Any ideas on where we can give kittens?

We found three kittens a month ago (and their mom, got her spayed).  They are extremely cute cats and I thought I would have no problem finding them homes.   I have two problems.  First, no one wants them and second, they are feral.

Their mother is extremely friendly and we thought if we spend time with them we could socialize them.  The vet guessed they were 10 weeks old when we got them, it has been over a month now.  We spent (me especially) time with them every day, hours holding them and playing with them (which they love).  However, they run away from me and generally act no more social than when we got them.  Including their mother and the stray I took in about a week before we found them we now have seven cats.

Vet bills to get them healthy have been over $700.  They had eye infections and other things and we have been to the vet several times.  I cannot get their shots until they are healthy and I haven't gotten them spayed.  They are so little I think it is too soon.

I have contacted all the shelters in my area, Stockton, CA. Either they will euthanize them or they are full.  No one has even been a little bit helpful which is disappointing.  I give to so many shelters and this is the first time I have ever needed help.  I put up posters at my work, my husbands work, vets office, emailed and called all my friends (including a few of my doctors).  No one has any interest whatsoever.  Two of the kittens showed a little bit of friendliness last night.  It was exciting after all the time we have spent, which is a lot.  I know if I work with longer I can get them social.  At least I hope.

If we cannot find them homes my husband said they will have to be outside cats.  Any ideas I am missing?

Two of them look like this:


One of them is this:

They are a lot more socialized then you think if you can hold them, at least you could put them in a carrier if you had to. My best luck with finding homes for kittens is to take a picture and put it with a plea for homes in as many vet's offices as you can. The people in there are usually animal lovers and will try to help. Offer them on radio 'swap shops' too, this is free. I wish you the very best of luck!

Thank you very much, I can hold all of them when they are caged and they don't bite or scratch (my husband, that's a different story, he has many scratches from when he tries to pick them up).  I will look into the radio swap shops, that is an interesting idea.  Thanks!

I hope you are able to find loving homes for hese kittens after all the love and care you have put in to their lives so far.  They look adorable and I agree with Di and Bob that if you are able to hold them now that is a good sign that they are being socialized.  They are young, and so beautiful and it would be so sad for them not to have a home.

Are there any more vet surgeries within your area that you could post with also?  I am assuming there is no way that you and your husband could keep them, at least a while longer since a lot of vet care has now been completed?  Would your vet (or another one in your area) not consider assisting, or accessing some financial assistance for you to complete the shots and neutering if they had not been homed by the time that was necessary? Particularly if they are male they can be neutered from a younger age than they are now if a vet thinks they are well enough.

 I wish you luck as it must be heart breaking for you thinking about their future if not in a safe home.

Thank you so much for taking the time to write me and give me some positive feedback. I was really frustrated today and needed to vent. I figured cat loving people was a good way to go

Getting them their shots and spayed is no problem, I plan on doing that before we adopt them for sure. It does add up to be a lot of money but they are precious lives and so worth it. They are so sweet and it does just break my heart to not find them homes, good homes. When we found them living in our next door neighbors yard and they had not fed them or anything it breaks my heart. I don't understand people who don't care.

I will check again with our vet, they are very kind there and want to help, it just seems they don't have anyone to adopt them. There are lots of kittens out there now.

I did get a call late today and a friend is coming by my work next Monday to see their pics and talk to me about them. She didn't say she could adopt but I know she has a big heart and she did lose two cats last year (17 and 18 years). She only has one. But I am open to any ideas people have.

I am happy to hear you think they are getting socialized. It really takes a long time to get kittens (at their age) to feel comfortable with people. It is something I really didn't know until I experienced it.

Thank you again, I was quite frustrated but feel better now after reading the messages.

Definitely reaching out to your vet and asking your vet for resources too.  The power of Facebook works for some too.  If you feel comfortable you can post about the kittens.  Yet I would be careful to screen/interview all potential adopters.  Yet I know many people who have found wonderful loving homes by posting on facebook. 

Thank you for rescuing them.  I hope you soon will find them all homes.

Thank you. I put it on my facebook page a few times but so far no luck. I was thinking maybe I should post it there and say to everyone "Can you please post this to your page?" to get more people to look at them. Thanks for your feedback and good wishes.

You could ask rescue groups if they would help with a courtesy posting on their websites or posting them on petfinder. Offering a small donation may be convincing. If you can provide prove of them being vetted this may help too.

It's hard to find rescues that have foster homes available. But if you can offer to keep them until adoption and do all the vetting by yourself (which you actually are doing already) they may be open to help getting more exposure.

Don't be discouraged if some rescues reject your request. Surely there will be one that may be thrilled to hear what you are doing to help these kittens and can help with a courtesy posting.

Thank you very much for the great information, it is helpful. I will try writing them again and include the things you mention. Two are getting much friendlier, I am very hopeful I will find them homes. That was very sweet of you to take the time and give me such good advice. Thanks :cat: