Newbie to feral cats, any advice?

Hello everyone! I just found this page and thought I'd give it a shot. Sorry in advance for the long story!

Long story short, I wanted to adopt a cat and ended up rescuing two feral cats that lived in a very nasty area behind a Wendy's on November 15th. Theo ( he was "Lily" before we found out he was a boy, he has a girly face :lol3: ) is about 7 months and Toby is around 6 months. Theo is black and Toby is gray but they have white fur on almost the exact same spots, which is why I thought they were siblings! When you see them it is clear that the have a bond, when they are scared they cuddle together. Toby is a huge scaredy cat and hides all the time whereas Theo is curious with caution. I have very little experience with cats so I am cautious and I worry very easily.

Currently I have them isolated in my bedroom. When we had them in the living room they would stay under the couch for hours so I decided to move them. They still have fleas and bugs. We bathed them once about a month ago and it helped a bit, I was told by the vet to not bathe them again and just to use the flea drops. Today I applied perscription drops so I'm hopping it helps. Minutes after applying it a fly sized bug was on theo's head. I have no idea what kind of bug it is. We also found out they have roundworms so tomorrow I will start that treatment. They were negative for the fiv and all those other tests.

I believe they did not live with any other cats because they don't react aggressively at all. They've never bitten or scratched. All they do is hiss if you move towards them or try to touch them but then they stop. We've had a few petting sessions with them and they seem to enjoy the affection but of course only for so long. I try to respect their boundaries, my sister suggests being more hands on as in grabbing them every day and petting them for a while to get them use to it, please comment on this matter.

They seem to get comfy, they like to get on top of my bed and lounge, I've been sleeping on the couch though because of the fleas. Tomorrow I am hoping to start sleeping there again and clean and disinfect everything. I have witnessed Theo purr the first time he slept on their cat bed.I've read that cats "slow blinking" is a good thing and to do it back. Which I do lots of, but they are still very scared of me. Should I be more hands on with them? I might be taking things too slow, by not touching them unless my sister is there to help guide me. When I first got them they were advancing good, but due to Christmas season I worked 3 weeks non stop and they got back to being super scared. They love playing together which of course is a great sign. As for food I'm trying to get them on An eating schedule. Theo has no problem eating in front of me but Toby does.

Please any advice or encouragement is greatly appreciated. Some days I have no clue what I'm doing and feel like I'm keeping them captive . From what I think I know about feral cats they really show potential of being domesticated faster then other feral cats. Theo with a greater chance than Toby.





This is Toby (left) and Theo (Right) when we first rescued them.

I FORGOT TO MENTION!!!!!!


Apart from seeming to only have lived by themselves they were also used to being fed every day by a nice lady who would leave wet food and watch them eat. Would this mean they would be easier to domesticate considering they are used to being fed by humans?

Bless your heart for taking them in. You need a lot of patience. Handle them often, but keep the sessions short until they are comfortable.

You can try human baby food with meat flavor, most cats love it. Once they lick it from a spoon, let them lick it from your fingers. This way they learn that human hands coming at them are a good thing. Pet them a lot, talk in a soft voice, you can even read a book or sing for them, so they get used to your voice.

A large wire dog kennel would be good to confine them. If you have one or you can borrow one, set it up in the room where you and/or your family spend the most time. This way they can get used to human voices, radio, TV, etc. But make sure they have a hiding place in the kennel. A plastic carrier would be ideal. This way it´s easy to get them to a vet when necessary and they wont be freaking out going in a carrier.

When possible, feed them on your lap, one at the time. Play time is important too. Some cats warm up quickly when you play with them. Get little balls and mice and wand toys.

Good luck!