feral recovering with me

Hi all. I trapped four females from a colony on my road to TNR. One ended up having an infected uterus and would have been dead in a week if I wouldn't have caught her. She also had to have an eye removed. She is staying with me for two weeks to heal and take an antibiotic. I have her in a big cat playpen outside my kitchen door where the stairwell is to the basement. I've had her since Sunday. She is now eating while I sit there and takes treats out of my hand. I pet her a few times. I only got hissed at once. So far she won't play with string or toys. She isn't hiding and is on one of the shelves in the cage. I'm wondering if she might be able to be socialized. She seems rather nice...but scared and unsure. Unfortunately, since she is in a cage, I can't work with her to get her to come to me. She won't move when I'm near her. I may try to get her in my bathroom at some point. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Wow - she's come a long way since Sunday, which tells me she was socialized at some point in her life.  A true feral would go bonkers every time you approached.

I wouldn't try too hard to touch her while she's in the crate. She was really, really sick and needs time and space to recuperate. If she accepts treats or food, that's great but let her tell you when she'd ready for your touch.

I would spend time with her.  Sit near her and read out loud.  It will get her used to your presence and your voice.  Talk gently to her every time you see her; tell her how beautiful she is and how your really, really like her.   

Are you planning to keep her?  If so, moving her to the bathroom in a week or so will help introduce her to sights and smells of your house.  If not, you may be able to decide if she's appropriate for adoption, rather than returning her outside.

Thank you so much for helping her and good luck!

Thank you for your reply. The people who feed her say she was born summer 2012 so she has never been indoors but has been living on feeder's porch since birth. They said she has never been mean. I really don't want to put her back out bc I feel like she might be adoptable at some point. Problem is, potential adopter would have to know she prob wont be an outgoing cat and may hide a lot. It may be hard to find someone to take her. I am also worried about keeping her away from her colony too long and them not accepting her back if I decide she has to go back out.

You will have time to assess her real personality as she recuperates.  Once your have that info, you can know exactly what to tell potential adopters.  She may never be a lap cat but that doesn't matter to some people.  (Of our nine cats, only one is a true lap cat.  Another will lay in my lap or next to me on occasion but if I pet her too much, she's gone)

This will be a good opportunity for you too.   On your TNR adventure, there will be cats with many, many different personalities.  You will get to recognize those who are "rehabbable" and those who are happier outside.  She doesn't sound (yet) like the latter.