Hello everyone, and thanks ahead of time for your help! We were very glad to find this forum...
My boyfriend and I live in a converted barn in PA- our living space is the downstairs, and upstairs is the large space we use for our workshops. A couple weeks ago we discovered that 4 kittens- we believe 2 males and 2 females- which we guessed were about 3-4 weeks old, had been moved into the upper space of our barn (by the same feral mother who had kittens in the hole of our walnut tree last year).
Since then, gradually and slowly, we've spent many hours each day trying to bond with them. One male is very friendly and affectionate- we have been able to pet and hold him since the beginning and he purrs loudly. The other male has slowly warmed up to us and climbs on us now, but is still very fearful and does not let us touch him. They all play with us at different times, but the two females are still very scared- they play occasionally but hide more often and certainly don't let us touch them. They all adapted easily to a litter box without coaching.
At first, whenever the mom would come to nurse, she would hiss at us once or twice, and we would leave to make her feel safe. But as we have spent more time with her around the house and feeding her, we have started to stay when she is with the kittens and now she is very comfortable with us being there. She has started to wean them and brings them food like chipmunks and frogs. In the last couple days, the kittens have tentatively wandered outside, today more confidently. It has been a really incredible experience watching her parent, from disciplining their attitudes to teaching them how to walk down the stairs.
But the main point we need help with is transitioning them to move into our home (downstairs in the barn). We would love to keep them all, but can only keep 2. We think they are about 6 weeks old. We are concerned both about taking them too early from their mother, but also about it becoming too late to fully socialize them, or them simply leaving the barn before we take them. We are also worried about the mother's distress when she finds 2 are taken, especially because she is outside our home all the time and could easily see right into where they would be with us. We are also worried about the kittens being distressed hearing her or their siblings so close by. At this point, we are leaning towards taking the 2 males since they are the most comfortable, though we did initially want a male and a female. Finally, we do plan to trap neuter return the cat with the help of a local organization, but we are not sure of when to do this either.
I apologize for the length! We have constant growth in socializing them, albeit in fits and starts, but at the same time worried it isn't happening fast enough with the other there and her feral influence. That is the main point we keep debating back and forth and the main thrust of our worry, in that by leaving them with her for their own benefit, we will miss the chance to adopt them socialized. We would so greatly appreciate any advice on the best way and timing of taking 2 kittens into our home, with sensitivity to the other kittens and their mother in mind.
My boyfriend and I live in a converted barn in PA- our living space is the downstairs, and upstairs is the large space we use for our workshops. A couple weeks ago we discovered that 4 kittens- we believe 2 males and 2 females- which we guessed were about 3-4 weeks old, had been moved into the upper space of our barn (by the same feral mother who had kittens in the hole of our walnut tree last year).
Since then, gradually and slowly, we've spent many hours each day trying to bond with them. One male is very friendly and affectionate- we have been able to pet and hold him since the beginning and he purrs loudly. The other male has slowly warmed up to us and climbs on us now, but is still very fearful and does not let us touch him. They all play with us at different times, but the two females are still very scared- they play occasionally but hide more often and certainly don't let us touch them. They all adapted easily to a litter box without coaching.
At first, whenever the mom would come to nurse, she would hiss at us once or twice, and we would leave to make her feel safe. But as we have spent more time with her around the house and feeding her, we have started to stay when she is with the kittens and now she is very comfortable with us being there. She has started to wean them and brings them food like chipmunks and frogs. In the last couple days, the kittens have tentatively wandered outside, today more confidently. It has been a really incredible experience watching her parent, from disciplining their attitudes to teaching them how to walk down the stairs.
But the main point we need help with is transitioning them to move into our home (downstairs in the barn). We would love to keep them all, but can only keep 2. We think they are about 6 weeks old. We are concerned both about taking them too early from their mother, but also about it becoming too late to fully socialize them, or them simply leaving the barn before we take them. We are also worried about the mother's distress when she finds 2 are taken, especially because she is outside our home all the time and could easily see right into where they would be with us. We are also worried about the kittens being distressed hearing her or their siblings so close by. At this point, we are leaning towards taking the 2 males since they are the most comfortable, though we did initially want a male and a female. Finally, we do plan to trap neuter return the cat with the help of a local organization, but we are not sure of when to do this either.
I apologize for the length! We have constant growth in socializing them, albeit in fits and starts, but at the same time worried it isn't happening fast enough with the other there and her feral influence. That is the main point we keep debating back and forth and the main thrust of our worry, in that by leaving them with her for their own benefit, we will miss the chance to adopt them socialized. We would so greatly appreciate any advice on the best way and timing of taking 2 kittens into our home, with sensitivity to the other kittens and their mother in mind.
