My mama cat is half feral, and her kitties, too- how can I socialize them?

[giorgiii]

I live by the mountain and 1 year ago a wild cat appeared. I decided to feed her and then she came to me everyday. I've tried petting her, hand-feeding her, touching her, even now it doesn't work. She isn't really scared of me being near her- only when I touch her.

She gave birth and I found her kitties yesterday, the mama cat let's me have a look of them but not touch, she always hisses at me when I get close and the kitties won't stay either.
They're about 4/5 weeks old now.

They've let me pet them only when I was feeding them, but not now. They live in an open space, near a lot of construction tiles, which are left over for some tim

and I don't want to trap them.
How can I socialize the kittes- without trapping them?

 

[di and bob]

The only problem without trapping them is mama will have litter after litter, I had one have 17 kittens in one year. Then the kittens will start having kittens and pretty soon there will be hundreds of cats. They will most likely all starve to death, a pretty bad way to die. I have trapped all mine, had them spayed/neutered, and then released them back where they came from. This is called TNR and has been proven to stabilize cat populations and reduce the number of homeless cats. If the kittens are young enough, and those look about right, they will tame down quickly and could find homes. But they have to be around you a lot, and that means trapping too. I'm sorry to tell you all this, but I have been through it many times. it is much cheaper, in the long run, to have them trapped now......

 

[Jcatbird]

Is it the trap that worries you? There are ways to trap by using a carrier to get them. You can get close? Time is of the essence. As di and bob mentiined, mom could get pregnant any minute!
I used a large crate or cage to be a feeding station for these ferals. I covered it with a blanket so that I could lay next to it without disturbing the feedings. Sometimes I had to lay under a cover myself if any cat was scared. Once kitties trust eating there in peace and safety, I very quickly shut the door to get them all at once. Spay and neutering is crucial to prevent a large population. I had over 100 to catch, vet and socialize. The only socializing I did outside was done to gain the trust of the cat in order to get them to safety and a vet. After catching them, socializing can be done much more easily with all. The life as a feral or outside kitty is a very hard life. Predators, weather, disease, injuries etc. etc. lead to what is a tough and shorter life for them. Of the colony here, 78 cats and kittens of all ages got adopted into great homes. The others remain with me as inside kitties in a sanctuary I provide for them. All are social now, including the eldest Tom cat.
I strongly advise you to start working to get them into an enclosure of some sort in order to be able to get spays and neutered accomplished and socializing. There are traps that are called drop traps. They are very safe to use.
If one of these kitties was ever hurt, you still need to be able to get to them. If you cannot work with them in your home, an outdoor enclosure called a catio could also work for them. Socializing will be easier and more successful if you can take advantage of any safe enclosure or even outbuilding or garage.
Start by feeding them where you can set up a carrier, crate, trap or an inside environment. Put a shirt or something with your scent on it where the kitties will be eating. That would all be the beginning of the process. Please do keep us updated and thank you for helping these kitties! You are a lifeline to them and can make sure that things don’t get harder for them. Let us know if questions or if you need help finding Spay/neuter services. Many places do assist with that. Welcome!

 

[jefferd18]

The only way you can socialize that cat and her kittens is to get them out of that environment. If she was a stray she would tolerate you doing more with her, like petting. However, she is not a stray, she is a very feral cat and the only way to tame her down is to get her into an area that is less noisy and more controlled.