When Should I Let Ferals Out of the Safe Room?

lgm445

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Hello,

I recently took in two semi-ferals (one male one female) that were living in my backyard and they are about 3-4 months old. I named them Shadow ans Leo. I trapped them in the beginning of September so we've had them for a little over a month and they've been in the safe room since the day we got them. One of the kittens, Leo has completely warmed up and allows petting etc. he even purrs when we pet him. The female kitten, Shadow still has some work to be done. She's comfortable in the room and does not run away when we walk towards her or around her. The only issue is that she does not like to be touched. We are not able to pick her up or pet her. The only way we are able to pet her is if she is laying down and not facing us so she doesn't see our hands.

I recently left the safe room door open and the two kittens are able to roam between their room and mine. The female (Shadow) recently decided to explore more and crept her way downstairs where she tried to nibble on my mom's plants (I stopped her before she actually could) my sister had a tough time getting her back into the safe room and she had to pick her up. When she picked Shadow up and carried her to the safe room, by the time they reached the room Shadow let out a quiet hiss and ran into the room.

Now, today I have not let them out of the room at all. Leo does not seem to have an issue with it. When I was in their room during play time session Shadow went to the door and started meowing and shoving her paws under the door. So when do you think it is an appropriate time to let them roam?
 

StefanZ

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Hello,

I recently took in two semi-ferals (one male one female) that were living in my backyard and they are about 3-4 months old. I named them Shadow ans Leo. I trapped them in the beginning of September so we've had them for a little over a month and they've been in the safe room since the day we got them. One of the kittens, Leo has completely warmed up and allows petting etc. he even purrs when we pet him. The female kitten, Shadow still has some work to be done. She's comfortable in the room and does not run away when we walk towards her or around her. The only issue is that she does not like to be touched. We are not able to pick her up or pet her. The only way we are able to pet her is if she is laying down and not facing us so she doesn't see our hands.

I recently left the safe room door open and the two kittens are able to roam between their room and mine. The female (Shadow) recently decided to explore more and crept her way downstairs where she tried to nibble on my mom's plants (I stopped her before she actually could) my sister had a tough time getting her back into the safe room and she had to pick her up. When she picked Shadow up and carried her to the safe room, by the time they reached the room Shadow let out a quiet hiss and ran into the room.

Now, today I have not let them out of the room at all. Leo does not seem to have an issue with it. When I was in their room during play time session Shadow went to the door and started meowing and shoving her paws under the door. So when do you think it is an appropriate time to let them roam?
The easy first.   Its a good observation to pet the shy when they are laying comfortably down, preferably on a chair or a couch...  Next is, use a wooden spoon or similiar. Wooden, because it feels warm and almost soft...  Hands will come later on, dont worry.

Brushing, perhaps with a toothbrush, is good too. It feels alike licking...

Re letting them roam.   If you can do it stepwise, you can probably already now.  

Do cat-safe the house as well you can.   Apparently it isnt cat safed now, as you were forced to rescue the plants, and later on, you felt it was necessary to catch her and carry back...
 

msaimee

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It sounds as though you've already let the proverbial cat out of the bag, so I would advise letting them have the run of the house, even if for only a few hours a day initially. I don't know of any way to keep cats away from plants other than hanging them or placing them out of reach. Certain plants like lilies and Christmas plants with the red leaves are toxic, so you may want to do a little research into what plants you don't want to have in your house. Your kitties are still young and will get into things, but will settle down after they're a year old. You can divert their mischievous energy by providing them with lots of toys, especially catnip toys, and engaging them in interactive play with a wand toy and laser toys. Provide them with a few different scratching posts in different parts of the house. Don't leave a wand toy unattended, put it away after play, because they can get the string wound around a leg and panic. One month is not a long time for socialization. I took in a totally feral 5 month old kitten 6 months ago, and she only started to let me pet her two weeks ago. It takes time and patience. It sounds like your cats are coming along very nicely. Once they have access to your bedroom, I bet they'll be sleeping beside you in your bed and loving every moment of it :) Also, four months old is old enough to get them spayed and neutered. Female cats can get pregnant as young as four months old.
 
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lgm445

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Hi Stefan,

Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely try petting her with a toothbrush or some sort of soft brush. I have a soft wooden stick that I've tried to pet her with but she'd turn around and see the stick on her and she'd think it's a toy so she would try to nip at it. I'll try a wooden spoon as well.

And I'll see what I can do about the plants too. Thank you.
 
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lgm445

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It sounds as though you've already let the proverbial cat out of the bag, so I would advise letting them have the run of the house, even if for only a few hours a day initially. I don't know of any way to keep cats away from plants other than hanging them or placing them out of reach. Certain plants like lilies and Christmas plants with the red leaves are toxic, so you may want to do a little research into what plants you don't want to have in your house. Your kitties are still young and will get into things, but will settle down after they're a year old. You can divert their mischievous energy by providing them with lots of toys, especially catnip toys, and engaging them in interactive play with a wand toy and laser toys. Provide them with a few different scratching posts in different parts of the house. Don't leave a wand toy unattended, put it away after play, because they can get the string wound around a leg and panic. One month is not a long time for socialization. I took in a totally feral 5 month old kitten 6 months ago, and she only started to let me pet her two weeks ago. It takes time and patience. It sounds like your cats are coming along very nicely. Once they have access to your bedroom, I bet they'll be sleeping beside you in your bed and loving every moment of it :) Also, four months old is old enough to get them spayed and neutered. Female cats can get pregnant as young as four months old.
I'll let them out for a few hours today and try to play with them downstairs.

They are both under 2kg so we're trying to get their weight up before we neuter/spay but their appointment has been set for November 2nd.

Thanks for the advice and I hope all is well with your kitten. :)
 
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lgm445

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I also wanted to note that when it's bedtime and I put the kittens back into their safe room, the female, Shadow tries to open the bedroom door by either clawing or pulling at the door stopper with her teeth. Is there any way to stop her from doing this?
 
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