Need help

Please help. Over the Summer there were several litters of ferals in our yard. We successful got the first ones to the shelter on our own and they were adopted. Then under our porch, there was a mom and another 2 kittens. The shelter came and set up traps (with the promise of no kill, adoption or TNR)  and one baby went in immediately and then they set up the cage nxt to it and the mom went it. They left one baby so I fed her. Two weeks straight the shelter came back but they couldn't catch her.

I set up one of my cat's carriers and put the food slowly in to the front and I caught her. Since I gained a great deal of affection for her I brought her inside and put her in an empty bathroom. So far my 2 cats, aged 12, are not aware. She has never been handled and hides. She hardly plays and stays in the carrier or a little condo. I've never fostered before and since she is already 6 weeks old, do I have any hope of socializing her since she has no siblings? Should I give her to a shelter, I'm so torn. I am also afraid that I could somehow pass on something to my cats, although the baby looks pretty healthy. She has sat with me outside, but she doesn't come very close and again she's never been touched by humans.

What should I do? Has anyone had success fostering just one very cautious shy kitten alone? Should she be taken to a vet right away?

Any advice would really be appreciated.

It may sound crazy but I feel a little panicked. I want to do what is best for her, but also for my own "babies".

A six week kitten should be pretty easy to socialize, if you put some time into it.  As you have indoor cats of your own, get you to a vet PRONTO!  You want to make sure the kitten doesn't have anything your other cats could catch, and that includes fleas.  Have it spayed or neutered, checked for worms and fleas, then get vaccines for rabies and distemper.  

Once the little one is back home with a clean bill of health, you'll need to start spending some time with her.  If you can do it somewhere other than a bathroom, that would be great.  Give her somewhere to hide when she needs to - a box with a hole cut in the side, a kitty tower, a cat gymnasium, something like that.  Get some chicken and broth baby food - in our house, we call it Kitten Crack.  No cat can resist it.  Start feeding her with a spoon at first, then off your fingers.  She'll slowly get the idea that hands offer her good things, and she'll associate you with happiness.

Use your slow blinks.  Cat aren't born finding direct stares comfortable.  When you catch her eyes, blink your eyes very slowly.  Do this a lot. When she returns the blink, you're getting through to her.  

Sit in the room when you can and just talk to her.  Read a book out loud.  Always start a visit with a treat of some kind.  As she gets used to you, get an interactive wand toy.  She should have toys she can bat around by herself, but bring a wand toy in the room with you and remove it when you leave - it needs to be special so that it means interaction.

Most of all, be patient.  A kitten that young won't take long to socialize, but you always have to let the cat make the moves.  Don't rush her, don't push.  She will learn to attach herself to you given time and the space to do so.  I just finished socializing 4 kittens who were at least 4 months old at capture, and they are little darlings now.  You can do this.

Let us know how it goes.

It looks well. In a way, fostering an alone shy kitten is the ideal way to foster a shy kitten. Much easier than to foster a bunch of shy kittens...

And 6 weeks is not much!  Take it easy and calmly the first few days, so she has time to land and see nobody is really threating her. but very soon you go on, as the time up to 8 weeks is the easiest, and they get entirely domesticized.

You can usually foster succesfully even adults into nice pets for one family, but they seldom become entirely domesticized, sociale outgoing pets.

I will write more later on, in 10 hours, if nobody else comes before me.

Health.  As they were there down under the porch, she is surely healthy.  She may have the usual worms and fleas, but hardly any unpleasant disease, otherwise the shelter which helped you would prob tell.  Hey, phone them and ask.

Good you continue with some isolation to your residents, till you are 100% sure everything is OK.

Good luck!

I apologize for sounding crazed. I guess I am over-tired. The internet is a blessing and a curse. Last night I read a site which said that 6 week olds will never be lap cats and  it almost sounded like it was a "Too late" scenario and it set me in a tailspin. Also reading all of the potential diseases made me feel as if my decision was entirely irresponsible especially in regard to my older girls, but maybe also to myself and SO.

She is very sweet and I, of course, have an attachment, where I want her to go to a great home, if not here. Very pretty little girl too.

Thank you very much Stefan. Just knowing there are other people doing the same has calmed me a bit. I have to read through the site, which I haven't done yet. When I wrote last night it was very late here and I was completely shot.
 

There are lots of things that you can do.  First off keep her secluded in the bathroom away from your other cats until you get her to the vet.  She will need some shots, dewormed and probably flea med.  You also will want to schedule a spay/neuter.  In the mean time, you can use a feliway adaptor that you plug in.  Spend time in the room speaking calming and quietly.  You can even read aloud from a book/magazine.  Gerber stage 1 chicken/turkey baby food is your friend.  Cats and kittens love it and it really helps in bringing out a shy kitten.  There are a serious of 3 Youtube videos on taming feral kittens.  Look them up.  The man shows how to use the baby food.  Wand toys are good too.  You can touch the kitten with the wand so they get used to being touched first with the wand and next with your hand.  Play soft music around the clock.  Make frequent visits so the cat gets used to you.  It takes some patience, but it can be done.  I socialized a feral kitten who was 7 months old.  He is still skittish to this day, but I can pet him, pick him up and he even sits on my lap.  You have the perfect age to socialize a feral kitten.
 

ShadowsRescue and Stephan have it covered but I wanted to say "thank you" for all you have done.  Six weeks is actually ideal for fostering.  They are old enough to eat on their own and still young enough to trust humans.  I'll bet that if you follow their advice, she'll be in your lap within a week.

When she begins to approach you, you can also use a back scratcher to touch her.  Always get down to her level when she's out and about.  Don't loom over her and don't reach out with an open hand.  For some reason, it scares kitties.  Put your fist out - it looks like a cat's head asking for a head bump.

Good luck and thank you for helping her and the others.

I don't think six weeks is too late, I think it is the perfect time. Slow and steady wins the race when dealing with feral kittens. I like to take them and wrap them up in a little blanket, so only their head is exposed. Just speak softly to her, gently pet her face. Sometimes I wet my fingers and rub the top of their head and around their ears, like mom cat would do.

Trust your instincts, just be gentle and patient.

KRZ said:

. I like to take them and wrap them up in a little blanket, so only their head is exposed. Just speak softly to her, ...

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Yes, I did wanted to give two similiar tips. 

1. When she has landed somewhat, after these say 3 days.

Shouldnt take longer, you were the familys caretaker, so you arent totally stranger for her. You ARE somebody at least somewhat positve.

Ok, the tip.  Wrap up in a thin towel.  Carry at your chest, so she hears your heart. And speak softly, make crooning noises, sing softly if you can. Half hour, one hour...  A couple of three such sessions, and it should be done.

2. Another tip, is you use a toothbrush, and brush her with it, short tags, its like moms tongue...

Several mentioned vet.  Which you shall do, sooner or later.  I say later!

Many rescuers take the caugh kitten/cat to the vet the first the first they do, immediately after the catching, while still in the trap.   So they are also the one who release them back at home from the trap, from the unpleasanties to a nice place in home.   You had done otherwise.

Here is she, shy, without visible diseases, save some worms and possibly fleas.  Isolated from your residents. So it really doesnt hurry with the vet.

I think you should wait with the vet visit till she is socialized, ie about 3 weeks.

If your vet  is willing to prescribe you Revolution drop on just on your word of honour you coming in, would be swell, it takes care of all the worms and parasites kittens usually  have.  Or the shelter is willing to lend you.

As I said, you can phone the shelter and ask what did the vet said when they had mom and brother checked up at the vet - which they surely did.  If the vet found some unpleasant disease, or it was just the usual worms...   At the same time, you can ask if they do have some dewormer they can lend you or otherwise recommend.

Good luck!

Six weeks is certainly not too old to socialize. I trapped and took in a 4 month old kitten earlier this summer, and after 3 weeks he was completely socialized to me, my 2 other adult cats, and being inside. He is social even when I have guests in my house. I also took in a 10 month old feral last week after she had a bad reaction to the anesthesia during spaying and almost died. She is recovering nicely in a room with a babygate so she can socialize with the other 3 cats at her own rate. She allows me to pet her. My neighbor took in a feral cat who was 5 months old, and it's taken 3 months, but this cat now allows her to pet her and plays. There are some feral cats who insist on staying outside, but in general, I think feral cats get a bad rap from a lot of people, and many of them can be socialized.  

The first few days are the roughest, but I guarantee you that if you put the time into it, she will be socialized.

I'd hold off on getting her spayed/neutered. Six weeks is just too young, and the spay operation is a difficult one. Give her a week or two to adjust to you before whisking her off to the vet. You want to build some trust with her first. Your other cats will be fine. 

Six weeks is certainly not too old to socialize. I trapped and took in a 4 month old kitten earlier this summer, and after 3 weeks he was completely socialized to me, my 2 other adult cats, and being inside. He is social even when I have guests in my house. I also took in a 10 month old feral last week after she had a bad reaction to the anesthesia during spaying and almost died. She is recovering nicely in a room with a babygate so she can socialize with the other 3 cats at her own rate. She allows me to pet her. My neighbor took in a feral cat who was 5 months old, and it's taken 3 months, but this cat now allows her to pet her and plays. There are some feral cats who insist on staying outside, but in general, I think feral cats get a bad rap from a lot of people, and many of them can be socialized.  

The first few days are the roughest, but I guarantee you that if you put the time into it, she will be socialized.

I'd hold off on getting her spayed/neutered. Six weeks is just too young, and the spay operation is a difficult one. Give her a week or two to adjust to you before whisking her off to the vet. You want to build some trust with her first. Your other cats will be fine. 

I have six cats. All were feral, at one time. Your cat at 6 weeks is still a baby. There will be no issue with this cat being just like your others, in time. There is nothing to panic about. She will come around to being friendly once she adjusts to her new surrondings and begins to trust you. It's been my experience that the vast majority of Ferals come around to being friendly once they begin to trust their new surrondings and the person who feeds them. Most of the time, the older they are, when you take them in, the longer it takes. I've had a feral hide, within the house, for almost a year before it began to come out. He is now one of my sweetest cats. Good luck   

Thanks so much, everyone. You have no idea how much this means to me. She is still a little hissypants, but I will try to capture her in a towel. Tomorrow I take one of my old girls to the vet, so I'll inquire about the revolution. If I could hug you all right now, I would, lol.

So I was able to get Revolution for my little hissypants. I still haven't been able to pick her up. I touched her on the sly, while playing, and she is really comfortable with me very close to her, but she is not ready for petting. I tried to do a dry run of getting her in a towel, but she is one fast kitty. Any tricks? I don't want to hurt her or myself. She gives me lots of blinky eyes and at one point today, i actually heard her purr for the first time, while rolled up in a ball very near.

I get Frontline on my one outdoor feral this way. I feed him his fav food (chicken breast) and sit close to him. While he's preoccupied with eating I dribble it between his shoulder blades. Sometimes he'll give a little hiss, but he's never bothered enough to stop eating. This is also the only way I can sneak in a pet on his cheek. Are you naming her Hissypants? Lol.

Newbieneedshelp said:

She gives me lots of blinky eyes

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Ah, so give her blinky eyes you too!  Do also yawn a lot, and standing on all fours, do strech out, backwards and forwards.  All these is when friendly cats do greet each other.

Pity the wrapping up in towel hasnt succeed yet.  Do you have some other cat or small dog? Train on him.

But otherwise, I see it goes forward.  You will clearly succeed, but if it will be 100% domesticized or just 95%, we cant know as yet.   That is why it is good to succeed before they are beyond the 8 weeks.

Good luck!

Self delete.

Self delete

I think I just freaked out. Will write tomorrow. Deleted more panic and I'm sorry.

Sounds to me like you're taking this new guest in your home too seriously and possibly pushing yourself on this new kitten. Based on your last reporting, Im hoping that you didn't get bitten because that can happen and I don't think you want to know, at this time, what could result. That information is for another time and it's not pretty. 

Back off of pushing yourself on this kitten. Take it slow. Just keep the area and its litter box clean, feed it fresh food and water every day and let it get adjusted to its new home. It will come around in time. Don't try picking her up or handling her if she is hissing at you. She is sending you a message to back off. Your first attempts should be to touch and stroke her between the ears but very carefully so you don't get bitten.  

Good luck.

Jerry