Here's my newest little herd of kittens I have to tame! (so much for a time out)

catwoman707

TCS Member
Thread starter
Veteran
Joined
Dec 16, 2011
Messages
7,689
Purraise
2,263
Location
Vallejo, CA
Well normally by this time of year all of the rescues from the huge kitten season are adopted out, so it's a smooth sail and time to relax a bit before we are hit by the new year's tidalwave of kittens. Spending this time getting the adults adopted out.

Not this year! I took in a litter of 4 kids the other day, feral little farts, but are they ever dolls :) Taming time!!

Plus I have another group coming next week. What the devil is up with that?!

ANYWAY< wanted to share some pics :)




 

Winchester

In the kitchen with my cookies
Veteran
Joined
Aug 28, 2009
Messages
29,730
Purraise
28,024
Location
In the kitchen
I would take that little orange baby in a heartbeat. But I also love the little silver tabby.

Oh, heck I so envy you....they're all just adorable!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

catwoman707

TCS Member
Thread starter
Veteran
Joined
Dec 16, 2011
Messages
7,689
Purraise
2,263
Location
Vallejo, CA
Ahh thanks for the comments :)

@Natalie_ca, yes there are 4, the one brown striped girl was in the litterbox hanging out, thats the one by herself in pics.

@Sivyaleah, the burrito'd girl is sure a beauty, they all get burrito wrapped twice a day for taming. Wrapping tightly sort of forces submission due to feeling helpless.

These kids are so close to the boeder age of getting them fully tamed and not shy at all, mentally by the time they are 8 weeks old, it's pretty much set in stone, despite taming, will always have at least a shy streak inbedded in their personalities for life, to strangers anyway. They will be fine once adopted and given time will be tame to the new family, but it sure is alot easier and faster to take 4-5 week olds to tame. I can do that in 48 hours :)

These kids are now all seperated, otherwise the taming time spent is void as soon as the kitten is put back in with the rest, as they feed off of one another's fear.

@Winchester, that orange boy is such a deep red/orange color, awesome to see and not so common. He is the shyest, except now he is the easiest to hold since I gave him a nice long bathing experience and a blow dry! Haha, no matter how much they THINK they are being murdered for sure, they always get to a point during the bath that they relax and think how nice it actually feels having warm water doucing them.

Envy maybe for this part, I so enjoy the kittens, all so stinkin cute, whether saving them from a feral life outdoors, or euthanized at the shelter, or a sick/prego mom who is starving or needs meds, or a beat up stray, making them better, giving them life back, hope, food and warmth, love, a name, a sense of belonging in the world.

Seeing them through to adoption, there is nothing more fulfilling in my life.

But there is a huge downside in rescue. One that can't really be described, how it ages us, aches our hearts endlessly, scars our memories of things we see and can't forget, and the worry, loss of sleep, and the ones we can't save, ones who come to me too far gone, the gorgeous healthy kids who go to be fixed that just tested positive for felv, so they are kept, and cared for and loved, then they pass, one by one.

Or the list I get emailed to me, sometimes daily from the shelter, each listed has a picture of their face, description, and the date to be killed unless they are pulled, I do as many as I can, but of course, can't save them all. Or losing one and the guilt of "what-if", or "I should-have", ugh.......

It's endless, and so very, very hard.

My family suffers, rescue becomes first, not intentionally, but family will wait, they understand, saving a cat can't wait, always an urgency.

So yeah, this is the sweet side of rescue, I love it, there is nothing better than getting a random email from someone who adopted from me and an update with a pic, of this all grown up kitty, being loved and hugged by a child, or family, and them thanking me for matching them with their family member, who is the perfect fit and completes them.

I wouldn't trade what I do for anything in the world. Now if only it paid!! 
 
Last edited:

musickitty

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Sep 8, 2013
Messages
36
Purraise
2
Location
Nebraska!
I don't know why that cat is wrapped in a sock/towel... but all I know is that that cute is adorable and I want to be as snug and cuddled up in a squishy thing like that. 
 

callista

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 6, 2006
Messages
3,152
Purraise
86
Reminds me a bit of swaddling a baby. Baby feels safe and secure. With a kitten, it's to keep the kitten from fighting you, but to do it in a way that's gentle and safe and doesn't hurt and doesn't make them panic. Because if they panic, then they just associate you with fear; and if they fight, they see you as an enemy. Instead, they should associate you with food and warmth and softness.

You couldn't do that with an older cat. An older semi-feral, you have to win over with diplomacy and food, and they'll always be shy. But these little guys, you can still teach them that you're big and gentle and you mean well-- you might as well be a momcat pushing them down with a paw so you can give them a good grooming.

I don't think it's necessary to wrap up a kitten to tame it; you can lure them with food and things like you can with adults. On the other hand, it's not a cruel thing to do, not to a kitten who hasn't yet learned the humans-are-dangerous rule of feral life. After all, if it caused panic or distress, it would do the exact opposite of taming them.

I did burrito-wrap one of my adult cats at the age of one year, to get him to let me clip his claws. He was semi-feral to start with but came to trust me a good deal, and he was nine months old when we met, which isn't quite adult. I had to do it that way because he had gotten his claw caught in the carpet and I really, really didn't want that to happen again, so I couldn't get him used to it slowly over months. He never panicked; once he figured out he couldn't wiggle away, he just complained at me. I guess that shows how much he really trusts me. Nowadays I can pick him up and clip his claws and he won't wiggle, even though he doesn't like it. And he's completely tame, though very much a one-person cat.
 
Last edited:

mservant

The Mouse servant
Veteran
Joined
Jul 8, 2013
Messages
18,064
Purraise
3,451
Location
The Mouse Pad, UK
What an adorable bunch. 
  Here's to all being healthy, strong, and sociable with people by the time you are done with burrito wraps and play times....  These guys really do look super cute!
 

callista

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 6, 2006
Messages
3,152
Purraise
86
If you have time, we'd really like to hear about their progress in learning to understand humans. I've never tamed a feral kitten--my only experience was with Tiny, a young adult cat who, if not quite tame, had at least had friendly contact with humans. It'd be interesting to hear how kittens figure things out. I don't think they're old enough to "negotiate" with a person, like Tiny and I did.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #18

catwoman707

TCS Member
Thread starter
Veteran
Joined
Dec 16, 2011
Messages
7,689
Purraise
2,263
Location
Vallejo, CA
Yes, the orange boy is extremely dark orange, quite rare imo.  Flashy is a good description!

The burrito wrap is very effective in taming kittens.

Without this I would have to basically hold with their scruffs because they would be scrambling to get away and hide. It forces submission, the wrap is snug, done twice a day, I pack kitten around with me, kiss their face lots, talk to them, and they get exposure to me and how it feels, that they don't have to fear, or hide, I wipe their little faces, in their ears, anywhere I can that will show them it doesn't hurt.

By the time I release kitten back to it's cage, it is no longer stressed and tensed up, but slowly climbs out of the wrap rather than run out, progress :) Each time this is done, it gets easier and easier, soon enough, no wrap is needed. The hiding gets less and less, until there is no more hiding.

No more hissing, wide fearful eyes, and so on.

It's amazing how effective wrapping is on a kitten.

At this herd's age, time is critical. At 8 weeks old, the mental state is set, while this can vary with further work, if a kitten is very shy at 8 weeks old, it will always be shy, of strangers that is. For life.

They are nearly 8 weeks old now. At least once they are adopted into their new home, once the initial shyness and hiding is over with and they figure out that they are safe, etc. they will be fine with that family, but will always have that fear of strangers.

Taming adults is another story. Depending on age and just how feral/unsocial the cat is, takes ALOT of work, and will never be truly social. Taming adults starts with a cage, covered, and pulling the food. Teaching that they must count on you for food, offer food in your hand only. They resist time after time until....they are very hungry and the hunger overpowers their fear. Once they come towards you to eat, often times shaking from their fear, do this a few times, over time, with no other food allowed. Then same thing but as soon as they come to you to eat, take your other hand and try to pet. They will run back, you pull the food again. Very quickly they associate that this is the bargain, and despite their resistence know that in order to eat, they must allow you to pet them.

This is how the initial taming goes. Then when this is has progressed to being able to fully rub the cat anywhere, you slowly begin to act like you are going to lift the cat. So on and so on.

There will be many days that the progress goes backward, this is normal, allow it to go backwards to the point the cat is comfortable with again, then work your way forward again.

I have successfully tamed countless kittens, but no longer adult cats. They usually get either tnr'd or if I see I have some chance at at least some taming, I will, then usually place in mouser home situations.

This is simply because a feral adult will never be social and comfortable enough with people to go to adoptions and be chosen. People want to adopt friendly cats, and a former feral is just not going to ever be an outgoingly friendly cat to all. Given time in a new home, they will usually become more of a semi-feral cat, once trust is gained, but will always fear strangers.
 
Last edited:
Top