15 month old timid feral - need advice

So this is my feral story (Sorry for the super long novel post):

One dark, early morning toward the end of January I saw a small orange kitten run through my backyard. He ran away quickly but I left some dry food out for him. That night he came back with his mom and another orange kitten. I guessed the kittens to be around 8 -10 weeks. I fed the three of them for about a week. As soon as they saw me they would run away. There's an orange tomcat in the neighborhood and I didn't want Momma to get knocked up again so I planned to have all three fixed at the local SPCA as soon as possible. One night I was able to sneak up on the kittens while they were eating (I fed them in a small, mostly empty shed behind my house). I set a cat carrier inside and was easily able to shoo them into it. They lived in my bathroom for the next week while I worked on trapping Momma and bringing them all to their spay/neuter appointments on February 1. Originally I was hoping the kittens were small enough that they could be socialized easily but I thought if they didn't show any signs of being happy indoors I could release them with Momma, and continue feeding them as feral cats.

One of the kittens (Finn) would eat food in my presence, although he didn't like me to get close. The other kitten (Poe) would hiss at me if he thought I wasn't keeping my distance. Also, I have two female cats (4 and 5 years old). On the fifth or sixth day that the kittens lived in my bathroom, my cats got into a fight that scared the actual piss out of the smaller one. They have never fought, even when introduced as adults (about 3 years ago). So I had to consider that keeping the kittens myself was negatively impacting my resident cats, and also that only one of the kittens seemed amendable to domestication. In addition, I live in New Orleans and resources for shelter animals are limited enough. I reasoned that it would be kinder to all if the family stayed together and didn't take up space in a foster home or rescue.

After their spay/neuter appointments, I released Momma and her kittens under the direction of the SPCA. Since then, Momma has disappeared. I hope that she decided to go with a safer (in her mind) food source but have no way of knowing. The kittens returned to their regular feeding time after staying away a couple nights. For several weeks I fed them and talked to them and they grew more comfortable in my presence. They started showing up late morning or early afternoon looking for food. They would run a few feet toward me when they saw me, excited for food. By the end of February, they would let me sit within arms distance of them while they ate. They seemed more confident and would walk around with their little tails in the air. Surprisingly, Poe was now friendlier. I pet him a couple of times while he ate his wet food and he started to play with some cat toys with me.

Then Poe disappeared. I last saw him around Feb. 26/27. He was the dominant kitten even though he was smaller. (The SPCA didn't tell me how old the kittens (both boys) were but did chart their weights at 2.7 and 3.1 lbs.) Finn began hanging out around the shed more and meowing pitifully. I think he was really lonely. He would eat and then hang around and meow until we played with a ribbon wand that I got for him.

I decided to try taking Finn in again, not knowing if he would make it on his own. Yesterday I pulled the same trick trapping him in the shed. A coworker who was helping me picked him up with a towel and got him in the carrier. I thought that he would calm down quicker this time around. So he's back living in the bathroom but he hides from me and won't eat in front of me now. He has definitely played with some cat toys when I'm gone but not interested in playing with the wand with me.

My question is, how do more experienced people who have socialized feral kittens before think this is going? What is my next step? I've read all that I can find but every case is different and this is my first time. I wanted to get him to a vet sooner rather than later to get him started on vaccines and dewormer but I can't even handle him and don't want to set back what little progress I've made with him.

Please help, even if it's simple encouragement. He's a really sweet kitten and I feel bad that he's all alone.

I don't have any experience in socializing feral cats, but until someone stops by who does,  you might find the following articles helpful.  The first one has lots of suggestions for interacting with a shy cat and the second one describes a detailed socialization process.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/10-must-know-tips-for-happy-living-with-a-shy-cat

http://bestfriends.org/resources/socializing-cats-how-socialize-very-shy-or-fearful-cat

To me, it seems like things are going very well for you.  Finn has only been inside for a day and he is playing with cat toys, which is a good sign.  In terms of getting him to the vet, could you give him a few days in the bathroom to recognize it is a safe place and then have your coworker help you trap him again?  Then when you release him back to the bathroom, he'll feel more secure if he already knows it is safe. 

You also will have to introduce him to your resident cats.  Here is an article that should help:
[article="32680"]How To Successfully Introduce Cats The Ultimate Guide  [/article]
I think it's wonderful you brought Finn inside.  He probably would have disappeared at some point as well, and this way he has what every cat wants:  a good home with someone who loves him.    

He is doing fine. I assume you have no other pets? If none In a day or two I would start leaving the bathroom door cracked at night for him to explore your house without the ruckus of the humans. He may end up under a bed which is normal. In a couple days after that if he's still in the bathroom I'd leave the door completely open. It will take a good week before you will see him walking around. Just keep his food and litterbox close. Check back with us and let us know how he's progressive. It's normal for him to completely be afraid of you for a couple days.

Yes,I do have two resident cats so unfortunately I cant let Finn roam around right now.

Margd, thank you for the articles! I am finding them very helpful. Hopefully we keep making progress with no setbacks. I offered him some cooked chicken tonight which he ate out of my hands and licked my fingers, so I do feel encouraged, even though he wouldn't leave his hiding spot to get it. I will keep working with him and try not to push too hard for now

Even though he is no longer a kitten now, there are some great ideas in this video series I will post.  It starts with the rescue of feral kittens, but continues on to showing how to socialize.  There are some great tips.  I worked on socializing a 7-9 month old feral by using a lot of these tips.  Progress can be painfully slow, but once you set your expectations low it really helps.  I would often set lofty goals only to be disappointed.  Once I lowered my standards and broke steps up into baby steps, it was much easier to see progress.

Thank you for rescuing this boy.

http://www.urbancatleague.org/TamingVideo

Those videos are great! Sorry for the confusion y'all, the heading should say 15 WEEKS, not months. He's between 3 and 4 months I think, closer to 4.

Anything I can do to keep my resident Cats from getting jealous as I work with Finn?

There's a cat bed with a covered top in the bathroom that he hides in when I go in. Should I take it away so he has to see me or should I leave it for now?

If he doesn't come out when you come in to  work with him, you might at least take the top off. Yet, he does need a place to feel safe.  At first you want him to get used to you and your presence.  You can start by sitting on the floor ( you don't want to loom over him) and just talk or even read aloud from a book or magazine.  When you arrive, offer him a yummy snack.  I used plain cooked chicken or a piece of tuna.  He may not eat in your presence, but he will start to associate you with something yummy.  You can leave another piece when you leave.  I like to visit often for short periods.  Just stay 5-10 minutes as often as you can visit. 

The tips in the video should help a lot.  I made a petting wand like the one in the video and have used it on many feral cats.  That would be a step down the road when he is ready for some touch.

Do you have any feliway diffusers?  You might get one for the bathroom and another for the area where your outside cats are situated. 

As for your resident cats.  Use play therapy with them.  Lots of interactive play time.  This will burn some of their energy and make them happier.  A great technique is the Hunt Catch Kill Eat Groom Sleep theory.  You really get the cat moving with a laser pointer or interactive wand toy (like the da bird).  Try to really tire the cat out.  After playing where the cat has hunted, caught and then killed the "prey", you want to offer a snack to satisfy the eat.  Make is something special.  If the cat is now tired enough, he will groom himself and take a nap.  You can use this activity many times each day.

Also be sure to keep the cats completely separated.  The kitten may need another vet check since he was allowed back outside.  He might need to be wormed and may need some more vaccines.  You want to be sure he is healthy before allowing any time with your resident cats.  I would wait quite a bit before doing any introductions.  You are best to wait until you can handle him before allowing introductions.  There are some great articles and videos available for cat to cat intros.  So when the time is right, let me know and I can post them for you.

Hey y'all, Finn is making great progress. Today he began headbutting my hand for pets. I talked to my vet's office and am bringing him in next Friday. They want him to be comfortable with me handling him before seeing him. Thanks for all the advice and resources. If the vet visit goes well, I will look into beginning the introductions with my very curious resident Cats.

Great news!  Thanks for the update.     Finn will be a spoiled house cat yet!

Hey y'all, Finn has his first vet visit the other day. We are bug free and FIV-negative! This morning I let Finn and my two resident Cats eye each other through a crack in the door and fed them all some treats. The ladies hissed at Finn but were successfully distracted by food.

Is the process of intrducing a new cat any different when it is a multi-cat household? The first cat I got is more easygoing and the second cat is definitely the boss and more territorial. Should I let Finn and my easygoing female make friends first?

Sounds normal to me. I took in five feral kittens a few years back. Some of them adjusted to living indoors quickly, but a couple of them were extremely fearful. They found the craziest places to hide. I had two older cats too, and this actually turned out to be a bonus. The older cats loved being groomed, and the kittens eventually decided to see what the fuss was about. Group grooming time was a major way to bond and break down some of that fear.

With one of the cats it took years for her to become a "lap cat." One of the other cats never did. But recently, after 4 years of patience, I finally heard her purr in response to being petted.

Be patient. Could take a while. You're doing great! Try some group grooming. And in my experience boy cats come around better than girl cats.

I would do the easy going cat first and see how things go.  Then move onto the other cat.  Take ti slowly.  You will know if you are moving too fast if there is biting, growling, hissing, posturing or full out attacks.