The Kitten Socialization Window
Socialization, or the process of becoming friendly to humans, is most successfully achieved during the first 12 weeks of a kittens life. If youve encountered a feral kitten, one of the first things to do is to determine the kittens age and make sure that shes within the age range where socialization will be successful.
Neonatal kittens should be handled at least twice a day to help them become comfortable with humans.
0-5 weeks: Dependent Kittens
Kittens under 5 weeks of age will be dependent on mama for nursing. You can foster a feral mama with her babies, and any interactions you have with the kittens during the first five weeks of life will greatly increase their level of socialization. Feral kittens raised with a feral mama should be handled at least 1-2 times daily for monitoring and light socialization. Orphaned kittens under 5 weeks old will receive plenty of hands-on care through bottle feeding and will generally become socialized within hours to days.
Use mealtime to help weaning kittens gradually accept humans!
5-12 weeks: Transitional Kittens
Older kittens may have a better outcome through TNR.
12+ Weeks: Independent Kittens
What To Do After You Catch A Feral Kitten
After you catch a feral kitten, you should take them to a large room where there is no exits. We recommend somewhere like the garage. Give the kitten its space, and also set out plenty of food and water. You should show the feral kitten as much love and care as possible, without scaring or frightening them. Also make sure that for the first couple days, you keep the feral kitten completely isolated from other pets if you have them.
Can A Feral Cat Be Domesticated
Its also worth mentioning that full in-house adoption simply wont be possible for some feral cats. They may find it just too distressing to be around humans, and they may simply wish to live an outdoor life.
However, if you are determined to help this poor kitty as much as you can, try following the steps below and see how far you can get with your feral friend. Never push them beyond their limitations, for both yours and their safety. But with a heap of time, plenty of patience and these top tips below you could end up with a new best feline friend in the end.
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How To Tame A Wild Kitten 7 Tips Every Cat Lover Should Know
- May 26, 2021February 16, 2022
If you have recently brought home a wild kitten or if you are thinking of adopting one that you have seen on the streets, it is important that you read our tips on how to tame a wild kitten.
Wild cats as the name suggests are wild animals. However, if you end up with a wild kitten you can tame it with a bit of love, care and a whole lot of patience.
Taming a wild adult cat on the other hand is rather difficult but you can apply the same methods and you may see success.
When taming a wild kitten you are actually getting it ready for adoption. You will be transforming an unfriendly and somewhat aggressive animal into a pleasant and adorable kitten that can grow up to be a wonderful companion.
It is important to know that its not going to be easy it will require time depending on the how old the kitten is. It is easier to tame younger kitten.
It is difficult work for sure but your act of kindness will give a neglected animal a chance to find a loving home and care for its lifetime.
The Problem Of Wild Kittens
The problem of wild kittens is a difficult one to solve because female wild cats can have up to 3 litters a year and they can get pregnant at just 16 weeks of age.
The numbers are mind blowing: just one female wild cat and its kittens can give birth to over 400,000 cats in a time frame of seven years.
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Supporting The Transitioning Cat
Trusting humans requires a lot of faith and courage on the feral cats part. Pet parents should have patience and let the cats comfort level dictate when its time to take the next step.If the cat seems particularly anxious, try some cat anxiety medication like a pheromone spray, diffuser, or calming and relaxation chews. This can calm a cats danger alarm and help them get used to life as a house cat.
For more information about how to domesticate a feral cat, become a Fuzzy member today. Through 24/7 Live Vet Chat, Fuzzy members get personalized cat advice and answers to their pressing cat questions.
What If Your Kitten Never Comes Around
First of all, dont blame yourself. Taming feral kittens is a tough job, and not every kitten can be tamed. Sometimes you will end up with one super sweet kitten, while its litter-mate remains shy and scared, even though you took all the same steps. It is rare, but if this happens, the best thing to do is spay or neuter your kitten at 8 weeks of age, give the appropriate vaccinations, and find your kitten a suitable outdoor home. We can help you relocate an outdoor cat if you decided to go this route.
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A Guide To Socializing Older Kittens
Summary: Fosters are often called on to help increase affiliative behaviors, and decrease distance-increasing behaviors in older kittens that are showing signs of being undersocialized. This article explains what this process looks like for kittens who are outside what is usually considered the window for socialization. It covers environmental management and preparation, positive reinforcement using food, desensitization to touch, and the importance of giving kittens choice and time to process.
It is generally understood that a kittens socialization period is between 2 and 8 weeks of age. In overcrowded shelter environments with limited resources, that socialization period can act as a decision-maker. If the kitten is within that time frame, send them to foster or make them available. If not, TNR or a barn cat program is the best-case scenario. Most literature on feral kitten socialization suggests that kittens older than 8 weeks up to 6-8 months old, or even adult cats, can still be socialized and adopted, but they need more time and experienced attention.1-7
While there are resources on socializing feral kittens under 8 weeks old, there is little to no information about socializing those older cats. More research is needed on if and how to attempt socialization for these kittens but, without immediate guidance, the general population lacks the knowledge to responsibly explore the possibility of successfully socializing and adopting out older feral kittens.
Adopting And Raising A Feral Kittenwhat Home Is Best For Them
Feral kittens usually take about a year to be ready for a home. When trained and socialised well, they will adjust to most homes, but some may prefer single-pet households. Many ex-feral kitties love homes with large farms or gardens where they can happily chase mice, birds, frogs, bugs, and slugs for recreation and have a sense of open space and freedom!
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Desensitize The Cat To Human Contact
Theres a lot about human contact thats scary to a cat, not just actually being touched. The sound of other people talking can be intimidating for a feline. Music, doors being opened and closed, and all sorts of other sounds can keep a kitty on edge. Youll have to get the cat used to dealing with these distracting and scary sounds while interacting with it.
How To Domesticate A Feral Cat
August 7, 2014 By LovingOurHome.com
Some personal advice about how to domesticate a feral cat from someone who has done it twice.
There is a lot of literature online about how to domesticate a feral cat or homeless cat and feral cat rescue, but I can add to this advice with my own personal experience taking in two feral cats.
** I personally dont recommend trying to domesticate an older feral cat who is aggressive or wont allow a human to touch or come near him especially if you already have cats in your home. Use your best judgment. **
Get them Shots and Have Them Neutered
The feral cat you want to take in has probably been roaming around outside for months, mixing with other cats, raccoons, and sleeping in bushes full of ticks, fleas, and other nuisances. So before you allow a feral cat to live in the main areas of your home, you need to take them to the vet for a check up.
Wash and Isolate Your Feral Cat With a Litter Box
This will be the only time you have to clean your new feline friend since cats clean themselves. After the bath, envelop your new cat in a nice fluffy towel and rub him dry. This small action is a great bonding moment between you and your new feral cat. If possible, pick him up in your arms as you dry him. Whenever I have had to do this with my new cats, afterwards they felt a lot more comfortable around me.
Isolate the Cat for a While
Leave The Feral Cat Alone
We can do no great things, only small things with great love. ~Mother Teresa
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How To Tame A Semi
As weve established, semi-feral cats are the only strays that you might want to tame. Feral cats are basically wild animals and dont make good candidates for taming. Socialized cats are already domesticated and are most likely someones missing pet. Assuming the cat you want to tame is semi-feral and not a lost cause, the following five steps will help you tame it and bring it into your home.
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How To Tame A Feral Cat
This article was co-authored by Francine Miller. Francine Miller is an Applied Animal Behavior Counselor and Founder of Call Ms Behaving, a behavior counseling service for dogs and cats in San Diego, California. With over 16 years of experience, Francine specializes in treating behavior problems such as aggression, separation anxiety, phobias, fear reactions, destructiveness, urine marking, and compulsive behaviors. She uses a behavioral management and modification plan that is positive reinforcement only. She holds a Diploma in Canine Behavior Counseling from the American College of Applied Science . Francine has completed all coursework toward an MS in Applied Animal Behavior Science and Family Counseling for Companion Animals from the American College of Applied Science . She is a certified Associate of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and a member of the Pet Professional Guild.There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 45 testimonials and 95% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 885,417 times.
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When To Say Goodbye
How do you know when the kittens are ready for adoption? What do you do to prepare them for the shelter or their future home? These are important questions to keep in mind throughout the entire process as it will help in keeping you goal-oriented as a foster. Its important not to expect a snuggly adult lap cat from an older fractious kitten. Few adult cats enjoy being picked up, carried, and held, and its completely acceptable for cats to need their space and have a more aloof personality.22 Any cat, fractious or otherwise, takes time to bond with their adopters and, especially for fractious kittens, there is a lifelong journey to overcoming initial fears and building trust. Each shelter and rescue has their own set of standards for what they consider an adoptable cat. Good standards for adoption for both the cat and adopters wellbeing include:
- No hissing, swatting, or biting
- Can safely be picked up and briefly carried without food
- Tolerate basic vet handling
- Calmly remains within the same space as people without signs of tension
- Can walk around the room, stand up, and sit down without the kittens panicking or trying to escape
- Multiple people can work with the kittens with no significant increase in aggression or other undesirable behaviors.
Establishing A Comfortable Home
You should get a feral kittens its own kennel with a nice, comfy place to sleep. You should also provide a nice clean litter box. We recommend getting a kennel that has food and water bowls attached to the door so that you dont have to risk your arms reaching into the kennel. In the beginning, it is extremely important that you keep the cat away from other pets and humans. You should also have the cat tested for diseases at the vet in this first stage. After around 2 days, you can move on to the next phase.
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Let The Cat Initiate Contact
When attempting to deal with a semi-feral cat, youre best off leaving the cat alone. It might seem counterintuitive to ignore a cat that you want to take home, but if you dont offer the cat attention, its more likely to be interested in you. In that case, it will initiate contact by reaching out or possibly being vocal toward you, indicating that you can continue the interaction.
Can You Tame A Feral Cat
While it may appear that you can finally open your door to your new kitty buddy, you should avoid inviting her inside your home, especially if you have other animals in your home . It is preferable to instead take the cat to the veterinarian for a comprehensive checkup and immunizations , as well as to have her spayed or neutered, as appropriate. Taking this step may take several tries, but it is vitally necessary for your health and safety, as well as the health and safety of your new kitten.
Cat trees and towers, scratching posts, and hiding and sleeping spots should all be included in the design of your cats new living space.
The good news is that even cats that have spent their whole lives in the outdoors are usually able to comprehend the notion rather quickly.
In due course, your new cat should forget about their days on the streets and be glad to rest and play at home with their new family, rather than on the streets themselves.
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Why Taming A Wild Kitten Is Important
A wild kitten on the streets will live its life in parking lots surviving on whatever they can find in trash cans. It will be exposed to wind, rain, dust and the dangers of living among speeding cars.
It will pick up diseases, infections and go through several pregnancies. As a result, a wild kitten growing into a cat tends to have a short lifespan of just a couple of years.
Wild kitten that are left on the streets will grow up to become wild cats that create problems for people such as loud fights, flea infestations and they can also pass on diseases that affect human beings, livestock and other wild animals.
Tame The Kitty Not Their Dietary Needsfeed Them Untamed
Untamed is the best wet food for feral kittens because it contains delicious human-grade whole meat. Ferals have heightened predatory instincts, and the aromatic scent of our steamed gravies and jellies appeals to their primal senses, making it easier for you to be the trustworthy human who brings good food.
Untamed helps bruised and battered kitties recuperatewith:
Fussy cats all over the UK have opened their hearts to our delicacies made with chicken, liver, tuna, duck, salmon, sardines, mackerel, ham, and shrimp. Your in-training feral kitty will chill upon tasting our delicious flavours after a life of surviving on junk scrapstake our TRY NOW quiz to order the taster pack!
True survivors are possessive of good food. Lets not call it a feral trait, hooman.
Image Untamed
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What’s The Difference Between A Stray Cat And A Feral Cat
According to McDowell, stray cats are lost or abandoned domestic kittiesdifferent from unsocialized feral cats. But the types of free-roaming kitties don’t stop there, Kelly adds. There are a few different categories, and they’re not all wild or abandoned.
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Friendly stray: Check the collar or microchip of this friendly kitty. She might belong to a nearby neighbor or is lost or abandoned, Kelly explains.
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Community cat: Community cats don’t have typical owners. Instead, they’re cared for by the community and may be somewhat friendly.
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Friendly feral: With minimal socialization through feeding, friendly feral cats might be somewhat trusting of the human who feeds them. But they’re not socialized to the point of accepting pats.
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Feral: True feral cats aren’t socialized, are on high alert, and fear humans. “Usually, they bolt at the first sight or sound of humans,” Kelly says.
Any of these free-roamers could find themselves living in a feral cat colony or in a group of cats typically bonded with their family unit. When there’s a reliable food source, other strays might find their way into the colony, too.
Female cats can become pregnant as young as 5 months old and can have up to three litters of kittens in a single year. So it’s no surprise McDowell has seen colonies as large as 200 catsbut most cat colonies she comes across include around 20 to 30 cats.
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