3 feral kittens, 1 got away

[feralvr]

Wishing you so much luck with trapping mom cat. That is the way to do it. Let her go in and out to eat for a few days. When you are ready make sure you do NOT let up on that rope. If she gets out before you can latch the door, you will have to go to another method of trapping. Crate and rope trapping is very traumatic because the crate has to be pulled and bounced around till it gets to you. It can be done, I have done it this way before I owned my own trap. Also, just be very, very patient with the kittens, they will learn to trust you slowly and things will progress ever so slightly as the days go on.

 

[kittysback]

We built the kittens a huge play pen, so I've been sitting in there with them, feeding, playing and petting them. Houdini, surprisingly has become the love bug. I can get him to play on me with string and he'll purr!

The calico/brindle girl is sweet and will let me hold and pet her, but she won't stay. But I'm working on it! I'm hoping to find homes for these two, as I think they'll be super loving.

OJ (the orange one), is still very scared. he won't come near me and backs away when I try. sometimes he hisses.

I'm trying every day. Hopefully he will come around. I don't know what I'll do if he stays mean...

The mom hasn't been around in a few days. I had the garage door open hoping that she would see/smell the kittens, but the food in the cage hasn't been touched.

 

[feralvr]

Super news!!! The kittens will come around a tiny bit each day

. Sounds like a great set-up you have for them. As for OJ, if you can make progress with the other two and it sounds like you will, then he will follow suit. It might take him much longer though, it really depends on each kitten's personality, they are all so different in that respect. He might have that "shy" temperament to begin with and being feral on top of that makes his socialization a bit longer. HE WILL come around!! It will require time and patience for OJ

. Keep up the good work and I hope mom cat comes back soon. I am sure she has been around, you just haven't seen her. She is probably a bit upset about what is going on with the kittens.

 

[jtbo]

It was few days that Mauku was away too, eventually came back, I think she will return as there is food, but it might take bit of time, but relationship with kittens might not be the same, it can be that she will get new heat as in her world, she has no more kittens, that is what did happen with Mauku at least, when she did return, she was in heat, even there was snow outside and spring was not really that far yet.

It took bit of time to kittens and Mauku to become known with each other again and I think it was not even a week that Mauku was gone, can't really remember, but it is probably somewhere in my 3 ferals at snow topic, should be quite beginning I think.

Progress with kittens sounds really nice, with shy one, you can also try to completely ignore him for few days, it has different effect for them as it has with humans, also don't look eyes to shy one, just tail or toes, if accidently looking into eyes, then slowly close your eyes and then open them just half way and turn head away, it is to say "I love you and I don't consider you as a threat", those things help with grown ups, so might help with him too.

Pointing fingers is bit bad too for those not used to it, curled fingers is better, maybe they consider pointing fingers as claws being out, so curled fingers is easier for scared ones.

Usually I used to sit over my legs, offered them food and then closed eyes and turned my cheek towards them, finger curled and hands resting on top of my legs, then I just silently was there while they did ate near me, slowly closer and closer, then slowly they got used to it so much that they became curious, but I tried to be as small and as little threat looking for a kitten as possible, they did learn then that I'm not dangerous. That was ignoring them until they had courage to play.

However with your case, he sees others with you, cat's are rare animal in there that they learn by watching too, many animals don't learn with watching, they need to experience, also they can think bit more than most animals, so he learns everytime he sees you with others.
Only thing that limits learning there is panic, if he is panicking then he is not learning as when cat panics it seems to shut down quite many things from their brain, so here I think ignoring would help.

However I don't know how true all this is, it is only how I think by partly what I have observed and partly what I have read, anyway seems to work with my three, it is not said that would 100% work for you, but I think ignoring one for few days (of course giving him food and water as usual) could make improvements, it may take even a week or two, but I think he needs to see you are not 'after him', which is probably he is scared of.