yes. Age doesn't matter here- I have socialized all ages in time.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

I think it's part nuture, too. There's no way that the dozens of cats I've raised/worked with were all cuddlers but I always end up with cats on me. Even other peoples cats…

I plan to start integrating MewMew and Boo come spring when we can finish enclosing the deck, which will provide a safe zone for them to see and sniff each other. Once Boo is inside I have no doubt I wake up to him laying on me with the rest of the cats.

If you're gentle, and spoil your cats too, they all come around.

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Gary and I aren't nurturing, don't spoil our kitties, and aren't gentle. (Sorry Strange, while you do have a very matter-of-fact way, it's hard not to take offense at that one).

Yes, but how long does it take? Some kitties are cuddly right away. Some aren't. Tuxie could initially stand one pet on a cheek. He became an incredibly demonstrative loving kitty, and at some point learned to love the brush and can be brushed endlessly - but is just now (at almost nine) becoming a lap cat. He'll sleep at the end of the bed, and loves sleeping on our clothes (especially our coats) or blankets - but not on us.

My main concern is whether or not Natalie's friend is prepared for the process.

Thank God but my Penny didn't fit the true feral description meaning the dangerous factors (clawing, fighting, wanting freedom at all costs). I call her my "field kitten" because IMO (which could be wrong), Penny was "mostly feral" and had feral parents (mommy kitty for sure, the daddy kitty is a guess), and born outside and she spent her first 34-38 days of life outdoors (I'm not sure of the exact number. I only know what the TNR person told me). I feel if I adopted Penny a few days later, things wouldn't have worked out. Just a feeling.

LDG - Pictures and stories you post say otherwise. You two are too dedicated to convince anyone differently.
Spoiled doesn't mean treats, btw, but time given to/with them, how much you've done to make them happy (toys, kitty furniture, sharing your bed, etc).

As I said, roughly 8 weeks if her friend stays on course and doesn't give up. I've found, that to a degree, age and time to tame down roughly correlate. That means 6 months or so if a kitty is half a year old. And I don't mean tame to being a completely pliant cat, but one that accepts interaction and some holding without fear and even with some enjoyment.

Even my tame social kitties run when someone comes over. Who it is and how loud they are determines whether anyone comes out. The quieter the person, the more cats- or say sleeping, and even the skittish kittens are out sniffing them.

Originally Posted by hissy

I would caution anyone working with feral kittens. A true feral kitten (aggressive, hissing, spitting, hiding, striking) can never be "tamed" the kitten can be socialized though which is a big difference.

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I'm normally a stickler for semantics. Of course, MA, you're right. There is a big difference between "tame" and "socialized."

Feral kittens can be socialized, and can appear to be tame. But they usually retain a measure of "skittish," though they can be VERY loving and cuddly if the person socializing them has the right attitude, time, and patience. Once that bridge of trust is built, it is an incredible bond.

I thought of the flipside to this shortly after waking up earlier. What about cats that are tame (non aggressive, tolerant of handling, etc) but aren't socialized very well? A few of my cats would fall into this category - I don't have a lot of company to desensitize them with. Yet if, say one of you, had to hold one of them they'd wouldn't go wild.

How does one categorize this? And don't most people have a cat or two like this? Skittish kitties. (Which, IMO, is likely how these kittens may turn out - I don't think there's anything wrong with that.)

With ferals, its a 50/50 chance thing on taming them. A friend of mine rescued 4 kittens that were feral and from kids trying to set them on fire. It was 3 boys and 1 girl.

They were all "wild" when first coming in the house and after a year the males all came around and were friendly to everyone and easy to handle. However, the little girl (who only got shots once and never could be caught to be spayed) lived in the house for 9 yrs before she died.

You could NOT handle or touch this cat at all - she would run the second you reached out for her. And she could not be caught to be spayed either. She had very infrequent heat cycles and even then, could not be picked up.

When she died, they did an autopsy on her to find out why she never really went into heat. All her organs were backwards inside - if she had gotten pregnant she would have died during birth!

So you take a chance on these kittens when you adopt. Don't expect anything out of them and hopefully they will come around to be friendly in time.

Originally Posted by LDG

I'm normally a stickler for semantics. Of course, MA, you're right. There is a big difference between "tame" and "socialized."

Feral kittens can be socialized, and can appear to be tame. But they usually retain a measure of "skittish," though they can be VERY loving and cuddly if the person socializing them has the right attitude, time, and patience.

Once that bridge of trust is built, it is an incredible bond.

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Our only cat, Lucky, was only out of a colony for 3 days when I took him. Vet estimated 6 mos old. Her first question was is he feral-scared or feral-aggressive. He was definitely feral scared. After exam etc she commented it was as tho he wanted to be friendly but didn't know how.

9-10 mos in our house now..still no laps, but he tolerates picking up (rests his teeth on my arm with no pressure when he's had enough lol), rubs, follows me, won't get in his bedroom bed until I go to bed, jumps on couch & gets very close now, and wants pets & brushes, and really seems to love us now.

BUT, the least fast movement or loud noice/voice while petting or brushing & he bolts. Usually gets right back up, after he assesses the situation, but definitely a knee-jerk reaction to loud sound or movement.

Originally Posted by LuckyBabyCat

BUT, the least fast movement or loud noice/voice while petting or brushing & he bolts. Usually gets right back up, after he assesses the situation, but definitely a knee-jerk reaction to loud sound or movement.

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That's not terribly uncharacteristic of a small animal, though. If we make any really loud sudden noises it can trigger a cat stampede involving all the cats, even the ones that really aren't frightened of much. I suspect that's either them reacting because some of the others are or simply because they want to join in. (I also get 5-6 cats racing through the house daily, each lap through the house gains another cat)
The fact that a cat will come back out (and all of ours will) says a lot.

We found our kitten in a warehouse next to 2 building sites when she was roughly 16 weeks old. She was petrified of us for months, but very slowly gained confidence. Food bribes and wand toys were key. We have had her for nearly a year, and she is a total cuddle bunny. She leaps into our laps and sleeps in between us. She remains skittish and wary of strangers, particularly when we are not there to reassure her. We recently went away for 2 weeks and the cat sitter only saw her once.

My boy Gus was feral. I kittynapped him from his Mom when he was around 8 weeks old. He bite me and clawed me. I put him in my basement. Within a month Gus was running around the house, like he owned it. He hides as soon as someone he doesn't know comes in the house. He is a big ball of love.