New feral foster kitten WILL NOT stop crying

MsAimee said:

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!

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I don't think I could release him back out in good conscience..I live in NYC so life for a feral cat is pretty far from idyllic here. A lot of garbage and busy streets and rat poison. Even if he is not super warmed up I will find him somewhere to live..luckily he is long hair so very very cute even if he doesn't end up being very friendly. I will be getting him neutered - there are a good amount of local rescues that do TNR in my area so it would be low/no cost to me. I think I'll start with a string and some catnip and see how it goes tonight

I'm really glad you're not releasing him back outside. It may take him longer than your other kittens to warm up to you, but when he does I bet he will be a sweetheart. My formerly wild, scratching, biting little feral "Cupcake" is the sweetest, most loving cat in the world.

Tonight is already way better! I came home and he was crying in his cage, so I took him to feed him in the bathroom and he hissed a little at first but ate right in front of me. I started to pet him and he was purring like a maniac - but then would alternate with some crying. It's stopped being the kitten meow and more like the scared deeper YOWLING noise you hear at the vet when a cat is frightened inside of a carrier and wants out. He even did it for a little while while he was eating, but he stops more quickly.

The grey girl has really opened up at the shop she's at - they posted some videos of her kneading and cuddling with a girl who works there and then one of her crying to be let out of her cage - not scared like this boy, but pressed up against the door wanting to be held more.

I tried playin with some string - he was interested but still too scared of the person on the other end of the string to engage in more than a few swats at it before he cowered a bit more. I can tell he's coming out of his shell around me more ..weirdly enough he was purring very loudly while I was petting him and then he started crying at the same time..never stopped purring. But he is still obviously frightened and unhappy about being confined, though I think his want for contact has brought him around especially since the other kitten was not with him overnight.

I guess we'll see what happens - I wish I could spend a full day with him, I think me leaving for 9 hours to work is a setback in terms of his socialization. It must be miserable to be alone in a crate for a full day

Good news!!!

hexiesfriend said:

Good news!!!

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I think i spoke too soon. He really will NOT stop crying. It's incessant and very loud. He cries while he purrs now from being pet, he cries as soon as I put him in his cage and he cries while I'm holding him. He cries and cries and then he stops and cries some more. I think it might be driving me insane a little bit...all day at work whenever it was quiet I thought I heard him crying softly. On the 8th floor of an office building in manhattan!! He stops for a minute and then starts back up again..the good news is that he doesn't seem to mind at all that my dog finally came over and laid down next to us on the couch. He looked right at him and kept on crying but didn't hiss or scramble to get away or anything. He's actually pretty relaxed next to him. Maybe he's the secret!

I think he cried himself to sleep. I feel so bad. Currently sitting on the floor of the room he's in next to his cage with the heater going - me being nearby but not touching and the hum of the heater calmed him down I think.

He's about 3.5 lbs, so I'm guessing around 4 months (he's pretty bony under all that fur..apparently a diet of garbage and rats is the secret to staying thin)

This thread: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/262008/feral-kitten-crying-for-hours says it takes about two weeks for a kitten his age to stop crying. Anyone else want to chime in with an experience or does that seem about right?

Poor kitten!  I'm so glad he has you to look after him.  Has the vet given him the once over?  His crying couldn't be from some type of medical issue could it?

LavishSqualor said:

Poor kitten!  I'm so glad he has you to look after him.  Has the vet given him the once over?  His crying couldn't be from some type of medical issue could it?

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I think it's pretty clear from his reactions that it's because he's frightened and uncomfortable and feels trapped - I'm sitting in the room with him in his crate and he's searching for a way out, standing on his hind legs and calling upwards to try to get help to escape, facing the window and yowling. He's active and moving a lot just VERY unhappy about being indoors. Have you ever had a cat trapped in a room it didn't want to be in? It's very much the "let me out!" meow that in actual pet cat means "open the basement door ya dingus I'm stuck down here!" as opposed to him being hurt or in pain. It's just nonstop!

Oh, poor kitty! I still believe that all his crying is because he is so frightened. He don't understand where he is. He is used to the outside and feels trapped. Please DON'T let him back out. He will not survive. You are such a good person for helping him. You will be blessed for all your patience. Yes, it may take awhile for him to stop the crying. Some kitties like to see and hear the t.v. That may help calm him. Continue to comfort and love him. As long as he is eating and using litterbox, he will be fine. He will quiet down, but it may take some time. Try giving him a stuffed plush bunny to hug, it may also comfort him. He just needs time and love, he will adjust. He is still young enough to enjoy an inside home life. Have you given him a name? Do you plan to keep him? I don't think I could ever let him go. He is so sweet looking!

Loving Mickey said:

Oh, poor kitty! I still believe that all his crying is because he is so frightened. He don't understand where he is. He is used to the outside and feels trapped. Please DON'T let him back out. He will not survive. You are such a good person for helping him. You will be blessed for all your patience. Yes, it may take awhile for him to stop the crying. Some kitties like to see and hear the t.v. That may help calm him. Continue to comfort and love him. As long as he is eating and using litterbox, he will be fine. He will quiet down, but it may take some time. Try giving him a stuffed plush bunny to hug, it may also comfort him. He just needs time and love, he will adjust. He is still young enough to enjoy an inside home life. Have you given him a name? Do you plan to keep him? I don't think I could ever let him go. He is so sweet looking!

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He really is the cutest cat! he is good about being held and stays pretty still looking around (
unless something loud or quick spooks him. I think he likes being up high. I hate having him confined but when I let him out into the spare room he was hiding and I had to chase him down to catch which terrified him.

I don't know yet if I'll be keeping him - we do live in an apartment in NYC with a dog and we're not supposed to have other pets. it's hard enough to find a pet friendly place, but if I fall in love...so far my goal is to have him adopted but you never know. The boyfriend is "not a cat person" but we all know that just means he'll be the cat's favorite. So far the main decider is if he becomes a friendly bug to my dog. Speaking of...


Still crying this morning but approached and ate his can in front of me right away, then went back to crying. I left on a YouTube mix of "8 hours of music to calm down cats" when I left for work.

Either way, he will NOT be going back outside. It has been freezing and rainy here and with his long hair and living outside he would be soaked and so cold.

I think you should give it a try to give him the run of a room for a while, and then after a few weeks, of the house. Provide catnip toys for him to play with in your absence. A few nights after I took in my last little female feral, she was playing at night with her catnip toys, and it really helped her to adjust.  Cat-proof the room so he can't hurt himself-- though a kitten his age should be past the age of chewing on electrical cords or climbing up curtains. It would be ideal if you gave him your bedroom as his safe zone, that way he will have your company each night while you're asleep. This is what I did with one of my ferals--the one who cried for his cat parents a few hours each morning--moved him into my bedroom, and it gave us the opportunity to bond more. Of course he ended up sleeping on my bed with me . In addition to being scared of the changes, he's likely lonely and unhappy about the confinement. If you make these few changes, he might settle in better.  As far as having to coral him back into his crate--as long as you cat-proof his room, there's no harm in him having free run of a room, as long as he isn't trying to throw himself through a window. If you can't coral him, leave him be--he will return to his area when he feels safe. Chasing after him will only stress him out and create fear.

I know the meowing is awful, I've been through it. At the worse of things, I slept with Mac's wax ear plugs, and it  helped. This, too, shall pass. I guess the reason why I never gave away my rescued ferals is because after all the time and effort I put into them, once I gained their trust and love, there was no way I could part with them. Same with my neighbors who took them in.  Keep up the play. Have you tried a laser pointer yet? It sounds like you're making great progress after such a short time! 

MsAimee said:

I think you should give it a try to give him the run of a room for a while, and then after a few weeks, of the house. Provide catnip toys for him to play with in your absence. A few nights after I took in my last little female feral, she was playing at night with her catnip toys, and it really helped her to adjust.  Cat-proof the room so he can't hurt himself-- though a kitten his age should be past the age of chewing on electrical cords or climbing up curtains. It would be ideal if you gave him your bedroom as his safe zone, that way he will have your company each night while you're asleep. This is what I did with one of my ferals--the one who cried for his cat parents a few hours each morning--moved him into my bedroom, and it gave us the opportunity to bond more. Of course he ended up sleeping on my bed with me . In addition to being scared of the changes, he's likely lonely and unhappy about the confinement. If you make these few changes, he might settle in better.  As far as having to coral him back into his crate--as long as you cat-proof his room, there's no harm in him having free run of a room, as long as he isn't trying to throw himself through a window. If you can't coral him, leave him be--he will return to his area when he feels safe. Chasing after him will only stress him out and create fear.

I know the meowing is awful, I've been through it. At the worse of things, I slept with Mac's wax ear plugs, and it  helped. This, too, shall pass. I guess the reason why I never gave away my rescued ferals is because after all the time and effort I put into them, once I gained their trust and love, there was no way I could part with them. Same with my neighbors who took them in.  Keep up the play. Have you tried a laser pointer yet? It sounds like you're making great progress after such a short time! 

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I really cannot give him free reign as I cannot keep him for an unlimited amount of time (and in my experience if they have the opportunity to hide away from you they will be much less socialized or it will happen on their timeline which could take months or years). He would spend his life under the couch or cowering under the bed, and I cannot have a litterbox in my bedroom and a totally destroyed room from his frantic jumping and yowling at the window etc. I also live in a small apartment with a large dog who is friendly and sweet to cats but this kitty is absolutely terrified and would hide away forever. I cannot keep a semi feral cat (and to be honest I don't really want to keep a semi feral cat) so I'm fostering him until he is adequately socialized to be adopted to someone as a pet. We also rent - we can't have a cat running around that is not able to be touched. I can't really cat proof a room - we have furniture that is either in that room or has to be thrown away, and it's not an option. In NYC space is really an issue (can't even close the bathroom door without sitting on the toilet!)

I understand what you're saying in terms of him settling in better but the point of the crate and small space is sort of a "forced socialization" technique we have done with all of our foster kittens always. If you wait for them to come around they will hide away and grow up to be, most often, semi feral cats unless you literally catch them as bottle babies - even 4 wk old kittens will cower to hide away and hiss at you. If you consistently interact with them and force them to be inclose quarters they will become acclimated to people much much more quickly. And time and space are two luxuries I don't really have much of

I thought you were able to handle and pet him? Able to take him out to play? It sounded like he has been making good progress in such a short time. Do you have any friends who can help by sitting with him a bit while he's crated and you're at work, to speed up the socialization process? It could be as simple as someone sitting in the room with him while reading or working on a laptop. Maybe if you moved his crate into your room at night next to your bed he might stop crying after a bit? These are just some suggestions based on what has worked for me and my neighbors. I realize different things work for different people.

MsAimee said:

I thought you were able to handle and pet him? Able to take him out to play? It sounded like he has been making good progress in such a short time. Do you have any friends who can help by sitting with him a bit while he's crated and you're at work, to speed up the socialization process? It could be as simple as someone sitting in the room with him while reading or working on a laptop. Maybe if you moved his crate into your room at night next to your bed he might stop crying after a bit? These are just some suggestions based on what has worked for me and my neighbors. I realize different things work for different people.

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I am able to handle and pet him but he does still hiss and try to cower when I reach into the crate to take him out. We have been playing but only in my lap or a small confined area like the bathroom, because he is receptive to being petted and calms more quickly but he is still kind of looking for an opportunity to get away. When he looks around the room and sees an "out" he will try to slink closer to it or jump off the couch. I know it's mostly him wanting to explore rather than him being TERRIFIED of me, but if he got away loose into a room he would hide and not approach me on his own, and most importantly he would be hard to catch which would scare the shit out of him.

Unfortunately i don't have any friends who don't work as well - I've been having friends come over to spend time after work but nobody else has experience fostering and socializing ferals so it's frustrating to try to explain that you can't move quickly, can't make noise while you're trying to hold them, they'll be frightened of your hand or arm over their head etc

This morning he approached the front of the cage when I came in to give him his can! So we are making progress. He still cowered and hissed when I opened the door but it's 50/50 for me reaching in. Last night after he ate he was pretty sweet and did not hiss when I reached in to take him out. We also got him some catnip toys and he went nuts over them, rolling on his back and pouncing. It was cute but it was also great progress for him to be comfortable playing in front of me when he can also see me watching him (and flipping on his back on his own to do it)

I think he is starting to come around. I wish I could have him out of the crate but he's not ready for free reign. His crying is heartbreaking but I'm waiting for it to change to the "I'm hungry" or "I'm lonely" meows instead of LET ME OUT!!!!

I'm so happy he is enjoying his toys. I think play therapy really helps feral kittens to learn how to enjoy being kittens. Previously they have only known struggle abd hardship outside. When they're brought inside and fed, they can start to enjoy their kittenhood and realize they've got a good thing going. I look forward to hearing more uodates.

MsAimee said:

I'm so happy he is enjoying his toys. I think play therapy really helps feral kittens to learn how to enjoy being kittens. Previously they have only known struggle abd hardship outside. When they're brought inside and fed, they can start to enjoy their kittenhood and realize they've got a good thing going. I look forward to hearing more uodates.

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I absolutely I think it has helped tremendously! He has undergone a total transformation tonight. I had to rinse his paws off again and played and held him, and he calmed down so so quickly. I let him crawl off my lap on the couch as he seemed so calm and didn't try to scramble away from me..he just walked right off my lap and plopped down on the couch next to me, stretched out and is currently snoozing totally unrestrained on the couch between me and the dog. He heard another cat outside and cried for a minute earlier but we were able to distract him with a string and now he is such a love bug. Didn't even try to run away as we walked and moved around him in the apartment. Still a little skittish but nothing like before.

It has been exactly one week since I caught this feral kitten in a trap and he's already cuddling up of his own free will next to us! He purrs like a motorboat. I'm still probably going to put him into the crate tonight in case he gets skittish overnight but holy cow he is like a different cat! The catnip and play really really helped. Hopefully this continues. The boyfriend has off tomorrow so will be able to spend more time with him and then I will be home for the weekend so he will have minimal time in his crate and we can possibly transition him into the room if this confident behavior continues. He's going to make a great cat! He already has such a cute personality, flipping over onto his back to play and stretch out. He's not even flinching at noises we make or speaking voices or me reaching out to pet him when he wakes up and looks around. Still a little skittish being approached by a full on person (I get it; we are much larger than him) but still very different

That's great news! Such much progress in just a week. It's also great that he feels comfortable with the dog. Maybe you will end up keeping him

How is the kitty doing?

Yes, how is the sweet kitty doing?
We all want to know!

I don't know if it has been mentioned already, but there are two things to consider for the near future.  That would be neutering and getting the outdoor or feral cats as far away as possible.  It could very well be his mommy that he is hearing.  We would love to hear an update and perhaps a picture or two.  Thanks.  Hope all is well.