Pinky and Doc - 2 feral kittens and a million doubts

Hi Everyone, 

I am a newbie to the site and also to tying to raise / tame 2 feral kittens. Pinky (a little girl) and Doc (a little boy) were rescued just a week ago. They had minimal human contact earlier and have never been handled before. Their colony was fed by some volunteers and the neighbors of the garden they are living, but that's all of human presence in their lives.

These 2 little guys are now 8/9 weeks old. After trapping them they joined our lives last Wednesday evening. They spent the night alone not leaving the carrier, and I suspect they haven't slept all night and were terrified when we entered the bathroom for feeding and sorting stuff out. We brought them to the vet the next morning. We had a quick, but very eventful checkup as they are very wild.

They weighed in at 550 and 600 grams (1.2 / 1.3 pounds) and were ridden by fleas and worms. They also demonstrated their feral nature and Doc gave an ugly bite to the vet hissing and spitting while being touched. The little girl did not bite, but she was also very hostile (of course). Doc has a chest and eye infection, while Pinky had an upset stomach. They got shots to help with parasites and boost their immune system, spot on treatment and our way we went. 

Between Wednesday and Friday afternoon we gave them time to adjust and checked on them only for very short periods. They hid / froze with fear whenever we opened the bathroom door. From Friday evening we started spending 1,5-2 hours in separate sessions sitting in front of the bathroom with the door open to get them used to our presence. We are not staring for long periods, speak soflty and quietly, give them treats and wet food only when we're there (dry food & water left during the day in the first days, now they have breakfast and we leave only the water).

We would also open the door in the morning while we are getting ready for work, we got them a cat tree, and I have also been reading out these threads for them when sitting there alone....

As of yesterday evening we have made the following progress (I hope you also consider this progress...):

- They love the cat tree and are sleeping in the hideout of it all the time

- They sleep / nap without reacting to us opening the door (and their sleep patterns now seem to be much better)

- Both of them eat when we are sitting 6-8 inches from them

- They started playing with each other - also when we are outside the room

- The little girls is very interested in the toy wand with feathers, but once she gets 10-12 inches from the toy she would back up and start playing alone in the other side of the room. 

- There tummies are OK now, no diarrhea anymore.

- They've put on quite a lot of weight and their fur looks better and better each day.

... and now to the feedback / advice and doubts part of this long post...

Doc's health and progress: Unfortunately the eye infection is not getting better for the little tom, but we can't / couldn't medicate him without traumatising him at the vet again (and how could I put drops / creams in his eyes if he's not letting him touch?!)... Do you think by giving him Lysine we could help him fight the infection? He is eating very well, started to play with his sister, and even if he is the shyer kitten of the two he would come to eat close to us. He naps a lot. On the other hand he is more reluctant to use the litterbox, which is a pity, but I hope as he's getting less afraid he would sort that out too.... 

Pinky's health and progress: very good with the litter box, more active and curious then her brother and also the tummy problems have stopped. She would usually come to eat first and her littermate follows. As mentioned above, she is extremely interested in the cat wand, the toys we've left in the room and would initiate play with Doc.

My doubts: do you think we'd need to start touching / handling them already? I fear it would make them even more afraid, but I don't want to miss the critical window for socialising them only because we are not experienced rescuers / fosterers.... I am generally worried they didn't get the best possible family or that they are too old to be happy inside because we are not good/experienced enough in socialising them... What can we do better / what are we missing out?

I'd love these babies to be more confident and happy, but I don't have expectations of them becoming lap cats or as tame as my previous kitties.... I would love to give them a family where everyone can be calm and relaxed including us - e.g. leaving them free in the flat (not being afraid of regular litterbox issues) and to be able to invite people over without them being frozen of fear or becoming agressive (they've never hissed or spitted to us, because they can retreat when they want and won't be chased / cornered, but I don't know how they would react to strangers).

Is there something we're doing something wrong? Shall we attempt to touch them ASAP or give them time to come around on their own terms? Shall I give Lysine to the little boy? Any other tips / feedback?

Thank you very much and have a great day!!

Thank you for rescuing these kittens and taking on the challenge to socialize them.  You have made so much progress already and you are doing so well.  Remember with ferals, it can be one step forward and 2 steps back.  They may never be cuddly lap kitties and they may always spook easily, but they will be loved and have a warm safe home.

Keep working daily with them.  Daily work starts to make a pattern. 

Have you tried making your hand into a fist and presenting it to the cats?  This will look similar to a cats head and often they will sniff it and head butt your fist.  You can also use the wand toy to your advantage.  You can start to allow the feather to touch the kittens.  I have used this technique on a few ferals.  I am working with a 2 year old male right now.  The feather wand freaked him out a bit, so I improvised and made a "pointer" wand.  I will attach a picture.

Also here is a video that shows the rescue and socialization of feral kittens.  There are a lot of great tips.

http://www.urbancatleague.org/TamingVideo

As always, ShadowsRescue has great advice. I would start to simply sit in the room with them. Make no approaches - let them do that. You can pass the time on the computer or by reading aloud to them. Use a quiet, slow voice and every once in awhile you can baby talk to them. Again, let them approach you. Use your fist if they get brave. You can gradually open your hand for real pets once they begin trusting the fist.

Remember, no quick moves or sudden noises, if you can help it. They are actually at a good age to socialize. They are just a little traumatized by all the changes and new experiences.

Thank you for helping them!

Dear ShadowsRescue and Ondine, 

Many thanks for the for the tips and the encouragement, I really needed that. We'll keep working with them and I will definitely try the fist approach too. Hopefully can report further progress very soon. I will also post a pic so you can see these babies

Thanks again!

Just a quick update...

The are not approaching the fist, but I petted both of them with the cat wand for very brief periods yesterday while they were eating. I was thrilled!

Pinky is getting more and more playful and curious about her surroundings. This morning she also ventured out of the bathroom when I left the door open during breakfast and I left the room for a minute. Of course she escaped when I entered the room and found a tiny place to hide, but my DH managed to get her out quickly so she ran back to the bathroom fast as lightning. 

I am wondering if I am being too concerned or insecure, or this little lady tries to give me signs that everything is going well... anyways, progress!!! 

Her brother would still come to eat very close and when there's food he is extremely focused on that... You couldn't really scare him away. He would retreat when he had enough, but it not interested in toys or playing much with his sister. I think he is has a less active personality and absolutely adores snoozing on the cat tree... Seems like a relaxed little boy

They are coming along! Sometimes it is really one step forward and two back but sooner or later, they adjust. Sounds like things are going well. Thanks for the update.