Feral kitten is still hissing after 1 week...

So, this is my first time dealing with feral kittens who are about 8 weeks old. The last set I had were only about 4 weeks old and they were friendly in just a matter of days.

The two girls are improving, the black one played with me the other day and the little tabby girl can be lured towards me with baby food. But the boy is not relenting and still hisses everytime I get near him. He doesn't bite or scratch, but everytime he hisses.

I've tried:

Luring him out with babyfood (he'll move a few inches)
Sitting with him while he eats (he ate once)
Just sitting with him so he gets used to my presence
Bringing him out in a carrier where we are so he gets used to people
Holding him and getting him used to being handled

Are there any tricks I'm missing? Am I being too impatient? Even just vibes would be appreciated.

I know he hisses because he is still terrified of people and I feel bad for him, I want him to relax so we can find him a good home.

You are to impatient, leave him be for awhile so he can relax. Let him out of the cage into a small room with his sisters, instead of being in a cage. Go in there several times a day at regular scheduled times and play with the siblings so he can see. Sit on the floor with them, or lie down and just let them climb all over you. Give it time, he is scared, he cannot escape and yes, he will bite you if you push him far enough.

Originally Posted by hissy

Let him out of the cage into a small room with his sisters, instead of being in a cage. Go in there several times a day at regular scheduled times and play with the siblings so he can see. Sit on the floor with them, or lie down and just let them climb all over you.

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Thank you. I've been doing that for the past few days, but without any signs of improvement it's hard to tell if I should keep doing it or stop. I will continue to do it.

We have a cat we called Scardy Cat and we named her that because she would alway run away when anyone approached. Then one day while I was sitting on the ground playing with another cat with a piece of grass she came closer. I could tell she wanted to play too, but was afraid to approach any closer. I didnt push the issue and let her come to me on her own, in her time. Well, she has now gotten to where, when I come outside she is the first to come up and rub on my leg and wants me to pet her CONTINUALLY! She even bats at the other cats when they come for a pet too.

So be patient. Give it time, it will come.

I took in two 5-week old littermates this summer - one was immediately friendly, but not the other. Over a 6-week period, the shy one gradually warmed up to me. I used many of the same techniques: baby food, petting them as they ate, and petting/grooming.

The 1st week, I pretty much left him and his brother alone in the room, going in only to provide food and clean the litter box. During meals, I would stay and talk or read to them.

Over the next few weeks, I gradually tried petting them while they ate, and used a feather on a wand toy to draw them out. Baby food training helped get them used to being right by my side.

Up to the 4th week, the shy one would let me pet him only when he was eating. Then they went in for their 1st vet visit and he was much friendlier afterwards - he would let me pet him even after he finished eating. And by the 6th week, he would come up to me and rub against my legs. (Meanwhile, the friendly one got to the point of rolling onto his back for belly rubs.)

So it can take a couple of weeks, even with a young and relatively untraumatized kitten. Keep at it, because each kitten's threshold is different, and best of luck.

The kittens I brought in where about 8 weeks. It took a long time - I think about 3 -4 weeks in my case . I know you know what you are doing - just be patient .

Thanks guys. He actually acted a little less nervous yesterday (although still hissing), so that made me feel a little better. I feel sorry for him, he's so afraid of everything.

I'll keep working on him!

It is so difficult when people have kittens that were not handled at a young age and don't know what petting and stroking is. They are understandably afraid of you. Perhaps they hid in tall grasses while people went out and trapped their mother. They see people's feet, they think fear and they respond as instinct tells them. You are not his friend at the moment, you are a predator. You took his mom, his freedom, his security, left him in a cage where he can't get out and he is nervous and upset. I know you didn't do all of that, but he doesn't know that.

Snugglekittie.com is a great tool for scared feral kitties. You want him to be a lap kitten, and curl up and snuggle, and he might just do that, but not overnight, not in a week, perhaps not even if a month. If you want a remote control kitty then don't deal with strays and ferals. They don't have the trust issue that other kittens have that are born in homes with warmth and comfort and love. They were born in a dark cold place, they sensed their mom always on the alert, they heard and saw horrible things before being "rescued." Throttle down your expectations, this is not going to be a quick socialization. It takes time, time and more time, and when you finally believe you have made headway, you go back three spaces to the beginning. It is a journey of frustration, or hope, of trust and love. You need patience- if you don't have it now, you will at the end of the journey.

Originally Posted by hissy

Snugglekittie.com is a great tool for scared feral kitties.

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Where on that site? All I can find are toys & stuff to buy.

String is what I used to bring Cassi out of her shell, she was 10 months old and feral.
Not many kitties can resist the lure of string.

I think I was too spoiled by the bottle-babies the shelter used to pass on to me. Intellectually I know ferals will take a little while and I have to be patient, but I wasn't quite ready for it all the same.

But I have a question!

These kittens are weak and unsteady. Probably from poor nutrition for their whole young lives I'm guessing. The biggest of them is unsteady and falls slightly when she tries to cover her poop in the litter box.

I am feeding them and weighing them, and they are gaining weight. But I have noticed they are not really active, they spend a majority of the day sleeping or laying. The large one (mentioned above) is playing a little, but if she tries to run around it's awkward and skittish.

So the question, should I try to encourage them to be more active to get stronger and steadier? If so, how? Or should I just focus on fattening them up first? Maybe as they come out of their shells they will become more playful, and sleep less?

Any thoughts appreciated.

Sounds like they may be behind due to malnourishment.
My Norwegian came to me like that.
As she gained weight and confidance, she played more and built better muscle mass, the unsteadiness left her in a few months.

If they are really wobbly though, and not just unsteady, I'd get them checked for neurological maladies.