Befriending a feral kitten with treats

Our kitchen cats, the group who live in the back lane, are a complex bunch. The ones I can touch, have been enticed into cages, taken to the vet, and neutered. Maybe the others saw this and decided they’d opt out but the ferals who maintain a safe distance at all times are, regretfully, “intact”.

I say regretfully because of the kittens. The ferals have batches of them, and most die within a few days of birth. Life on the streets is tough, and kittens are fragile, so it’s inevitable.

I found tasty food is a way to a feral's heart also. Is the goal to maintain a healthy colony and stop breeding or to socialize and adopt out the kittens?

KittyMomma1122 said:

Is the goal to maintain a healthy colony and stop breeding or to socialize and adopt out the kittens?

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Hi, I thought trap-neuter-return was the contemporary way of dealing with feral cats and socialize and adopt-out the kittens?!

I tend a small colony that are trapped, ear tipped and spayed. When I snatched her momma cats first litter I could not get momma so of course I had a second litter. This time she stayed closer so I could get the kittens while they were young enough to socialize. I took her kittens and she came looking for them. I got her in a trap and she raised her kittens in a spare room I had for them. This time I got mom spayed and turned her loose with her older kittens. I kept her kittens for adoption, but I fell in love and kept 3 of them and my adult daughter kept one. They are not for everyone, but they can be socialized into loving indoor homes. It does take a lot of time to socialize them and I did spend many nights after work sitting on the floor in the cat room while momma trilled at them not to come near "the human." I sometimes wish I just took them from her altogether because they were three weeks old and hissy, biting little furballs. I now have a healthy little colony of spayed and vetted cats.
I think it is great to let them stay with their moms to learn survival skills and get vetted so the colony stays manageable and healthy.

I haven't had time to read the whole thread..so forgive me if my suggestion doesn't make any sense..

I had a situation this past year where I needed to befriend two youngsters to get them inside my home until I could get them fixed.

Treats had been working but I needed something more. So after the evening feeding, I would go out and sit in the dead end street where the feral cats kind loaf around after eating before heading off to their sleeping places at night. I brought out a bunch of toys.....all different kinds. I would stay for about an hour playing with anyone who would come near to play.

Within a few days, the little ones started to come and boy did it work! Every evening I would repeat the play time. When they were totally "into" the play and totally relaxed with me, I started moving closer and closer to the house until I got them to come inside the house to play. 

So, just a suggestion. I will try and read your whole story tonight.

Kitty Momma,

I so agree with you about letting Mom in the house to have her babies and then letting her raise them inside.

I had to do it one time and it was so successful I did it two or three times after that.

It is such an easy wonderful way  because you get to know the kittens, and Mom does all of the work.

It has been a great way to socialize the whole family and cut the ties of the feral part of the cats.

I give applause for anyway or style that best suits your colony and their needs! Spaying/neutering is the best method to control the colony.

All 50+ in the colony I manage are spayed/neutered.

I so agree with you. It is so important to get that done before anything else!