Taming Younger Ferals

I have a few Feral cats around my house, a female and a couple of Toms. I have not been able to catch the Toms but I was able to catch the female and get her fixed. Prior to me catching her she had a litter of 6 in August 2014. I was able to catch two of the girls when they were about 4 months old and brought them inside and had them fixed as well. I have been working with them ever since to tame them down so I can find them a forever home. While they have come along way they are far from where they need to be.  One I am able to pet but still will run away most of the time. the other one is very shy but she will eat out of my hand and I have picked her up a three times one time she freaked and the other two times she just stayed with no panic. They Both love my Alpha Male to death and when he sleeps beside me and they want to be with him the will tolerate me petting them and they sometimes even purr.

What I need help with is any suggestions on how to get them to trust me and relax around me. the Shyest one I need to give flea drops to and there is no getting near her. So everyone else has gotten the drops but her.

Hi @Rick59 and welcome to TCS! 

I'm not so good on socialising feral kittens but just wanted to let you know that you haven't been forgotten and hopefully there'll be some help soon. 

In the meantime, here's a really old thread that has some good suggestions.. these kittens were a lot less tame than yours, but don't be disheartened. @LDG gives some excellent advice.

Hi Rick,

They're beautiful cats. Thank you for taking care of them. How have you been catching them to get them to the vet? Do you pick them up and put them in a carrier or do you have a humane trap? If you don't have a trap I'd recommend getting one so you can get the toms fixed too. I started off getting the colony I care for fixed by coaxing them into a cat carrier, but the trap really speeded things up. Google Have-a-heart or Tomahawk traps. Some TNR groups will let you borrow one for free. Vets who treat feral cats often have them that you can borrow too.

Have you tried using Feliway? You can get a diffuser to go in the room with the cats and it helps them to relax. I use the spray on my hands before trying to handle feral kittens and they seem happier to let me pet them that way. The Feliway mimics the smell mother cats give off, so they think you're one of them. 

I've found the best way to a young feral cats heart is play. Wand toys are really good, you can use them to play with, then pet the kitten. You can also use them to keep the kittens attention away from your hand so that you can pet them without them noticing. An outstretched hand looks like claws coming to attack. Try to keep your hand closed in a light fist at your sides and then offer that to the to sniff and rub against. It looks like another cats head coming for a friendly head butt and if they can control how much petting they get they're happier.

Try sitting on the floor with your legs outstretched and a blanket across them. Get the cats engrossed in a wand toy and encourage them to run across your legs. They'll soon forget you are there and start using your legs as props to ambush the toy from behind. That's the first step in getting them to sit on your lap.

Hope some of this works for you. Keep us posted on how it goes.

I have to second what Norachan has said. It's important to begin sharing "space" and "contact". Getting close interaction goes a long ways towards full taming. Remember though, that we all have different personalities. My former ferals, birth brothers, were very different. At some point, one decided that jumping on my lap and laying down while I was sleeping in a chair was the best was to introduce himself. The other waited another 9 months before I could even try to pick him up. I will say that if it's clear to you that they depend on each other for reassurance, be sure to have them both involved while you continue to socialize them UNLESS one or the other instigates defensive (shy) behavior. In other words, as ferals, they understand each others behaviors more than ours and will use each other as social cues to respond to the world around them. Sometimes breaking them up allows you to create social focus. I know that many people would say that their age stacks the odds against you. I do not believe that at all. Not at all. 

Thank you very much for your replies. 

I used the humane trap to originally catch them and when it was time to take them to be fixed I was able to get them in a carrier with a little coaxing. The one with the two black ears I was able to trap first and she was the first to be fixed and the day she was fixed i caught her sister. I think if I would have only had the one she would have tamed down quickly. Now seven months later the one that was the most skiddish is now the one that is the tamest of the two. 

Another of my cats Lue I also had to trap. He wanted nothing to do with humans but loved my other cats. For the first month he lived in the spare bedroom and I would go in and sit with and talk to him and hand feed him chicken. Then I opened the door and gave him free run of the house. He started showing me attention by running up and nipping my ankle and running off when It was feeding time. Them he started jumping up near me on the couch and the rest is history. These girl were about the same age as Lue when I caught them and so far there is no sign that  taming them will be as easy with them. They are beautiful and I know they will find a forever home once I am able to tame them down

I have never heard of Feliway, it sounds interesting.I will have to find it and give it a try.  They do love the wand toys and are very playful, I will try the blanket on the legs trick, sounds like a good way to them used to me.

I was just writing to agree with you that they are beautiful girls.  They look adorable together so maybe you can talk someone into taking them together.   Best of luck to you.