New feral foster kitten WILL NOT stop crying

Three days ago I trapped two kittens I saw outside. Presumably from different litters as one (grey girl) has a short coat and looks to be around 8-10 weeks old and the other (black boy) has long fur and looks to be around 12 weeks or slightly older. They are feral and shy away from being touched and hiss.

The slightly older black boy has not stopped crying for more than ten minutes at a time for the last three days. The smaller grey girl is frightened but has already started to purr in my lap after being held quietly. The boy continues to cry no matter what. They are being kept in a crate in a quiet room with classical music playing. He is crying LOUDLY and will not stop. I heard a cat outside - thought it was the mother cat but when I went out to look it was a pregnant stray. I think he thinks he is crying for his mother but the other who is even younger has been silent and not freaking out like him.
I've fostered kittens before, even bottle fed and I've never had a cat that was crying like this, for so loud and so long. They went today for shots and are healthy but he will NOT stop crying. What can I do to calm him down or make him stop? It's driving me insane and I live in an apartment and I know I will start to get complaints. Help

Have you tried picking him up and stroking and comforting him? I understand he hisses at you when you pick him up but many do. They do get over it. I would turn the music off as well. I think he needs to be assured by you.

hexiesfriend said:

Have you tried picking him up and stroking and comforting him? I understand he hisses at you when you pick him up but many do. They do get over it. I would turn the music off as well. I think he needs to be assured by you.

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Sorry I thought I mentioned this - yes I have been holding them both as much as possible separately and with my boyfriend. They hiss at first when approached to be held as I reach into the cage but the girl settles down quickly when placed into a lap and petted and she ends up purring and falling asleep. The boy WILL NOT stop crying. He hisses when I approach which I am used to from fostering feral kittens but then starts to cry when I am holding him and petting him. It's nonstop. I have experience with fostering feral kittens and I've never experienced a totally inconsolable cat. The only time he stops crying is to eat

I would still turn off the music. I would also try to cover the cage with blankets so he can't see out the sides and give him something he can burrow under. The alternative would be a small carrier. He clearly feels too exposed. I had a similar cat who cried for 2 -3 days just like this. Barring any medical condition it will eventually stop.

hexiesfriend said:

I would still turn off the music. I would also try to cover the cage with blankets so he can't see out the sides and give him something he can burrow under. The alternative would be a small carrier. He clearly feels too exposed. I had a similar cat who cried for 2 -3 days just like this. Barring any medical condition it will eventually stop.

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They do have a box inside the cage to crawl into and hide. As soon as I come into the room he hides but as soon as I leave he comes out and I can hear him crying. I turned the music on today - after the crying was incessant for two days I noticed it may have been triggered by hearing another stray outside so I thought some background noise may help to drown out any other meows outdoors that would trigger him to flip out. He was calm for a few minutes when I had them in the bathroom to clean their cage today, and then he heard a meow from a cat outdoors and went insane trying to jump up to the window and crying VERY loudly for what I can assume he thought was his mother cat. The music I may turn off just because it doesn't seem to make a difference, but I think the crying is because he is searching for his mother and trying to call for help to escape being inside..so he already has something to burrow into (box inside the crate)..do you think covering it with a blanket will help? I had it covered partially with a towel and he ended up clawing at the towel and pulling it into the cage and kind of destroying it (it was covered in wet litter and food and water)

Just wait it out? I read something about a spray or diffuser with a cat pheromone that calms them. Right now he's asleep on my lap and has FINALLY stopped crying but will wake up and give a pathetic meow once in a while. I'm kind of worried about his vocal chords - he has to be straining himself to be crying so loud for so long

I think he probably needs to stay with you and around you. It will eventually stop. If it's the annoying constant crying then that's probably because he's scared not because he's looking for something. If you have to leave him unattended i'd try to lightly cover him with something.

Do you have a loud ticking clock you could put in with him? It may help the poor baby.

hexiesfriend said:

I think he probably needs to stay with you and around you. It will eventually stop. If it's the annoying constant crying then that's probably because he's scared not because he's looking for something. If you have to leave him unattended i'd try to lightly cover him with something.

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Just to clarify he cries when I am around as well. He cries when he is being held and he cries when he is being petted - he actually looks directly at my face and cries LOUD, sometimes a long one for like 5 full seconds of a meow. They have enough food and water so I think he's just frightened and confused about being indoors and is looking for a way out. He is currently crying softly burrowed into a towel on my lap but also sort of edging towards trying to get away - I think he tuckered himself out because his crying is softer but still ongoing. I can feel him tensing up when I touch him..ugh I just feel so bad for him. It's been nonstop since I brought him inside.

Might as well share some cute pictures while I have a moment of silence

The male kitten is old enough to be fixed. Take him to the vet & see what he thinks about the crying. I think he will calm down some once he is neutered.

gooddog said:

I read something about a spray or diffuser with a cat pheromone that calms them. Right now he's asleep on my lap and has FINALLY stopped crying but will wake up and give a pathetic meow once in a while. I'm kind of worried about his vocal chords - he has to be straining himself to be crying so loud for so long

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FELIWAY diffusers that you plug into the wall. Sold as a spray also.

They are adorable. Has he stopped yet???

One thing I have found to be very helpful in socializing feral kittens is to have playtime with them several times a day. Interactive play such as using a wand toy and a laser pointer will help him to relax and act more like a kitten. He is likely having a hard time adjusting to being confined in a crate. It's not natural for a kitten to be confined in a small space all of the time, so I recommend that you schedule in play time with them. I would not keep them confined in a crate with a blanket over them 24/7, he will cry even more. My 12 week old male feral cried nonstop for 3 days. After three days he allowed me to pick him up and pet him and we began to bond. However, his mama and papa cats were still outside and it was summer, and he would sit in the window and cry for a few hours each morning. That lasted for about a month. I had older cats in my household however who were able to adopt him and that helped a lot. Things will get better, just hang in there.

MsAimee said:

One thing I have found to be very helpful in socializing feral kittens is to have playtime with them several times a day. Interactive play such as using a wand toy and a laser pointer will help him to relax and act more like a kitten. He is likely having a hard time adjusting to being confined in a crate. It's not natural for a kitten to be confined in a small space all of the time, so I recommend that you schedule in play time with them. I would not keep them confined in a crate with a blanket over them 24/7, he will cry even more. My 12 week old male feral cried nonstop for 3 days. After three days he allowed me to pick him up and pet him and we began to bond. However, his mama and papa cats were still outside and it was summer, and he would sit in the window and cry for a few hours each morning. That lasted for about a month. I had older cats in my household however who were able to adopt him and that helped a lot. Things will get better, just hang in there.

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I have been taking them out and holding them periodically for as long as I can. He is long haired and a kitten so he's constantly getting litter clumps on his feet - which means I have to wash his feet off which scares him even more.

I actually haven't tried playing with him yet much, just holding still and petting him while snuggled up for a while to calm down. He ended up napping with me on the couch for a few hours today bundled up in a blanket..stopped crying and went to sleep. Then he abruptly woke up and threw up all over himself...great. I think he ate himself sick of the canned food I got.

The grey one went to a pet store that works with the rescue to display some cats because she is more docile and will probably be adopted very soon.

So the black boy got another rinse today after he puked all over himself and was not happy. I dried him off as much as I could, put him back in the cage for a while and then got him out again later. I had to rinse his paws AGAIN - litter and poop caked between his long hair toes. I feel so bad for him but if I let him loose in the room he would run and hide and it would be traumatizing to chase him down to catch and handle him for socializing. The last time I had him out tonight he cried like crazy while I was petting him. I'm going to try playing with him tomorrow..definitely worth a shot. Food is 50/50 for distracting him but a string he may be distracted enough to chase and play with.

Do kittens like catnip? I've only ever given it to adult cats. He's the most inconsolable cat I've ever met. I've had feral kittens that were slightly too old to socialize but they just ended up lashing out and being aggressive so we knew they were a lost cause. He's not swiping at me or biting, just a scared hiss and then trembles and cries while being held or left alone...

Oh, such adorable kitties!
Poor baby, he just sounds like he is very frightened, maybe missing his mommy or siblings. He may cry for awhile, until he feels more contented and knows he is safe. He just doesn't realize that yet. Just keep doing what you are doing. Hold him, comfort him, talk to him, letting him know he is safe and loved. In time, he will realize how lucky he is. Thank You for your patience with him and caring for him. He will thank you too!

You've only had him 4 days, right? The last feral I took in was older, around 4-5 months old, and it took 6 months before I could handle and pet her. She bonded with my 4 other cats almost immediately, and that helped, I gave them supervised time together each day. I never crated her, she had a room to herself with a 6 foot cat tree where she snuggled into a cubby hole. She has turned into an incredibly affectionate lap cat but had started out as a holy terror, scratching and nipping when approached. I don't believe any feral kitten under a year is a lost cause. The fact you can handle the kitten after only a few days is huge progress. Once you start playing with him and allowing him some room to play around outside the crate I think his stress and crying will lessen. Do you have other cats in the house? He might bond with one of them and that would reduce his stress as well. Let me know how play time goee. It might take him a bit to catch on to the whole concept of playing with the wand toy. He might also enjoy having some catnip toys to play with as well.

MsAimee said:

You've only had him 4 days, right? The last feral I took in was older, around 4-5 months old, and it took 6 months before I could handle and pet her. She bonded with my 4 other cats almost immediately, and that helped, I gave them supervised time together each day. I never crated her, she had a room to herself with a 6 foot cat tree where she snuggled into a cubby hole. She has turned into an incredibly affectionate lap cat but had started out as a holy terror, scratching and nipping when approached. I don't believe any feral kitten under a year is a lost cause. The fact you can handle the kitten after only a few days is huge progress. Once you start playing with him and allowing him some room to play around outside the crate I think his stress and crying will lessen. Do you have other cats in the house? He might bond with one of them and that would reduce his stress as well. Let me know how play time goee. It might take him a bit to catch on to the whole concept of playing with the wand toy. He might also enjoy having some catnip toys to play with as well.

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I don't have other cats, actually. I have a large dog that is super sweet and has lived through tons of foster kittens but is absolutely terrified of this one (scared of hissing..smarter dog than me lol) so has been staying far away. I don't have unlimited time for this kitty to stay with me (and the window for quick and easy kitten socialization is fast closing..) and am not really planning on keeping him so I think for now crate is the way it'll have to be - when we used to foster smaller kitten ferals back at my parents house we would always end up with a foster "failure" because the kittens would inevitably be let out of the bathroom seclusion to interact with the other cats, but then still be a little too wild to catch easily. And then we ended up with a few semi-feral indoor cats. I can't keep a semi-feral so I really have to tame him to make a good pet. I live in NYC so he is competing with a TON of very friendly extremely sociable kittens (rescue or private) in such a high concentration, not to mention the incredibly crowded shelters. So I feel like I need to foster to give him a real fighting chance of a good home...I just can't seem to get him to stop losing his mind just yet.

I did try the second day to take him out of the crate and let him have free reign of the room..it was kind of a disaster. He climbed the curtains up to the window to cry for hours and hours and got more worked up than he does in the crate, knocked down every plant and lamp in the room, kicked litter and food to the far corners of the earth..at least for now I think his wildness needs to be contained until he resigns himself to the fact that he is inside. But he really is very sweet when he forgets he's afraid - he fell asleep so nicely snuggled up with me with his paws outstretched on the couch..then he cried the rest of the night when he woke up and realized he was supposed to be scared of people!

Definitely trying some play today - I'll take him out of the cage and into my tiny bathroom.

Loving Mickey said:

Oh, such adorable kitties!
Poor baby, he just sounds like he is very frightened, maybe missing his mommy or siblings. He may cry for awhile, until he feels more contented and knows he is safe. He just doesn't realize that yet. Just keep doing what you are doing. Hold him, comfort him, talk to him, letting him know he is safe and loved. In time, he will realize how lucky he is. Thank You for your patience with him and caring for him. He will thank you too!

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The weird part is from his size I assume he is slightly older than the other grey girl but she seemed to almost immediately forget she had a mother or siblings outside and was very receptive to contact and handling, no crying, just acted like any other feral kitten I've had before - resistant to handling at first out of fear and then warmed up very quickly because she still has that kitten need for affection and comfort. I'm thinking maybe he has grown out of that "kitten need" stage and that's why he is SO frightened - his need for comfort like a baby is less pronounced than his fear of people because he is a little more mature and self sufficient.

But I'm fairly certain he was trying to nurse on my shirt and the towel. Which is so strange because he's so large. I think I got a little weirdo

It sounds like he might be older than 12 weeks--maybe 4 or 5 months like my last kitten was? Sometimes they're tinier than their domesticated counterparts for their age due to malnutrtion. I guessed my last kittem to be 4 months by her size--the vet estimated 6-8 months by her teeth-- but now 10 months later she is still tiny, looks 6 months.I sure hope you can give him time to become socialized and not have to release him back out. Will you be able to get him neutered? Four days isn't long at all, and the fact you can handle him means he can be socialized. I decided from day one with each of them to keep the 3 ferals and 1 semi feral kittens I rescued (at different times) so I was able to take my time with socialization. I understand you're in a different situation. I really hope the play therapy helps!