Feral Kitten!

Hello! Saturday I went to my humane society and took home a beautiful female 3 month old kitten. I have her in my bathroom, kitten proofed of course, and I'm not sure how to proceed. She hasn't come out of her carrier in front of me since I got her. She does however eat a little and use the litter box successfully. I'm just wondering if I should leave food in the bathroom when I'm gone, or should I only bring in food when I come in and socialize with her? I want her to associate me with good things, but I also don't want her to starve. As it is, she won't eat in front of me. I would really appreciate some advice! She hasn't hissed at all since I got her, or made barely any noise. Also, weird question, but my bathroom is quite small and it's the only one in my apartment. Is it too much noise for her with the shower/toilet flushing? Thank you in advanced!

She'll get used to the flushing, etc, quickly. As for the food, I would sit quietly by it for a while, talking softly to her to get her used to your voice. You may have to leave it in there though until she gets used to you. She HAS to eat. Can you touch her at all? I would try to reach in and stroke her, she has to get used to the human touch. Maybe get a wand and try to get her to play at first before you touch her. Get a sweatshirt or shirt you have worn and put it near her to get her used to your scent. It's not unusual for a kitten to stay hidden that long, I had one hide for weeks. At her young age it shouldn't take long to tame her down, it will just take patience and time. Good luck!

Has she had any human contact at all?  I would assume since she adopted her from the Humane Society she is able to be picked up.  Is there a chance she was feral born, but has been socialized somewhat? 

Get some Gerber stage 2 baby food in chicken or turkey flavor.  It is in a small jar with blue label.  The only ingredients are turkey or chicken and water (no added spices).  Cats go crazy for this.  Yet this is a training tool not a meal replacement. 

At this point I would allow her access to food at all times.  She needs to eat.

Here is a series of 3 videos on the rescue and socialization of feral kittens.  There are alot of good tips.

http://www.urbancatleague.org/TamingVideo

Thank you both for the help. She's definitely feral, she wasn't in the main area with the other adoptable cats. She had human contact at the humane society, but they still classified her as feral. She won't let me go anywhere near her, she tries to disappear in her cat carrier. I haven't tried picking her up or touching her yet, I feel like I should definitely wait. I'll try the baby food, thank you both for the advice.

She's showing her feelings about this change in her life.  Pretty normal cat behavior but with her feral background, it may take you a little longer to get her used to things.  If you have the time, sit in the room quietly - perhaps read outloud to her.

Never force anything on her - just be.  When you empty the litter box, tell her what you are doing.  If you have to clean, describe it to her.  Use a sing-song, high pitched voice (cats hear higher voices better).  Just act as if everything you do is perfectly normal.  I second the idea that she needs food available all the times.

Thank you for taking on this challenge.  She just needs a little time to adjust to being around humans and figure out what they want.

Try spending alot of time with her.  Sit on the floor ( do not loom over her) and talk quietly to her.  Try not making direct eye contact.  Just tell her that she is safe and that this is her new home.  You can watch in the videos I linked that show what to do with the baby food.  The videos have lots of other good tips as well.  I did socializing on a 7 month old feral cat.  I learned so much from the videos. 

Remember to just take it slowly and do not force yourself on her.  Food rewards are your friend.  Let her settle for a few days, but do let her see you often so she gets used to you.  You can try a feliway diffuser too. 

She still hasn't come out in my presence. She wasn't eating for almost 2 days, but thank God she finally ate last night, after I had gone to sleep. I spent a few hours yesterday just reading to her and doing work on my laptop. I had put wet and dry food in front of her carrier while I was reading and she still didn't come out. I know she's really nervous and scared of me, but I hope that all of this is normal.

amynickolle said:

She still hasn't come out in my presence. She wasn't eating for almost 2 days, but thank God she finally ate last night, after I had gone to sleep. I spent a few hours yesterday just reading to her and doing work on my laptop. I had put wet and dry food in front of her carrier while I was reading and she still didn't come out. I know she's really nervous and scared of me, but I hope that all of this is normal.

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She may not eat in your presence for a long time.  The socialization process will be slow.  Give her lots and lots of time.  Just sit with her.   Do you have a feliway diffuser?  It might help her to calm down.  It's good that she is eating.  Just leave her food out all the time to eat.  Reassure her she is safe and you will care for her.  Watch any quick movements.  When you are sitting on the floor and you go to leave, tell her you are getting up so it doesn't frighten her so much. 

Just be prepared for it to take time.  With ferals it is often one small step forward and 2 steps back over and over again.  You just need lots of patience. 

I socialized a feral kitten who was between 3 and 4 months old when I trapped him and took him in my house. Play therapy is what I've found the most helpful for my adopted ferals. They love wand toys, and once you entice them to play, they really start to interact with you. Also get catnip toys and laser light toys. Kittens love to play, and if you can spend the time, several sessions a day will bring your kitten around. Also, my cats like it when I sing softly to them. They each have their own song and they know it (even my outdoor feral). It helps if you have a good voice, but cats are forgiving even if you don't  It took 5 weeks to completely socialize this particular kitten, so patience is the key.

Update! She ate some wet food in front of me! I'm so excited that she felt comfortable enough to do that. I thought that it would take at least a few more weeks. I bought a feliway diffuser and plugged it in last night. She's moving around a little more in her cage as well, which is amazing, since she would try not to make a sound a few days ago. I've also been playing relaxing harp music almost all the time. I'm so happy my little girl is relaxing a little. Thank you all for the advice! Oh, MsAimee, she doesn't want to play at all, I'll keep trying to tempt her though.

This is such good news.  My kitties all loved the harp music.  I used to play it 24/7 for them for awhile. 

Keep us updated.

My feral kitten preferred soft pop music, lol.

Keep trying to entice her with catnip toys and a wand toy. I bet she'll be playing in another week. Once she starts to act like a kitten and play, then she'll be bonding with you in no time.   

Okay, just a small update. Shes been playing at night and she wakes me up she's so active. I woke up this morning to her little kitten paw trying to grab her catnip mouse she got stuck under the door! It was so cute.

She ate a few more times in front of me, but she tries to gobble it up as quickly as possible so she isn't outside her carrier for too long. I put some of the chicken baby food on a spoon and set it in her carrier and spoon a little over her wet food as well. Sometimes she just eats what is on the spoon and doesn't leave her carrier and sometimes she eats what is on the spoon and then comes out and eats some wet food. Also, I'm always turned away from her and she only eats when I'm reading or singing to her. Maybe she just likes the background noise? 

I try to entice her to play, but she won't come out of her carrier. Does anyone have any advice for this? Should I try at night, instead of midday, when she seems more active? Or should I just keep trying to get her to warm up to me with food? I certainly don't want to push her and I hope my approach is right. I just hope I keep doing the right things. I constantly play calming music and talk in a calming voice and tell her what I'm doing so she won't get spooked.

It may take her awhile to play with you.  It's just a great sign that she is playing by herself.  That shows a level of comfort. Just keep sitting with her and spending time with her.  What kind of toys are you using?  You could try a simple laser pointer that you can conceal in your hand.  Just don't point it into her eyes. 

You can also try enticing her closer to you with a yummy treat.  I used to use plain cooked chicken.  Just break it into very small pieces.  Gently toss one her way and see if she will eat it.  If it's a bit warm ( not hot) she might smell it better too.  If she eats it toss it a bit closer to you.  Just a bit at a time.  Speaking softly to her and telling her she is safe.  You will learn her challenge line and then you can push it just a bit each day. 

Remember this is all about patience.  It may take her a very long time to warm up to you.  When working with ferals it is often one step forward and 2 steps back.  Keep working with her and you will get there!

Remember, too, because she may not have been well-socialized to humans, she may have no idea what you mean when you try to play with her.  Wands toys work, as do bribes as described above by ShawdowsRescue.

I know we sound redundant but patience is your best friend now.  Hang in there.

I've only had one truly feral kitten (5-6 mos old), others were strays/rescues. Brought him home, put him not in carrier but in a cat bed in corner of  guest bathroom, with small litter box, at -will food bowl, water.  Kept door closed, went in frequently and sang a nonsense song about  him to him in my awful voice. He stayed huddled in his bed.

After about a week I began to leave the door open (no other animals), put scratching post outside door. He finally began to come out & check out scratching post, and eventually after maybe another week, came down the hall and would look at me sitting in the family room. It was a long process, I tempted  him with treats, which he loved. He too did not seem to know what play was, and my attempts at that actually seemed to frighten him. I would throw a toy mouse at him and he'd just back away and look at me. Same with dangling objects.

All that was 5-6 years ago. He's been friendly and loving now for some time. Even allowed me to pick him up for short times.  BUT. He finally began to get on my lap just this winter, after I had to take him to the vet to have teeth cleaned & pulled. He has become a real lap kitty. Gets in my lap now most every time I sit down in my special chair. (Is not so ready when I sit somewhere else)  Sleeps with us most every night now. Follows me everywhere.

Point is, yes, I believe patience is really the key, But it is so worth it!

Thank you all for the advice, I really do appreciate it. I cooked some chicken for her, but she really didn't seem interested in it. The other day she actually came out of her carrier for no reason! I think it was the smell of some tuna I had sitting across the room from her. But she walked to the other side of the bathroom and hid in a corner and then walked back to her carrier. This was such a huge step in my opinion, since she walked very close to me. She didn't even eat the tuna, just sat in the corner for a few minutes and walked back.

I can sort of tell that she wants to play whenever I try to entise her with a laser and a wand toy. I can hear her moving around and watching the toys.

Whenever she does eat in front of me, she eats as fast as possible, but hopefully with time she will learn to slow down.

I won't ever give up working with her! She's too adorable in my opinion haha.

Heres a picture of Sophie now. She's almost completely tame. And she loves to cuddle

How good is that!  What a beautiful girl.

I am so happy for you.  She is just beautiful.  You did a great job with her.  Thanks so much for updating.