How to care for feral kittens

I adopted two 5 month feral kittens today they are calm and both of them will let me pet them and are not jumpy when we do so. However, when they are not in the room that we have made just for them they run and hide under/behind furniture. We have not tried to pick them up yet. They have also not touched their food or used their litter trays yet although they have only been here for one day. Will they eventually come to us and be able to roam around the house freely? Just wondering if there was any advice on what and what not to do? Thanks.

Feral or not, cats need time to make adjustments like coming into a new home with new sights, sounds and smells.  This is why it is advised to give them a small space of their own to begin with, so they make small adjustments at a time.

I would give them time.  Feed them on schedule in the same place.  They will adjust to your schedule - leaving/returning from work, for instance, but having things set really helps them.

I think after a few days, you will begin to see them more.  Once they realize they are safe, they should begin coming out of their shells more and more.

It sounds like they may have been taken from a feral mother?  If they were truly feral, they would have gone ballistic inside your home.  Feral cats have no socialization to humans.  These two sound like they have had some socialization.

Thank you for adopting them!

I have read that feral cats might not like or know what to do with actual litter. Feral cats bury there presents in the dirt. So it is often advised feral cats might prefer dirt over litter. plus the dirt might make them relax a bit easier with the familiar smell. just a thought. Good luck !

Dr Rizk said:

 
I have read that feral cats might not like or know what to do with actual litter. Feral cats bury there presents in the dirt. So it is often advised feral cats might prefer dirt over litter. plus the dirt might make them relax a bit easier with the familiar smell. just a thought. Good luck !

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Good point.  You can also sprinkle a layer of dirt over regular litter.  They soon get the idea and it makes scooping easier.

Update: Milly and Lola have become much more calm in these few days, always empty their food bowls, using their litter trays and even purring whenever we stroke them! Not shy anymore, they come to us and meow, thanks for all the help thought guys!![emoji]128522[/emoji][emoji]128522[/emoji]