7 months - lost cause? We

I trapped a litter of 5 ferals, about 7 months old. Tried to catch the mom, but she has been missing for weeks. The 5 kittens are in my basement (heated, carpeted). I moved everything that I could so they can't hide. If I can get close to them, they will let me slowly pet them. But they are balls of fear right now. They are getting spayed and neutered next week, the soonest I could find a vet to fit them in.

First, do you think I should put them in a small bathroom? (6x6). Would that hurt or hinder them? Right now, the room is big, so getting close to them isn't easy.

Second, what are the chances they will be tame enough to adopt out? I can't keep them, I have 5 indoor only cats, but I am able to keep and foster them for a while until I can find homes. But if I can't, I'm not sure what I will do.

I have taken in about 5 or 6 feral litters, and TNRed 2 moms. The kittens were always under 3 months, never as old as these current ones. So I am unsure of what to do, and my heart is breaking because I'm afraid they will never tame and I'll have to put them outside. And that just kills me.


Any advice would be helpful. Thanks.

Hi Kittsback,

Thank you for taking in the tiny balls of fur ferals.  6 ft x 6 ft is probably okay for kittens and they won't be so overwhelmed in a larger room since they are babies.

As far as adopting them out, it will depend on the cat but if they get a lot of human contact and love they could do well.  We trapped a feral cat in July 2011 in Fl. when we had our home up for sale. We had been feeding her for a few months and she was terrified of humans. She was about 2 years old at the time according to our vet that fixed her and dhe did a physical on her. We call her Sox, and we traveled across country to Nevada with Sox and our other 4 furry felines and they all were so well behaved on the trip.  Up until the trip we kept Sox in a half bath which might be as big as your 6 x 6 for 5 months and I spent a lot of time talking to her and laying on the floor with her getting her used to us. Now she is no longer afraid of us and walks around the house and hangs out around where we watch tv a lot and lays in the sun. She does not want us to touch her or pick her up but she does not hiss or growl. In the evening when I start to get her wet food she comes in the kitchen rubbing her face against everything and meows. She has such a sweet personality and gets along well with our other cats. We have 2 females besides her and they try to harass her but she lets them know that she is no push over.  I just wanted to tell you our story.  We are so glad we rescued from a rough life as a feral. All of our cats are "indoor" only.  A lot just depends on the cat and how much a person puts into socializing with them. We had never taken in a feral before but we got our other 4 from the Petsmart in Fl and they get their cats through the local shelter in Orlando.

7 month is no big deal by itself. Your problem is there are 5 of them together, and learning to be shy form each other.  That is this which makes it a challenge for you.

But as you say, they do allow you to pet them sometimes, so this is very encouraging.  

You took away everything they can hide. Good, but dont overdo it. Let them have some sort of cat igloos, or sideturned cardboard boxes, so they will feel a little more safe in there.  Cats like their privace rooms.

Scratching posts are also good for well being.

Talk a lot with them with a friendly voice.  Like their mom does, or a friendly tom courting.

Do you use Feliway?  May help, cant hurt.  Soft, relaxing music perhaps too.

6x6 feet for one is not too small, but for 5?? Nay.

But you can compromise.

You can take ONE away into this small room, and work intensively with it, one to one.  Say, wrap it in a thick towel, and carry around at your heart, murmuring a lot of friendly phrases and singing softly (if you like to sing).

When all the quarantine period is over, you can also consider them seeing you interact with your residents, so they see you are a very cat friendly person.  If you can arrange this in some conventient way...

ps.  Also, if you notice one or two are becoming friendlier or more daring, work extra with them and use them as show examples for their siblings.   It may be the key in these situations.

Good luck!

Thanks for the suggestions. I will try to get one or two of them in the small bathroom and work individually with them. I agree that the room is a bit too small for all 5 at once. The room they are in now has a couple places for them to hide, but not too much that they completely disappear from me. I can pet them if they are up against the wall and have no place to run, but I haven't been able to get them to eat while I am in the room with them. If I place the food near them, they run. But once I leave the room, I can see from the window that they all come out and eat. I try talking and playing music, but I'm afraid it's not working. I know I need to be patient though. I do have some Feliway diffusers so I will try those.

Best case scenario is that they come around and can be adopted, but I'm afraid by 9 months or so, no one will want one, especially if they are still pretty wild. It's going to take someone with a lot of patience who doesn't expect a playful lap cat right out of the gate.

Thanks again for reading. Hopefully they will start to come around.

kittysback said:

I try talking and playing music, but I'm afraid it's not working. I know I need to be patient though. I do have some Feliway diffusers so I will try those.

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Yes, patience and time is the key in all such cases.   Friendly talking and making friendly noises is also a potent ally. But time and patience most important.

Good luck!

Just a little update on my five feral kittens. They have been coming along and becoming more friendly in the last few weeks. I can pet and hold a few of them and they are getting pretty used to the routine. I come in, talk sweet and feed them. They still shy away a bit. They even come towards the door when I walk in knowing that food is on the way! 3 of them are very sweet. They have all been spayed/neutered/dewormed and given flea treatment and now I'm wondering what the next step is.

I have someone who is interested in two of them. I've explained that these are feral cats and need a lot of time and patience and that they may even be frightened for a while until they start to bond with her. I suggested keeping them in a separate bedroom for a few weeks and continue to speak softly and feed them on a schedule.

I kind of feel like, if she is willing to take 2 of them and take the time for them to bond with her, then it makes sense for them to bond with her and not me. Is this the optimal way to handle this? How have others dealt with this in the past. Have you ever had someone take them, and then a few months say that it's too hard and doesn't want them anymore?

kittysback said:

I kind of feel like, if she is willing to take 2 of them and take the time for them to bond with her, then it makes sense for them to bond with her and not me.

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If she is willing and you have positive vibes, sure, go for it. Long experience and knowledge is good, but the  most important is the heart, love and patience - this being usually enough.

You can often see very positive results from green new bes, as long as they do their best.

It will it also make easier for you to work with three than with 5.

BUT. It is no drawback they bond to you.  Once bonded to one human, their journey with the next human and next bonding will be much easier.

So, do as you feel is appropriate. THIS problem is the least of them.    

Good luck!