Two semi-feral kittens proving difficult

Hi

I have been taming 2 kittens that I trapped outside of my home in NYC.  They were 16-weeks when I caught them in early November.  One of them (grey boy) has responded better to the process but the other is skittish and cannot easily be held.  I am struggling with getting them used to being swaddled or held.  They are used to household and people well enough, and have adapted very well to indoor life.

Luke - Grey tabby.  Caught almost a week before his sister Leia.  This is them at mealtime and Luke is like this in general.  Their confidence has grown immensely, especially Luke's.

Leia - Brown tabby. Always easier to handle at mealtime otherwise she is skittish or generally seems to struggle being pet.  Odd as she sort of nuzzles during mealtime.  Luke is much easier in general and likes being pet anytime, purrs, etc.  He does not struggle too much being held unless you touch his belly (understandable) during that.


I got them into a rescue I've fostered for in the past (BBAWC) but without them tolerating being held I cannot see anyone adopting them and they are now 6-months.  They are crated (I have a small home and 2 of my own big boy cats)

I'm very worried about this plateau and want them to be homed.  I feel like I've done everything I can in my ability and am wondering if anyone has advice or tips on what I can do here?  

Hello AmyRose, thank you for saving them. They are beautiful [emoji]128149[/emoji]

They look pretty comfortable with you but keeping them in a cage is not an option. It's hard to socialize them through a cage. They need space and interaction and have to get use to the surroundings. If not they'll keep using the cage as a hiding place and will take a long time to trust humans.

How are your two boys reacting to them? Have they met? I do hope that they'll be adopted soon as they are growing bigger each day.

Thanks!  I think you are right.

My ma said the same thing, and she's not too familiar with feral cats, but the crate does seem to have become a cocoon of sorts.  I should have seen it before now.  Kind of realized it a bit yesterday as when Leia was wandering the hallway with her brother, she got stuck behind a tall shoe-shelf and I went to grasp her (as I've done several times to swaddle her) but she freaked out big time and eventually scurried back into the crate having accidentally punctured my arm during her attempt to bolt.  (Real bleeder she caused! All bruised up now!).  I felt like I'd failed them both since progress has been slow for about a week now.  Normally I would monitor little, seemingly insignificant things like how eager they are for petting or the times they will sat on my lap waiting for food.  Luke is certainly much happier to be pet without food incentive now -- he's doing fantastic all round.  Leia, seems to be trying her best but resists in other areas.

They're not aggressive in the slightest, at least.  Not so much as a hiss or scratch ever from either of them!  Perhaps one or two from Leia if I don't grasp her properly the first try and want to swaddle her!  Never even heard Luke hiss though.

Our own 2 boys (Meeko and Mithra) are not related but are step siblings.  They are, however, wary of new cats.  They don't hiss through the cage at the kittens anymore, but they do not respond well to having kittens or cats roaming in our small apartment.  We did have this with 5 non-feral kittens that were feral-born in our house a couple of years ago so we know what to expect.

The rescue wants to try hosting them at their cat cafe which might work.  They mentioned that feral kittens socialize very quickly in that environment and have higher chance of adoption too.  It'll be a trial basis to see if it helps them come out of their shell.

Ya, proably she was already panicky when she was stuck and was still handled and therefore gave you some souvenirs.
If your other cats are ok with them, let them out of the crate and let them free roam. This will boost their confident too and at least they are out of the crate socializing. And when the time comes to the cat cafe, they won't feel intimidated by a large space and people.

Any updates on the kittens? are they at the cat café now? If not, I think that time outside their crate that involves play,play,play with you will help them bond to humans. They might never be "cuddle kittens" - I have a MaineCoon who is mortified that any self-respecting cat past the bottle-feeding stage would allow itself to be held and cuddled. He is very affectionate as long as he is next to a person, never in their lap! lol

Those kittens hit the jackpot when it came to getting gorgeous coats! You have them looking so healthy - bless you for rescuing them ~