Can feral kittens be tamed?

[yosemite]

I've had a number of cats over the years and tend to treat them all the same, as my babies. I spoil them, give them lots of loving and attention. I have found that each had their own personality in that some were lap cats and others weren't. That indicated to me that no matter how much love, attention, or spoiling I did, each cat had their own personality and were the way they were born.

My doctor once told me that children were like that as well. The personality they were born with would be what they grew up with.

I agree with MA, (who obviously has had more experience than any of us here and thus knows of what she speaks

) when she distingushes the difference between "tamed" and "socialized".

 

[luckybabycat]

Originally Posted by emilydickinson

We found our kitten in a warehouse next to 2 building sites when she was roughly 16 weeks old. She was petrified of us for months, but very slowly gained confidence. Food bribes and wand toys were key. We have had her for nearly a year, and she is a total cuddle bunny. She leaps into our laps and sleeps in between us. She remains skittish and wary of strangers, particularly when we are not there to reassure her. We recently went away for 2 weeks and the cat sitter only saw her once.

Yes, from what we are reading from the "xperts" this particular skittishness is more than just small animal syndrome, it is a built in defense system by a wild animal. Don't you think it is taught by the mom for survival? And observed that the rest of the colony reacts that way?

 

[luckybabycat]

Anywayyyy. In answer to the OP, IMO as long as the scared one is just scared, and not agressive from what my vet said, he certainly would not scratch her eyeballs out whil sleeping and would be the one to work with. Good luck to your friend in her decision!

 

[momofmany]

My opinion on the OP's original question? Adopt both of them and love them for exactly who they are.

Every cat that I've adopted for the last 20 years was born feral and I've had a lot of them. Even adopted older (some of mine were 2 years old before I took them in my home), I've found that their personalities are all unique. Some become instant cuddle bugs. Others will bond with me and no one else. For the large majority of them, you can't tell that they were ever feral in their lives once they are socialized. Some will climb into a complete stranger's lap, and others will hide under the bed until a stranger is gone.

It all comes down to their personality. What your friend has working in her favor is that the mom cat isn't truly feral - just a stray that was turned outside. Feral can be a very negative label for an otherwise normal cat under bad circumstances. What has always worked for me is not judging them before they come into my house. I work with their personalities and push for those things that the individual cat needs from me. They socialize a lot faster that way.

 

[gingersmom]

Look at my sweet Ferris, does that answer your question?

He was captured at about 8 weeks old, along with his momcat and littermates. His sisters were all torties. And they were all SO feral!

He spent one month in foster care and I adopted him when he was about 12 weeks old. It took a long time to gain his trust, but now he is THE sweetest lovebuggy boy there is!

 

[conrack50]

I have a complete family of 3 sisters and one brother that were feral and I brought them in one by one after they were taken to the vet and spayed/neutered.
I had no trouble with any of them. They were scared for about 6 hours then they settled into their new home. They all are now 6 years old. Best thing I ever did!

 

[captiva]

So many of us have captured cats that have had little or no interaction with people (or at least kind ones). They come around. Mama took a good six months but she was an adult. Megan (her kitten) was not nearly that shy and I felt that she would have even come around sooner if her mother's nervousness wouldn't have rubbed off on her.

 

[trouts mom]

So, my friend ended up adopting Eleanor, the shy friendly one.

Last night was her first night there, and I guess she slept in her litterbox on her own pee.

Is there any way to get her to not sleep in her lb? My friend seems to think she did that because she is scared.

She had put her in a crate over night with the litterbox and some blankets and toys, food and water.

 

[strange_wings]

Kitties that have been in a cage at a shelter often do that.

Have her put the kitten in the bathroom, that will give her a bit more room. Give the kitten a cardboard box (with a top on it), a towel inside, and a hole in the side for a door. Scardy cats like to hide and practically every cat enjoys a box.

 

[crazycalico]

My Hemi was a feral kitty (or I'm pretty sure). She was found under the hood of a Dodge (Hemi) truck, about 6 or 8 weeks old, absolutely terrified and filthy. She was never hissing or scratching or biting, except when I first got her and I was trying to get her home, she didn't want to be held, but I had to force her for that little while. After a while she gave up and stopped trying to get away, but she was still terrified.
It took a few days for her to let me hold her, and easily a week before she even purred or spoke at all. Months to learn to play, she was scared of the toys. She spent most of her time trying to hide.
Now, a year and a half later, she is being a bratty teenager, but is SO loving. She'll have little conversations, purrs like crazy. Sometimes she'll come up to me and stretch full length up me when she wants to be picked up, then she'll nuzzle, purr and headbutt. Sleeps at my feet in bed (when she isn't causing trouble

). Our other cat Ollie isn't as lovey, and he wasn't feral (he does sleep in bed if Hemi isn't around though). It can depend on the cat.
If your friend is willing to put the work and time in it is absolutely incredible and rewarding! If she isn't ready for the commitment and time it takes she really shouldn't do it. It would be unfair to those little sweeties. I wish her luck if she decides to.