Need advice on 2 feral kittens

I have a few questions about my feral kittens! Any advice is welcome!!

About 2 months ago I pulled 2 kittens on the euth list from the ACC. They were due to be put down because they were feral and had been found in someones backyard. I thought they were so adorable and deserved a chance at life that I pulled them from the ACC with the help of a rescue group. Leo (a male cream tabby) and Lucy (a female tortie) are siblings and were around 15 weeks old when i got them.

These are the first feral kittens I've ever been around and I have read all the feral cat sites and watched YouTube videos which definitely helped me to understand how to approach them. At first I put them in a cage in my room and they stayed in there for almost a week before I let them wonder around my room. At first they would hide but slowly started to come out to eat and play with my other kitten Marlowe. I hoped having Marlowe would help the kittens see that people were ok since Marlowe loves cuddling and being petted.

Now two months later Leo and Lucy have improved greatly, but I still am unable to pet them. They live in my bedroom with me so we spend most of our time together. Now they are around 6 months old and I play with them every day and also give them baby food which is when I try to pet them. So far whenever I try to pet Leo he allows it for maybe 10 seconds, then he gives me any angry look and backs away. And Lucy does not allow me to pet her at all. She jumps when i move my hand too close. She is the shyer of the 2. I know I need to go at their pace and I don't want to push too hard but perhaps I'm coddling them too much? Do you think it would help to separate Leo and Lucy when I spend time with them so they get one on one time with me? Leo is the more outgoing one and I worry he might keep Lucy from coming out of her shell a little. Any advice would be helpful! I am new to all of this!

First of all THANK YOU!  As you know, most feral cats are put down right away.  Thank you for saving them.

Whenever you approach them with your hand, make a fist (it will look like a cat asking for a head butt).  An open hand will spook them.

Also, do not look them straight in the eye (staring at them in the eye is the way ferals give one another a challenge).  Instead, blink slowly at them and look at their ear or forehead.

If you can, get on their level.  Being over them will intimidate them.

Have you tried bribery?  If you can get it, use Gerber chicken baby food.  Put a bit on  a spoon, sit down and hold it out to them.  I guarantee one or both will soon be your best friend.  Soon, you will be able to put it on your finger and they will lick it off.

How absolutely wonderful that you rescued these sweet babies!  One of the ferals that I care for (he still lives outside) came to me when he was about 6 months old.  It took until he was 15 months until I could touch him.  I worked with him every single day.  I just had to take it at his pace.  A few tricks that helped were to get a feather wand.  The one I have is about 2 feet long.  I bought it from drugstore.com  My cats love them.  Shadow loved playing with the feather.  I started taking the feather and rubbing it on him.  At first he was afraid, but I kept at it daily.  He then started to like the feel of the feather rubbing on his back.  I would then rub it on his head and even under his chin.  After he was comfortable with the feather, I began to pull the wand towards my body  and move my hand to where the feather was touching him.  At first he had no clue.  He just loved it so much.  Once he realized how wonderful it felt to be pet, he wanted more and more.  I was soon able to move to brushing him as well.  You can try brushing them at first with a clean toothbrush.  It is small and not as scary looking. 

I have also used many of the Spirit Essence line of flower essences.  There is one called Feral Cat Rehab that was worked well for me.  I also am using Scaredy Cat now on a stray I brought inside the house.  The essences don't work over night, but you can expect to see small progress in 7-10 days.  Remember when working with ferals, small baby steps are progress!! 

The baby food is often a winner.  I would often offer it from a spoon and get a few pets in while it was being gobbled off the spoon.  You can also smear it on a paper plate and place it near you so as they eat and eat, you can get a few pets in. 

One last trick is Composure.  It comes in a treat form called Feline Composure treats or a liquid form that can be mixed into wet food.  It really helps cats to calm down and not be so on edge all the time.  I have been using it with my two indoor boys since September.  I brought in a stray who was very territorial and my resident cat was not at all happy.  Fur was flying daily.  Once the Composure started they were able to focus on other activities instead of wanting to go at each other all day.  I started by giving

1/2 t. in the morning and 1/4 t. in the evening.  I now only give 1/4 t. in the morning.  I used the treats at first, but they seemed to take longer to work while the liquid worked very quickly. 

Keep up all the good work.  It is often said with ferals that it's one step forward and 2 steps back.  Yet, it is so worth it. 

Thank you both for your suggestions! I really appreciate it. I've been trying out some of the techniques but I think it will be a very long while before they let me touch them. I feel like they get a little less afraid of me every day so I feel I am gaining their trust!

I'm probably no going to say anything that wasn't said above by these two wise -beyond their years cat-lovers.

All I can offer is what's worked for me (again - VERY similar to above).

Firstly - HURRAH!!! You've don a wonderful thing.!!! A very, very, very tough thing, but a wonderful thing. One of ours (she started out at 7 months) too another 3 months to tame - and is still just now (4 months later, becoming socialable around all but her "person". But she's very very very loved - and was saved from certain death. It took months of coming into her (and her littermates) room.....bending low, sometimes crawling. Always speaking in hushed, sing-song, highpitched tones. Always telling them how cute they were, how wonderful the food was going to taste, how great the game show was that was coming on next, how fun Modern Family was, how important the article on the history of graphic design was I was going to read them (I'm not sure how much they absorbed).

We kept them crated in a great dane sized crate for at east weeks, (there was also a cat carrier in there with the door wire open that they could retreat to and call "home", and a shoebox on top of the carrier filled with felt, so that they had something fluffy to lie in and survey the world (until scary people came in the room)----we began calling it "the penthouse". We judged how comfortable with us they were by how long they hung in the penthouse once we entered the room.

We also always left a tv or radio on - on low - 24/7 - so they were never without the sound of human voices. It aslo made the other justle and bustle of everyday "other house" noise seem less jarring. 

We always got low and stayed low when we entered - if you're up high - human high - you look like you're going to hunt them and they automatically go into prey ("panic") mode.  We laid on the floor and talked to them, or worked on the laptop, or watched tv or talked on the phone, or listened to npr whenever possible. We did alot of just "being" in their room.

We also made a big ritual about their food. I sang softly when I brought it in - and fussed over it like no tomorrow. I never brought to much of the good stuff (hard kitten food was out24/7) but the high quality canned topped with gerber chicken - that - we made sure they knew - was brought by me! I even warm it just a tad.....a tad. That Gerber chicken is "kitty crack" to most kittens - they'll take off an arm to get to it!!!!! Use with caution

we also do alot of the above tricks others have mentioned - and I add Feliway plug ins. I also use (if no mom cat) indoor cat heating pads (not human - they get too hot---making sure they have a space they can craws off of if they get too hot).

If you can get them interested in anything oriented toward play I always have three things in my arsenal, A nice tricornered scratching post - with at least one side made of sisal rope (I don't like them getting too used to scratching carpet since that makes them think carpet's ok to scratch - and hopefully we;re raising kittens with the goal of appropriate scratching so owners won't declaw ----but the sisal posts about a foot or so high ar great fun not just for scratching, but for "king of the mountain", jumping, etc. One of my best investments. Other thing I love - a feathered wand. By far I recommend "da Bird" - I should have stock in it at this point! It mimics the movement of a live bird, so even little ones go crazy. I like to let them "get the bird" periodically like they've "won"....,makes for well-adjusted happy kittens. Lastly, I swear by the "Cat Dancer" - totally goofy long thick wire with wads of cardboard, Again - wish I'd had stock. But ours will play with it for hoooouuuuuurrrrs. Long after they've pulled apart other toys. And two kittens together won't leave it alone - they quickly learn that if they jump on one end, the other end moves.

Whuy...long ost. But hope some helps. It's a super long process ----one step forward two steps back. But its' the most rewarding process there is!!! And at this forum, you've got tons and tons of people waiting to help!!! Good luck and keep us posted!