When to allow feral cats out of the cage?

I have two feral kittens in my spare room. in a dog cage with litter box, food and water.  They are spayed females as my wonderful neighbor trapped them and had this done along with shots.  My question is should I release them into the room?  I have a dog who wants to see them.  He barks at them, so I don't let him into the room.any longer.   Are they better in the cage or free to roam the room?  My thought with keeping them caged was that I could pick them up with this access.  one is so scared and feisty, thata I stopped picking her up.  the other is fine.  they are about 3 months old.

Trish Knudsen said:

 
I have two feral kittens in my spare room. in a dog cage with litter box, food and water.  They are spayed females as my wonderful neighbor trapped them and had this done along with shots.  My question is should I release them into the room?  I have a dog who wants to see them.  He barks at them, so I don't let him into the room.any longer.   Are they better in the cage or free to roam the room?  My thought with keeping them caged was that I could pick them up with this access.  one is so scared and feisty, thata I stopped picking her up.  the other is fine.  they are about 3 months old.

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Its a good idea to let them recover in the cage, as you say, its easier to pick them up, if you would need to.   The cage is also a protection for them, so they prob feel more safe in it. Especielly with the dog outside the room.

For cats, an unknown dog is in first hand an enemy, even a predator.  They being ferale, they know it and surely experineced too.

Keep them in the cage, when the revovery is done, open the door of the cage, but they may still have cage as their safe zone.

Ferale born tend to have a good healing meat. Those with a weak immune system simply perish early.

ps. you will also notice the proper day when they begins to actively wanna out, be movable, plays etc...   On adult ferales it becomes clear when they get active panic, and holding them in cage is more dangerous than to just release them.

As SteefanZ said, ferals are tough. They have to be to survive. Usually, we release females after spaying after four days to a week. If you plan to keep these kittens inside, you can open the cage and let them wander the room after the same length of time.

Just make sure there are no places for them to hide in the room. Put the bed on the floor or flip the matress and box spring against the wall. Secure any spaces under bureaus, so they can't wedge under or behind them.

Use the crate as their "hiding space." It will become their go-to safe spot.

Thank you for helping them!

In my experience taming feral kittens goes easier in a crate. We have several feral kitten foster volunteers and the ones that let them out of the crate too early, are the ones having the hardest time taming them. Why? When they are still shy and you let them run in the room, they typically hide and you have to chase them down to hold them, which scares them and is exhausting for kitten and human alike. I keep feral kittens in the crate until they are comfortable being handled. Only then I gradually increase the freedom. When I first let them out, it´s only for a few hous in a room with no hiding spots except the carrier - which makes it easier later in life when they have to go travel. I feed them on my lap. This way they associate being picked up with something good. Also they need to be handled frequently. It´s better to hold them 8 times a day for a few minutes, than pulling them out of of the cage for an hour, but only once a day.

The scared / feisty kitten needs most attention from you. Lots of love, treats, play time (try a wand toy!).

Dont let the dog scare the kittens. Only if the dog is calm, quiet, and leaves the cats alone, you should let him into the room.