Home taming 2 feral kittens

tdiving

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We recently rescued 2 feral kittens----about 8 weeks old.

When we accepted them,we were told that 8 weeks was a little young to have them doctored etc.

As we have no other animals,waiting to take them to the vet did not seem to be a problem.

Because the mother was very upset when the kittens were taken--we agreed to take the mother as well---

we think this was a bad decision as the mothers attitude to us influenced the behavior of the kittens,so

we had her spade and she was returned to her area.We felt that we lost the first 2 weeks of taming due to  having the mother around.

So now we are into our 3rd week,The kittens are in a bedroom with 2 litter boxes,some hide places and numerous toys.Recently we changed the litter box material for pine-scented litter and they proceeded to

mess all over the room EXCEPT the litter boxes--so changed back to original(Tidy Cat) and will see

what happens.One of the kittens is responding to us  well(for the time span),plays with toys,eats while we are in the room and generally seems relaxed--although we have not been in touch yet.The other is far less responsive--hides a lot and may play a little from long distance.

My questions are---1.Are we on the right track to socializing these kittens(who we want to keep)

                               2.Should we catch the kittens now and have them doctored,spade etc--

                               3.Is our progress as described reasonable for the time

                               4.Is there  anything special thing we should be doing now.

Look forward to your comments

Tony
 

vball91

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It sounds like you are on track to socialize these kittens. It will take time patience. The more shy one will hopefully learn from the bolder one that you are not a threat and will learn to relax around you more. Some things you can do to help them relax more: run a Feliway pheromone diffuser in their room, play soft classical or harp music when you're not there, sit on the floor and talk softly or read aloud to get them used to your voice, try playing with them with wand toys. Later you can try to progress to hand feeding treats/food.

As you have already discovered, cats can be very sensitive to smells. An unscented litter is usually preferred by most cats.

In terms of vet visit/spay and neutering, that's a tough call. Do you know the sexes of the kittens at all? Females can come into heat as young as 4 months, so you have a little time if they have no other health issues. Were they dewormed already? Most feral cats will have parasites of some kind or other.
 
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tdiving

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Hi

Tanks so much for your reply

We have no idea of the sex of the kittens---they seem to be in good health,but who knows.

As far as we know,they have had no vet attention what so ever--which is of a little concern to us--but 

we are not sure of the stress implications and how many steps backwards there will be if we take them to the vet now???We are happy to do what you think is best for the kittens--------

Regards

Tony Wynne-Roberts
 

shadowsrescue

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Thank you for caring and helping to rescue these little ones.  It sounds like you are doing all of the right things.  There is a great 3 part series of videos on Youtube on socializing feral kittens.  It starts with the rescue of the kittens and progresses to what you can do to socialize them.  I learned a lot of great tips watching these videos.  The use of Gerber stage 2 baby food in chicken or turkey is a must.  Cats just love it.  The man uses it in the video.  Do a search on Youtube on socializing feral kittens.  If you can't find it let me know and I will try to dig it up for you.

Patience is the key as well as knowing that 2 steps forward may result in one step back.  Yet keep at it and don't give up.  It is so worth the effort.  Feliway plug ins are great.  I have also used Feral Cat Rehab Flower essences from Spirit Essences.  Yummy food rewards work well too.  Plain cooked chicken or turkey or even tuna. 

Keep up the good work and please keep us updated.
 
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tdiving

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Hi

Further to our last note-----if taking the kittens to the vet now is the best option,do you think we should take them one at a time or both togeather??

Regards

Tony Wynne-Roberts
 

blackcat416

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Hi Tony,
8 weeks is just a tad young to get fixed but by 10 weeks that should be fine. The sooner you get them to the vet the better. I agree they probably have worms so when you go to the vet bring in a poo sample. Since they are probably using each other's liter box any sample will do. Kittens recover real fast from the neutering process like the next day. Spend as much time as possible with them, petting and saying their names at the same time. You need two major toys for kittens, a feather on a rod and a string on a rod. This will get even the shy one out from hiding to play. Play at least 15 minutes or until the kittens are exhausted. Give them some treats to associate you with play and food. Once they are neutered and healed up, invite some people over like 2 or 3 and start passing the kittens around. Let them get used to noises, people and start getting socialized. Another important thing is start touching their paws, get them used to having their paws touched so you can trim their nails. As kittens they are just little needles and only the tips need to be trimmed. You must always be aware of the "quick" that is in each nail, it's blood and will really hurt if cut and is difficult to stop the bleeding. Do the clipping in a very well lite room looking at the claw side ways so you always see the quick. Remember you are only looking to trim the points off. They will fuss the first couple of times so don't try it alone, their baby teeth are coming in so expect to get bitten. I have 8 cats and nails get cut every 3 weeks. The ones I have as kittens will let me do their nails while they are relaxing or sleeping, while the older adoptee's have to be held, while I trim. I use a straight toe nail clipper for humans, not the one with the U in the middle. 8 cats total time 15 mins for all of them. Welcome and good luck with your kitty cats.
 
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tdiving

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Thank you so much for your reply--and we will act on your suggestions-------

one question----if taking the kittens to the vet now is the best option(we are a little worried that this maybe taking numerous steps backwards at this stage??),do you think it would be better to take one at a time or both togeather??

regards 

Tony Wynne-Roberts
 
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tdiving

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Thank you so much for the information---

Watching a video on feral kittens,we believe that their age was misjudged  and that they are probably nearer to 3 months old--judging by

size  only---so we probably have more work then we thought--

Regards

Tony 
 

vball91

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I would take them to the vet together so that they are less scared.
 

ondine

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Yes, take them together.  Let's face it, they need to learn to go to the vet, so they may as well get used to it now.  Like all cats, they probably won't like it but it has to be done.  Taking them together will mean they have one another for reassurance.

Spaying/Neutering can be done as early as 8 weeks.  It won't hurt to wait until they have a clean bill of health.  In fact, our vet won't do it until the cats are five to six months old.  See what your vet says...
 
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tdiving

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Hi

Thank you all so much for the information on handling our 2 feral kittens.

We are holding back for awhile on the vet visits as they seem to becoming more relaxed with us and we are afraid of a big step  backwards and we intent to keep the kittens .

The bold one seemed to go through a bout of stomach upset(we fed her some strip of chicken which probably wasnt the bet idea in the world--to big to digest),but this seems to be clearing now----a really lovable cat who plays a lot with lots of rolling over and stalking.

The dark one is still very timid---but will play a litttle now if you search him/her out in the current hiding place

Once again,a great site and thanks so much

Tony and Kat Wynne-Roberts
 

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In my opinion (and experience) they will be ALOT calmer if all together in one carrier to go to vet. I lure our feral kittens into the carrier by using a laser pointer to lure them in---they think it's play to follow the laser pointer in!

I don't think anyone here recommended the really amazing ("kitty crack") treat that kittens go crazy for and we find very helpful in luring kittens out and making them more likely to come near - - Gerber's Baby food (make sure no onions!!!) in Chicken (although I've found some kittens that love the ham or turkey flavors). But most kittens I've dealt with find it irresistible and their love for it overcomes their fear of me.  I first put it on a spoon and set the food in front of me, and work my way up to (slowly) feeding them from the spoon on my lap/leg/etc. 

Otherwise - try to keep diet very, very unvariable or you will end up with tummy trouble. Cats (kittens in particular) have real bowel trouble any time you switch food. 

And mostly - taming takes time. Spend as much time with them as possible - as frequently as possible. And any time you enter the room, get as low as possible as quickly as possible. And make every entry the same - I always announce my entry (I start sing-songing to them before I even get to their door), and keep talking to them, in a high-pitched, soft voice when possible. 

Also = a tv or radio set to something with lots of talk (although some people recommend classical music) I've found helps them get used to human voices, plus disguises scary "now sounds" they might hear throughout the rest of the house.

Keep us posted!
 
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tdiving

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Hi

Thanks so much for the advice---we dont know Kitty Crack but have been using the Gerbers Baby food and the sure do like it.

We do seem to be making significant progress with all the advice we have received from this site.

The next hurdle will be getting them to the vet-----------------

Again,thanks a lot

Tony and Kat Wynne-Roberts
 

lrosewiles

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A few thoughts here having successfully socialized 3 feral kittens and their mom. 

First, our low cost spay shelter insists that cats/kittens be in separate carriers even if they come together, so that is something to check (a regular vet may be more flexible).  We had ours done one at a time, but that was because of the challenges of capture; as others have said taking them together, even in separate carriers, may reduce stress.  For females, do get post surgery pain meds - it's a pretty minor surgery for boys but a girls can hurt a lot afterwards, and it is good to reduce that so they don't suffer. 

Second, in case no one mentions it, the anesthesia can cause weird behavior like nightmares, hissing and growling and swatting at imaginary things, so be prepared for a restless night once they are done.  Happily it wears off quickly.  And it varies among kittens.  Mr. Patches was neutered at about 3 months with very few problems, but he did have the nightmare thing and - contrary to instructions to keep him off high perches he could fall off - he insisted on spending the night after surgery on our bed, twitching and miaowing and swatting, so none of us slept much!  Female Picassa was a total wimp and spent 2 days after surgery constantly complaining and wanting attention despite pain meds;  her sister Little Grey didn't miss a beat and was amazingly stoic - to my great worry she chewed out her outside stitches (luckily the deep ones held) which must have really hurt - but she never complained.  So, be prepared to be vigilant after surgery.  You can get a shield from your vet to stop them chewing the stitches but some (like our Little Grey girl) refuse to allow it.

Third thing, as to the litter issue, have your tried (1) feline pine -- our kits did really well with that, or (2) kitten attract litter which you can get from Petco online or Chewy.com or  various pet stores.  If their mom did not teach them to dig and bury they have to learn to do that thing or they will just poo wherever which will drive you crazy after a while

And  - do you still have Mama with you?  We had a big issue with our Mama when she came inside swatting and hissing at her kits, probably because of the instinct to make them independent.  It's the way of their world and to be expected, but it can be disturbing.

best of luck with your rescues, great thing you are doing.
 

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If I was confusing at all - what we cann "kitty crack" (and some people here call it that too) actually IS Gerbers Chicken stage1 baby food. We just call it that since kittens go so crazy for it - like it's addictive!

Above is right - a low cost spay/neuter organization most like will make you use separate carriers for each - but you could check beforehand. Ours does if they're feral (actually if they're feral, we have to bring them in individually in traps. I like the "load up littermates in one" when possible -but it's just my personal experience. We've done much better (less panic/crying/screaming when they're all together. In fact, our last littler just SCREAMED the whole way to the vet while in their two separate carriers (even tho we set them up so that the entrances faced each other in the car and they could easily see the other) ---they literally cried at the top of their lungs,but on the way back, we lured them into one together and they were perfect, sleepy little gentlemen.. 

So just a thought - andkeep us well posted!
 
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tdiving

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A small update to taming our 2 feral kittens

I guess they are about 12 weeks now,4 with us

Still in their bedroom but we play with them every moment we can.Both will  take the wonder food(Gerbers ) off my fingers and will allow

some stroking while doing this.

They will  both play like crazy but shun away from being touched unless while eating the Gerbers.-so we dont force the issue.

We are building up courage to take them in to be spayed/neutered as we are afraid of taking a giant leap backwards

However,it has to be done soon--

Both the kittens seem to be healthy and happy(although not easily approachable) yet.

Thanks for the site

Tony and Kat Wynne-Roberts
 

ondine

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Thanks for the good news!  Although the surgeries may set them back a bit, their hormones will calm down, which will help with the socialization process, too.  I'd take them as soon as the vet advises it.
 
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tdiving

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Well--vet appointment January 29th--so we will keep our fingers crossed 

Tony and Kat
 
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tdiving

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Our two feral kittens are relaxing a lot more--even allowing some minor touching now without the 

bribe of Gerbers food.

Of course,off to the vet this Wednesday so who knows--

Trying to post their pictures her---Tabby is Muse and Chocolate is Shadow


 
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