Need advice for feral kitten

Hi, new to the site and could use some advice. We have been feeding cats on our back deck off and on for a while. A few months ago, this beautiful little one showed up. 


Turns out she was pregnant and gave birth to 6 little babies in the thick bushes in front of our house. Two orange, 1 butter scotch, and 3 tortie.



We would look out the window and try to think what to do with them. How to catch them. I guess mom got a little nervous with us looking at them all the time and decided to move house. They were gone for almost 2 weeks. Then we saw mom again and she had been TNR!


Later that night 4 of 6 little kittens came out as well. Missing 1 orange and one tortie. We hoped they got picked up by whoever got mom.



At this point we decided to catch them and were able to catch 3. We missed one tortie. She and mom moved house again. They were taken to the vet and combo test, first set of shots, and deworm and took up residence in one of our spare bathroom.


Orange boy: "sweet potato"

butterscotch boy: "french fry"

tortie girl: "taro"

I was expecting to be in for a hard road. There was poo and pee all over the place and much hissing. But after about a week the 2 boys started to come out from behind the toilet. I got out the laser pointer and started to play with them. The next day I could pet them. Then the next day I could pick them up. Just a few days later they are out in the spare bedroom and are very close to being house cats. They are total angels. We pet them, they purr (loudly). We can hug and kiss them. Curl up and take naps with them. I just can't believe it. Less then 3 weeks ago they were running around outside.



Their sister, Ms Taro, is the polar opposite.


She has not once used the littler box. Turns out she was the one the whole time. The boys used it right away. She is to this day still hissing, spitting, and lunging when we get anywhere near her. I had to separate them because of her non little box use but also because she was sending the boys back into fear with her level fear. She is now by herself in the little tiled room while the brothers are happily running around being house cats. She cries in there and is just generally not a happy cat. At first I thought she might be in pain or other issues, but when we are not around she is jumping around and trying to play with toys. Her poo and pee all look good. What can I do with her? Her non little box use is the biggest issue. I don't see how I can let her out of there. Thinking about getting a big cage so she can at least be outside where she can see her brothers and us (and our other cats) but I am not sure how to even get her out of the bathroom at this point and how I could clean her cage with her being so aggressive. Any advice how I can help this poor little thing be happy? Thanks in advance.

Ah torties. Well known for their "tortitude," they can be quite a challenge. First, the litter box. Get some Dr. Elsey's Kitten Attract and sprinkle it on her litter. It has a smell that tells cats to "go here!"

It is expensive, so you can use it sparingly. If you can't get that, try putting some dirt on top of the litter. It is what she was used to using outside. You can also bury her poop in the litter and if you use a paper towel to soak up the pee, bury one of those, too. She'll get the idea.

Keeping her by herself will help you befriend her. Take plenty of time to play with her, read out loud to her and just hang out in there. If she only has a human for company, she will get used to the idea of humans. Remember, she may never be a lap cat but if you can get her at least unafraid, she can eventually get used to the rest of the house.

When that time comes (after a week or two), you can put a screen door (or double stacked baby gates) at the bathroom door. That will allow her to see and smell the other cats and keep everyone safe during intros.

They are adorable. Thank you for helping them.

If you can, try finding the lovely person who took care of mommy. He or she is a valuable asset.

I agree with Ondine.  Separate him for now and in a few weeks put up a screen.

You want the skittish cat to see the socialized cats interact with one another and with a human so Ms. Taro can learn that humans aren't all bad.

And you've certainly proved that point:  thank you so much for taking care of the momma cat and kittens.

And, cat's "dna" is different, even within the same litter. Some cats just won't be lap cats or snuggle buddies.  But do love you even if they can't show it.

First, the litter box. Get some Dr. Elsey's Kitten Attract and sprinkle it on her litter. It has a smell that tells cats to "go here!"

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[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]You can also bury her poop in the litter and if you use a paper towel to soak up the pee, bury one of those, too. She'll get the idea.[/color]

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Thanks. That seems to be working. She has used the littler box for the first time last night!

Glad she is now progressing, tx to good advices.

My addition and reaction is, you tell like it seems she has much fear.  When in fear, the deep learning isnt working. Not with human pupils, and  not with cats.

Get down the fear, and the learning and fostering will start and go on easier.

So.  Set up a Feliway adapter, and play calming soft music. Classical harp music is best, but most may work, as long it is suitable soft relaxing music.

There are also these so called Flower essences. Some of them specialized for using when fostering ferales, or helping nervous, afraid cats.   The cat whisperer Jackson Galaxy has also a firm, selling these.

Dr Bach´s drops are another type with similiar ideas (actually, Dr Bach was first with them, a 80 years ago)

Put also for her a cat igloo in there, so she has somewhere comfortably to take her hide and still feel like in home, at your place.

Have also a scratching post of some sort in there.

Good luck!

Great news! Keep up the good work

I agree with the advice, also StefanZ, you should never feel intimidated because she will know, which keeps her thinking she has the upper hand, at least a bit.

Time is of the essence at this point due to her age.

As Ondine said, tortitude They almost always have the stronger, tougher personalities.

It seems she is heading in a positive direction at this point.

Here is my way, and it works!!

You can reach her through her hunger.

Take her food away, allow her to go...oh maybe 1/2 a day without food, but always have fresh water for her of course.

She will be good and hungry, which allows her to be manipulated easily, or at least easier!

Take food to her, try the norm but it might take something more irresistable at first,  getting on the floor and holding it in your hand. On the floor is much less intimidating to her, her level.

She MUST come to you to eat.

When she does, pet her with your other hand. She may back away but will return, then pet her again.

She will quickly realize, no pets, no food, and will crumble

Once she gets okay with this, try to pick her up, or at least putting your hand under her tummy and lifting a bit to start.

After a few times she should come to you for food, you can even coax her to your lap for the food too.

If it were me, I would do just what I told you, but would also, after eating, would scruff her up and wrap tightly like a burrito up to her neck, no front paws out, and pack her around with me, until she relaxes. Petting, kiss her cheek, whatever, and she will put two and two together and understand that humans are good.

Also aside from just for food, try to spend time with her to play.

Play is another excellent way of gaining trust and a bond.

Once she has passed all this, allow her time out of the bathroom, if you see she reverts backward in any way, back to the bathroom.

catwoman707 said:

also, after eating, would scruff her up and wrap tightly like a burrito up to her neck, no front paws out, and pack her around with me, until she relaxes. Petting, kiss her cheek, whatever, and she will put two and two together and understand that humans are good.

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Excellent tip by Catwoman707!  Hold her so she hears you heart, and make a lot of friendly sounds, talk sweetly, you may sing softly if you can and want.

Lotsa of friendly sounds is a mighty tool in our arsenale.  Friendly toms use a lot of such nice sounds when they do court. Moms do use them too. So it is a natural language for cats.

Good luck!

Much progress with her in the past week. She is sweet like her brothers but a good bit different. She doesn't like to play as much but really loves attention. She would rather us pet her now then eat and play. She loves to be "licked" by the toothbrush and will lick us back as long as we let her.

Oh she is too sweet with that dirty little face. Good job! How are the boys?

Wow, use a toothbrush for "licking" and massaging!  Nice tip, tx, Im buying it immediately!

I will also advocate it hereafter.  

Good job!  They are adorable!

Awwwww, thank you for those awesome pictures - great job!!!!

They are such beautiful kittens! You're so lucky to have been chosen as the person they came to live with.

I didn't realise that tortoiseshells have a reputation for being difficult. My tortie, Mia, is a total diva, but I thought that was just her. 

I'm glad that all three of them are settling in to their new home.

What happened to the mother cat and the other kittens?

I just the pictures.  The little pink toes are just adorable!  Have you seen the Mom recently or the other two missing babies?  It's so wonderful that someone else cares too and TNR'd her.  Thank you so much for caring and taking care of these kitties!
 

What beautiful kittens and cats.  Are you keeping these little ones?  Have you seen the mom or the missing kitten?

Update. All 6 babies are alive and well. Mom came by with them the other day. Here she is with "Pumpkin". The other 2 torties, "Lotus" and "Yamaimo" were seen as well but sadly no pics. The 4 of them slept on the deck for a good part of the night, so the entire family was almost together. Gives me some hope to be able to re-unite them all.


We will keep the 2 boys for sure. They are total angels. With those 2 added our total cat count will be 5, which is kind of a lot. A friend of friend is interested in Taro. She recently got a kitten and that one could use a "friend". Taro, while shy, is very sweet so we would gladly keep her too. That would be 6; which is very much a lot.



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