How To Tame Feral Kittens

Wild In The Streets: The Life And Health Of Stray And Feral Cats

Feral cats often live in vacant lots, dodge cars, and eat from trash cans face infection, disease, and an endless cycle of pregnancy and suffer extremes in treatment and weather. The life of a feral, stray, or abandoned cat is often short, sometimes lasting for just two or three years.

Of course, feral cats also leave issues on the human doorstep — including noisy fights, odor, urinating to mark territory , flea infestations, and the inevitable breeding that creates even more unwanted cats.

Many experts agree that one of the best ways to help feral cats and cat groups — called colonies — is through neutering programs.

What About Feral Kittens

Kittens are generally much easier to adopt and socialize, as they are still learning about the world and quickly adjust to new surroundings.

Therefore, if you encounter a feral kitten thats old enough , you can begin the above steps to bring them into your home.

Caring for a feral kitten takes lots of patience and gentle handling to teach them about being a pet, so be slow and steady with your socialization process. You could even read our full Kitten Care Guide to get you started.

The Age Of A Kitten At The Time Of Rescue Is The Most Important Factor

A playpen provides adequate living space for a litter of kittens

If rescued new-born or up to 4 weeks of age feral kittens are practically as tame as their domestic born relatives. Both may spit faintly at anything unfamiliar, but they can be easily held and handled. After that, a kitten may grow “wild” fast .

A 5-week-old kitten can be quite elusive but if held closely, kept warm and cuddled intensively it usually calms down within a few days, provided it has not been chased during its rescue. Taming is made much more difficult when the kittens first impression of a human was a monster charging after it causing fear and panic which it will need time to forget. If a kitten does act aggressively it is very important to hold it as soon as possible. This is best done by picking it up from behind wrapping loosely in a towel and holding it close to your chest which usually calms the kitten down very quickly.

Unless they are found in an enclosed space in a safe corner where they can be instantly and swiftly picked up, feral kittens should be coaxed into a kitten trap baited with food rather than chased around. .

Once the kitten is totally relaxed in the arms it can start little investigative walks on your lap, still stroking with the hands to reassure it and also to control it should it suddenly leap out of reach. After each short excursion the kitten is returned to the pen.

Read Also: How Long Can A Cat Go Without Eating Or Drinking

Slowly Let The Cat Adjust To Your Presence

Let the cat make the first move. And once he goes near you, provide him with a positive interaction. Allow the cat to be comfortable with the sound of your voice, and with your presence. If he looks welcoming to taming, sit down near him and talk in a soft, gentle voice.

At this time, you can start establishing a positive routine with the feral cat with the help of tasty canned food or crunchy kibble. Feed him at the same time and in the same place every day. He will start trusting you as each day passes by as he begins to associate you with the positive experience of eating.

Remain nearby as the cat eats, and observe from a distance. Once he gets used to your presence, let him go closer to you to get his food. Avoid having eye contact with him because he may see it as an act of aggression.

Additionally, you should avoid touching or picking up the cat until you sense that he is ready. You can take cues from his reactions. If he backs off, you also need to back off. Again, be patient and go slowly but surely. If you move too quickly, he may act defensively, which can lead him to scratch or even bite you.

Before You Move Forward Consider

1. Time: Do you have the time it takes to socialize kittens? You will have to commit to caring for them one-on-one for at least a couple of hours each day, for a period of a few weeks to a month or longer. If the kittens are neonatal, they will require even more specialized care, including round-the clock bottle-feeding. Make sure you know ahead of time what a project like this will require from you: time, love, patience and endurance!

2. Adoption Expertise and Connections: After socializing the kittens, they will need adoptive homes. Do you have the networkfriends, acquaintances, organizations to help you find those homes? Finding and screening homes for kittens takes work. Consider the paperwork requiredadoption fees, forms, and contractsas well as your ability to get the kittens neutered before adoption when deciding whether to socialize them or not.

3. Feral Cat FOCUS recommends early-age spay/neuter. A kitten can be spayed/neutered at approximately three months old as long as it weighs 2.5 pounds .

4. Kitten Age: If kittens are trapped at two-three months of age they can be spayed or neutered and returned to their colony. If you do not have the time to devote to socializing kittens, please keep them with their colony. These kittens should be neutered, vaccinated, and returned to their outdoor home.

You May Like: Who Is The Cat Whisperer

Can An Adult Wild Cat Be Tamed

According to experts taming an adult wild cat is almost impossible as they avoid humans and even if adopted it is difficult to socialise them. Dont pick up a wild cat on the street.

When approaching a wild cat you should behave with the same level of caution that you would show towards a wild animal such as a Raccoon for instance.

Takethe Cat To A New Home:

When you get the all-clear from the vet, the next step is takingthe cat to a new home. You should have a comfortable and quiet room preparedfor the cat. You could also install, safe places, like cat trees and towers, sothe cat could play, hide, and relax in his own space without too muchdisturbance. You should also not forget to have a cat food bowl and a catlitter box available for the cat. Lastly, you could have a scratching postlaced with catnip to keep the cat’s claws away from your furniture.

Also Check: Seal Point Himalayan Kittens For Sale

Brief And Periodic Handling:

After the initial confinement, you need to understand the right way to handle the kitten. To do this, you need to predict whether or not the feral kitten is in a good mood. This will help you avoid any bites or scratches.

Keeping all these pointers in mind, start slow and gradually increase the handling and contact. This will help them get acquainted with the human touch without it being too overwhelming.

Do Feral Cats Pose Health Risks To You And/or Your Pets

Its difficult for us, humans to catch a disease from feral cats since we are not often in contact with them, and feline diseases are usually transmitted between cats alone.

However, feral cats can carry diseases, worms, and viral infections, and they can pass these infections to your domesticated cats at home.

You should also be aware that cats are territorial, so, both the feral and your indoor cats can be stressed by each others company. It may take weeks or even months for them to get along.

In some cases, they may never tolerate each others presence. So, you may need to relocate the feral cat elsewhere, or you can start socializing him with other potential adopters.

Recommended Reading: Prada 53mm Cat Eye Sunglasses

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.

What To Do If You Find A Feral Cat

Whether it found its way into your yard or you frequently spot a particular homeless cat lurking around your neighborhood, if you somehow find yourself in the company of a feral cat, there are some steps you can take to ensure both your safety, as well as the kittys. Keep in mind that because these cats have never had the pleasure of bonding with a human in any meaningful way, they often consider all people as large predators and are generally not afraid to act accordingly by biting, hissing, or even scratching or otherwise attacking you.

You should also never approach a cat that seems sick, even though you likely want to do everything in your power to help the poor kitty. If a feral cat has randomly shown up at your back door, theres a decent chance he or she has rabies, and its far safer to call local animal control and avoid the risk of being bitten or scratched and requiring medical attention.

Above all, its important that anyone who considers taming a feral cat should know that it will likely take several weeksor even longer, if youve found a particularly skittish kittyso patience is of utmost importance.

Recommended Reading: Friskies Lamb And Rice Cat Food

Determining If You Can Tame Of A Feral Cat

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.

Also Check: Ragdoll Kittens For Sale Michigan

Socializing Feral Kittens: How

If you want to socialize feral kittens, the process is similar to what youd do with a pet kitten. You must be patient and willing to take your timeit can take days or weeks for them to warm up to you. In fact, some people have had success simply by leaving food out in the backyard and waiting for the kittens to come out of hiding and eat it. That alone can go a long way toward making them more comfortable with your presence!

If youre able, try gently picking up one or two at a time . Be careful not to hurt them they may struggle and bite or scratch you during this process but try not to get frustrated with them as this is normal behavior from animals who feel threatened by humans taking care of them like pets rather than predators trying to kill their babies for food! Just remember that everything will eventually fall into place once everyone gets used together over time!

Releasing The Kitten Into The Room

• When the kitten has become tame and handleable it can finally be let out of the cage. This can be done in stages and initially when the kitten is hungry! At first it should be kept in one room to overcome any initial nervousness. Make sure all the doors and windows are firmly shut .

• This must be the same room that the kitten has seen from its playpen. In order to maintain the bond between kitten and feeder we only allow the kitten to be loose in the room for limited periods of time. We can begin by feeding the kitten on the open cage door while we are stroking it as usual and then putting the food just in front of the cage. It is most important that we do not follow the kitten around or chase it as it explores the room, as this will only make it run away from us.

• Instead we tempt it to come to us with treats and toys tasty food held out with the familiar feeding gesture, or a toy trailed past us or onto our laps. It can be helpful to keep a small plate of attractively smelling food next to your knees to encourage the kitten to approach you. We only try to touch the kitten from the side or from behind unless it approaches us with its tail up expecting to be cuddled. During these sessions we keep a dish of food in the open playpen to entice it back inside later for another handling session.

In its new home

REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT !

Recommended Reading: Why Do Cats Hiss At You

Hand Feeding Is The Key To Winning A Kittens Trust

handfeeding

• If the kittens are badly under-nourished or frantically scared and flying around the cage, we give them a few days to recover before we start the real work. Do not be tempted to release the kitten thinking you are doing it a favour.

• We may even decide to place the cage in a quiet corner or in a raised position initially, which is also easier for the fosterer to observe and attend to feeding, cleaning etc.

• From day one of our taming course, and for many more to come, the kitten will receive ALL its food from our fingers and only water is available between meals “for free”. We start by holding a large lump of food very still in front of the kitten, hoping it will smell it and start eating immediately. Instead, the kitten may be scared and back away or even lash out and hit the food out of our hand. In that case we make a small trail – one or two small pieces placed on the ground near the hungry kitten – leading to our hand resting flat and motionless on the ground.

What Should You Do If You Found A Feral Cat

Whether a feral cat has found its way into your yard or you frequently see one walking around your neighborhood, there are some easy steps that you can take to ensure that both you and the kitty are safe.

Remember that feral cats have never bonded with humans, so, they often consider us predators. Hence, they could hiss at us, scratch us, or even attack us to protect themselves even if we dont mean them any harm.

And since feral cats have been living outdoors their entire life, they are exposed to all the elements, including viruses, bacteria, and other opportunistic pathogens.

Hence, even if the cat is not showing signs of sickness, theres still the possibility that he is incubating already. So, you should keep a safe distance and never touch or pick him up immediately even if you want to do everything that you can to help him.

Also, if a feral cat has randomly appeared in your yard, its safer to call local animal control to prevent the risk of being bitten or scratched.

While waiting for their response, you can leave a bowl of food and fresh water nearby that he can see, step away at a safe distance and just let him act at his own pace.

Also Check: Cat Depression After New Kitten

How To Handle A Feral Kitten

Handling a feral kitten is the make-or-break stage of the taming process, as one wrong move can make them fearful to the point of no return.

A contained feral kitten may view you as a food source, but theyre far from trusting you enough to welcome your touch. To avoid fight-flight-or-freeze responses, caretakers often start with:

Since youre dealing with a traumatised feline, tailor your approach intuitively. Never startle your kitten by petting them when theyre asleep or forcefully grooming and bathing them. After the rough life theyve endured, you cannot pressure them into being a domesticated cuddle bug easily.

Let them stay in controlshow affection when they ask for it and retreat when theyre uncomfortable. Here are some behavioural responses you should be aware of:

Dont invadeconquer their heart with food and respect for their boundaries. Create a safe space at a slow pace, and let time do the rest.