Two in the box, ready to go...

We be fast and they be slow!

Two kittens in traps this morning.  They were not even baited, poor innocents.  We're calling them Leonides and Castor.  Mixing a little Roman and Greek stuff there, but what can you do?  

Little ones are in a large cat haven, complete with litter box and scratching post.  They're still climbing up the cage like little monkeys, but now that the cage is sheeted, they should settle down.  

We'l bait the cages and hope to get the other two kittens this evening.  We seem to have two havens - a large and tall one, and a shorter one we can use to isolate one kitten at a time.  

We intend to let the little ones rest for now, and see how we're doing later.  They have food and water and a few toys.  

Any advice for early stages of socialization?

I watched a video a few years ago on Youtube on socializing feral kittens.  His tip was to use Gerber stage 1 turkey or chicken baby food.  He called it kitty crack.  Oh, I just found the videos.  There are 3 parts.







Good luck trapping the remaining kittens!

Yes, food is your friend.  Anything they like can be used to bribe them into liking you.  I use Gerber Stage 2 - just chicken and water.  By the end of the first day, they will be licking it off a spoon, and pretty soon, off your fingers.

It sounds like you set-up is perfect.  With time and patience, you'll have nice litte house kittens soon.  You will know you have succeeded when they are waiting at the door for you.

I have looked at the videos, and I think I can do this.  Thank you for the wonderful materials.

Getting baby food this afternoon.  One of the kittens has used the kitty box, and they have eaten since entering the cage.  So far, one will look at me, the other will not, but that doesn't seem abnormal for the stage they're at.  My first step, it seems, is getting them to eat in the presence of humans.  I'll start work on that this evening.

BTW - the two we've caught are Castor and Leonides, or Leo.  Cute little guys.

I've been observing the kittens this morning and afternoon.  One of them is pretty steady - calm, but terrified.  The other one is visibly shaking.  I can't tell if this is a sign of stress or if he's possibly sick.  I witnessed a kitten die from distemper many years ago, and would never want to see that again.  Should I be concerned and consider isolating him from his brother?

Does he shake all the time or just when he sees you?  Are there other symptoms (runny eyes, coughs, other odd behavior).  If so, isolate him and take him to the vet ASAP.

If he is sick, he needs the vet's attention.  If he's not sick, he'll need a check up sooner or later anyway.

Poor dear, he may just be frightened.  But there's no sense in taking chances as you have no background info on them.  Thank you for helping them.

His eyes are clear, his nose dry.  I can't tell if he shakes when I'm not around, but he trembles when I'm out with him.

I have an appointment to take all the kittens I catch to a vet on Wednesday.  I have a second cage and, theoretically, I can move him to that cage and keep his siblings in the larger one.  

So far, neither kitten has eaten, not even the "jackpot" food.  I'm hopeful that they'll be moved by hunger, and tomorrow they'll eat when a person is out there.  Cross your fingers.

They probably have parasites, so that may be making them feel poorly. Glad he'll be seeing a vet. Fingers crossed - that you catch the others and that they are all healthy.

Thank you.  I'll update as I can to get more advice.

The sister of these kittens nearly got caught this evening.  We've baited the traps with sardines, and gave everyone short rations.  She ate the little she could get, then checked out the trap.  She went in, ate, and left, all without tripping it.  She's so tiny that she didn't set it off.

We reset the lid to be more of a hair-trigger.  Maybe we'll have her tomorrow.  Cross your fingers.

Third kitten caught this evening.  It's the last of the three orange boys.  We have one little grey and white girl to go, but she's been in and out of the traps at least twice without tripping them.  She's so light and teeny that she doesn't trigger them.  I've repositioned the bowl on the trigger so that, perhaps, the dish plus kitten will be enough.  Wish me luck.  Will post pictures when I have them.

Great news!  I hope you catch the little girl soon.  Can't wait to see pictures!
 

Caught the little girl last night.  We're calling her Ruth.  Poor thing - she was in the trap crying and Esther - her foster mother - was circling the cage calling back.  Esther seems very sad, now that all her adopted babies are gone.  She came up to eat this morning, but I feel so sorry for her.

Ruth cried in her cage all night long.  My kitties couldn't figure out where the noise was from, so they ignored it.  This morning, she's resting comfortably in the cage.  She ate a little fish and has kibble and water in there.  Her brother Pollux shares the space with her.

Her two other brothers, Leo and Castor, are sleeping in their cat box.  Their cage smells foul - we cleaned their box yesterday, but the stench is terrible.  I can't see signs that they've eaten, either.  They worry me.

Is there a way you can get them to the vet's sooner?  That stench and their not eating worries me.  I had a litter with giardia that almost died.  Nasty bug - it really goes through them fast.  Glad you caught everyone now.  All this hard work will pay off!  You are an angel!

Update - they have all eaten this morning, even the little girl.  The smell from the litter box is less, though when we change it, it will be better.

The poop in the litter boxes is firm, small, and uniform in color.  I don't see signs of diarrhea at all.  They are all drinking water at a reasonable rate, too.  Eyes all still clear, noses dry, coats soft and neat.  

I agree - if I saw signs that any one of them was truly ill, I would rush him to my local vet today.  Absolutely.  What I think I'm seeing is highly stressed out little guys who are slowing coming around to realize that they're not going to be eaten and that they must do what it takes to survive.  

All four kittens are, at the moment, huddled in litter boxes.  *sigh*  Talk about stress.

Oh, poor dears.  This is where the wand toys and food bribes will come in handy.  Take it slow, like you're doing, and things will be fine.  Glad to hear everyone's eating, peeing and pooping well.