- Joined
- May 22, 2016
- Messages
- 17
- Purraise
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I'm posting here in hopes that other members experienced with feral kitten socialization can give me some advice. I realize there are a few similar threads that already exist here, but I didn't want to hijack someone else's discussion.
A little background. I live in a ground floor apartment whose rear patio faces a fence that separates the property from the woods. I have a shed that's attached to my unit. We have a few feral cats that run around, although they don't seem to be organized into a colony as such, and I began feeding them about six months ago. I have managed to TNR most of them, but about six weeks ago a new female showed up and quickly started spending almost all her time here. So I was really surprised when about three weeks ago, she suddenly brought two kittens with her! I never saw her pregnant and didn't imagine she was a nursing mother, since she was on my porch most of the day. I estimate that the kittens must have been about two months old when they first showed up; they were eating solid food and their eyes were yellow. They seemed pretty healthy. They soon became regulars at my porch; the mother would bring them in the evenings, let them eat what I put out, nurse them for a while, and then take them back wherever she had them hidden. The differences in their temperament were obvious even at that stage; one is a black kitten that I assume (without real evidence) is male, and the other is a tabby that I assume, again without proof, is female. The black kitten is clearly the braver, more outgoing of the two, and within a few days would approach me on his own and meow at me for food, and I could pet him when he ate. The tabby has always been easily frightened, and would only eat warily if I was out of sight.
I decided that I wanted to rescue and adopt these kittens. I have never done anything like this before, so I did as much research on the internet as I could. I intended to start the socialization process in my shed, and got a socialization crate. I managed to trap them and transfer them to the crate, but the process frightened them and they cowered at the back of the crate behind the litter box and behaved truly feral (even the black kitten, which was hard to watch). For the first two days, as per the suggestions of most of the resources I consulted, I spent a lot of time in the shed, talking to myself or reading aloud, working on my laptop, and leaving the radio on when I wasn't there. I did not attempt to handle them. After two days, I opened the crate and they quickly ran into a winter shelter I had used for the ferals over the weekend and brought into my shed for the summer. That was about ten days ago, and they now spend most of their time in that shelter. They can see me and I can see them, and if I really wanted to, I could reach in and try to grab them, but I have generally tried to leave them unmolested when they are in there. I have been continuing to spend as much time as I can in the shed, and they seem to have gotten somewhat used to my presence; the black kitten comes out of the shelter when I'm around, eats and plays in front of me (but not with me), and uses the litterbox without hesitation even when I'm there. The tabby is still very scared, although on occasion she will eat if I'm in the shed; any sudden move on my part and she scoots back to the shelter. I am able to feed both of them baby food with a spoon. However, neither of them is yet comfortable with being handled. I tried petting them when they eat, but the black one's ears flatten and he stares at my hand when I bring it close (although he doesn't run unless I actually touch him ... this is a regression from when he was out on the porch, because he let me pet him easily then). The tabby won't tolerate any attempt at touching her, and runs back into the shelter. I haven't really petted her at all.
So my question is this; should I try to force more attempts at petting? Should I try to get the kittens out of the shelter, or maybe move them back into the crate (I would probably have to trap them again in my shed to move them to the crate, since I'm not sure they will let me pick them up). Or should I just stay the course? I had hoped by ten days I would have been further along in their comfort level with being touched.
A little background. I live in a ground floor apartment whose rear patio faces a fence that separates the property from the woods. I have a shed that's attached to my unit. We have a few feral cats that run around, although they don't seem to be organized into a colony as such, and I began feeding them about six months ago. I have managed to TNR most of them, but about six weeks ago a new female showed up and quickly started spending almost all her time here. So I was really surprised when about three weeks ago, she suddenly brought two kittens with her! I never saw her pregnant and didn't imagine she was a nursing mother, since she was on my porch most of the day. I estimate that the kittens must have been about two months old when they first showed up; they were eating solid food and their eyes were yellow. They seemed pretty healthy. They soon became regulars at my porch; the mother would bring them in the evenings, let them eat what I put out, nurse them for a while, and then take them back wherever she had them hidden. The differences in their temperament were obvious even at that stage; one is a black kitten that I assume (without real evidence) is male, and the other is a tabby that I assume, again without proof, is female. The black kitten is clearly the braver, more outgoing of the two, and within a few days would approach me on his own and meow at me for food, and I could pet him when he ate. The tabby has always been easily frightened, and would only eat warily if I was out of sight.
I decided that I wanted to rescue and adopt these kittens. I have never done anything like this before, so I did as much research on the internet as I could. I intended to start the socialization process in my shed, and got a socialization crate. I managed to trap them and transfer them to the crate, but the process frightened them and they cowered at the back of the crate behind the litter box and behaved truly feral (even the black kitten, which was hard to watch). For the first two days, as per the suggestions of most of the resources I consulted, I spent a lot of time in the shed, talking to myself or reading aloud, working on my laptop, and leaving the radio on when I wasn't there. I did not attempt to handle them. After two days, I opened the crate and they quickly ran into a winter shelter I had used for the ferals over the weekend and brought into my shed for the summer. That was about ten days ago, and they now spend most of their time in that shelter. They can see me and I can see them, and if I really wanted to, I could reach in and try to grab them, but I have generally tried to leave them unmolested when they are in there. I have been continuing to spend as much time as I can in the shed, and they seem to have gotten somewhat used to my presence; the black kitten comes out of the shelter when I'm around, eats and plays in front of me (but not with me), and uses the litterbox without hesitation even when I'm there. The tabby is still very scared, although on occasion she will eat if I'm in the shed; any sudden move on my part and she scoots back to the shelter. I am able to feed both of them baby food with a spoon. However, neither of them is yet comfortable with being handled. I tried petting them when they eat, but the black one's ears flatten and he stares at my hand when I bring it close (although he doesn't run unless I actually touch him ... this is a regression from when he was out on the porch, because he let me pet him easily then). The tabby won't tolerate any attempt at touching her, and runs back into the shelter. I haven't really petted her at all.
So my question is this; should I try to force more attempts at petting? Should I try to get the kittens out of the shelter, or maybe move them back into the crate (I would probably have to trap them again in my shed to move them to the crate, since I'm not sure they will let me pick them up). Or should I just stay the course? I had hoped by ten days I would have been further along in their comfort level with being touched.