Four kittens and a teenage mother.

Hello everyone. I'm a new member to this board and I haven't had time to skim the rest of the posts to find any answers for the questions I will ask. So please forgive me.

I currently have a stray teenage mother cat who gave birth to four kittens in our backyard (well actually in our roof.. but thats a long story.) I have been the care-taker for them ever since birth. Making sure that the mother is well-fed and sheltered. The kittens are about 2 months old now. The kittens are not threatened by me but more or less shy. I can play with them (but only with a stick with string and object attached to it) and not actually play hand to hand. Is there a way for them to be more comfortable with me? The mother lets me pet her and does not mind me playign with her kittens. Or even touching them (that is when my hand is not in view.) I plan on keeping these cats but I want to be a part of their family as much as they want to be inside my house. =P

Btw, I've had cats before. But its been almost 4 years since my last cat (who died to unknown reasons.) She was the last of generation of 3 generations worth of cats. I've been out of touch for so long with cats. Thank you guys for reading this. I appreciate any help givin to me. =) Thank you.

I would hope that you would get the mom spayed. When the kittens were born did you even handle them before they were two weeks old? If you haven't handled them, cuddled them or just been with them they very likely just don't know what to do with you. They are feral kittens, but they are also old enough that you can socialize them. This socialization is best done indoors- and if the mom has been outside since the kittens have been born, she is very likely pregnant again and needs to get spayed.

Yes I do intend on getting the mother cat spayed sometime soon. And I didn't really have a chance to handle the kittens due to the fact that they were in our roof. So they were about 2-3 weeks old when they actually came out. Though I have been with them ever since they came out, just no cuddling.

I do want to introduce them to the house... I have let them come into my living room via backyard glass sliding door. But thats as far as they have gone into my house.

Is there any way I can get them to be more comfortable with me? Ive tried passively putting my hand out for them to smell or touch to show I am a friendly creature. And I never try to show any signs of aggression. I always approach them slowly to try and not startle them. Thank you again =)

Some thoughts and ideas, perhaps you - or others reading this - will find some of them useful:


When mom spayed, not only disappear danger for new kittens, but she too will be a little calmer. And if not neutered - she WILL get new kittens very soon.

You are thinking the right way about making them comfortable with you.
For ferals hands /paws are threating. Only domestics cats knows hands of friendly people are a exception to the rule...

You can try to go in with the head first and rubber head and shoulder on, as friendly cats do. It is now not dangerous - the mom is friendly to you, she wont scratch you the first she does as a real feral perhaps may do because of sheer panic.
Give food often - ie in small portions. When they/mom eating: do stroke her easy and carefully on her back.

Dont look directly at them more than a second or two=stare. If you look directly - look with small eyelids. And or look a little to the side.

You must handle the small ones more - much more, if you want to get them domesticized. And now!. It is easier to do it when they still young. (frankly, the best time is 2-7 weeks- so the optimal time is gone now, but it is NOT anyway too late).
Best way to do it is home, indoors.

If you spay the mother simultaneusly, she will be a little "sick". To help a sick feral recover is a good chance. There opens a new "window" when they can be domesticized fairly easy. With a little luck there will be threefold.

It would be swell if you already had a friendly domestic cat, who could be hers domestic friend and a foster parent to the small.
The perfect optimal would probably be if someone with a friendly domestic cat took her - and domesticize her, and someone with another friendly domestic cat took the kittens - and domesticized them...
This is optimal, but if you dont have it - you must do without on your own.


Keep up the good work,
you are on good way!

Good luck!

The kittens need to be handled immediately and as much as possible. They will be scared but that's okay. If you wait for them to come to you, they may never choose to do so. You are within the window of opportunity now where they can become friendly with humans and will make good pets.

Do not let them back outdoors. Keep them in a small room (with Mom if you want) and handle them as much as you possibly can.

And of course, get everyone spayed and neutered soon!

Thank you everyone for the help. It means alot to me. I see these cats as a miracle and a gift from my deceased cat. =) So I plan on taking care of them just as I took care of my last cat. Though i do have a question regarding StefanZ's post:

"Dont look directly at them more than a second or two=stare. If you look directly - look with small eyelids. And or look a little to the side."

What does the staring actually do? It seems like a silly question for me to ask but I'm curious. And how does this actually mentally effect them? I will still take this into much consideration but I just want to know how this works. I have never heard of this before ^_^ THAKN YOU AGAIN EVERYONE!

Try to lure the kittens (by food) into a cage and bring them inside and confine them to a bedroom or bathroom till you tame them to be handled. Are you planning on getting everyone spayed/neutered soon?

Staring is an act of aggression to a cat. Blinking slowly or looking at them for short periods with partially closed eyes is a sign of friendliness. Blinking will go a long way to get a scared cat less scared.
It is a wonderful thing you are doing for mom and her little ones. Good luck and please keep us posted.

GoldenKitty45: Wow! You answered a question that I was just about to post! ~"How would I lure the cats into a cage?" Or well similiar =) Thank you soo much! You read my mind ^_^ And yes I do intend to spade/neuter the cats soon. Sometime this week. The kittens are still young though... I don't think they would be able to become impregnated yet. Though I will eventually spade/neuter them once Mother cat has.

krazy kat2: Ah! Thank you for the information. i noticed that when I'm half awake in the morning or with tired droopy eyes... the cats seem to be more attentive towards me. Now I know why! Thanks! ~ Cats are beautiful and mysterious creatures. I could never let one die or left alone. I see too much of my former cats in any cat that I see.

Hehe whats kind of ironic though... is that my previous cat (which died a couple of years ago) looks just like one of the kittens that I have. ( I'm thinking my previous cat was reincarnated into the kitty now. =] ) I'll try to post some pictures up for everyone to look at.

Originally Posted by SoulOfamInd

1. I see these cats as a miracle and a gift from my deceased cat. =)

Though i do have a question regarding StefanZ's post:

2. "Dont look directly at them more than a second or two=stare. If you look directly - look with small eyelids. And or look a little to the side."

What does the staring actually do? It seems like a silly question for me to ask but I'm curious. And how does this actually mentally effect them? I will still take this into much consideration but I just want to know how this works. I have never heard of this before

Click to expand...

1. Yes, Im also believing in such things. And in the soul of the cat.

2. This is not widely known even among people who owns cats, no wonder you dont know! Yet VERY useful to know.

Crazy_kat explains well. I had seen the look aside when our Sires courts a shy or little aggressive wife - females are usually a little aggressive as part of courting play.
The males sits or go around - and looks aside. If they looks at the female - they try to look with partially closed eyes or only short sekond. And they make different friendly and soft sounds.

I remember once young Titania misbehaving - being a bit too aggressive. Jamusjkin only sat up and looked directly at her - stirred, looked on till she looked away and reared back... He didnt any threating - to stare at her was more then enough.
Of course, Jamusjkin was twice as big as she, it must also played a role here..




Domesticized cats of course learns to know most humans are a little funny people and they do stare without being hostile. And they know hands of friendly people isnt any threat either.
But this is of course a part of the BIG SECRET with being domesticized.

Here is a couple of pictures of my kittens and the mother. I hope you guys enjoy. This was when they were about 2-3 weeks old.








So far I haven't really had any luck on actually befriending them completely. But they do come back to my house to eat and relax. The kittens are still a bit shy around me. And the mother still acknowldeges me as "The one who feeds them" Lately I've tried petting them, but they "shy" away. Its probably because of the fact that they hardly see me as much. Hmmm... I just need to try harder. Is there still a possibility for them to get used to me when they grow older... simply by feeding them over the years? Since im pretty sure they know my smell and realize im not too much of a threat.

Very cute pictures...it's probably time to get the mom spayed. Since she is outdoors, she can get pregnant again soon after giving birth...so if you haven't trapped her yet for a spay appt. now would be a good time.

Katie