What is a feral kitten?
A feral kitten is a kitten that is scared of humans. This normally means that they don't want any help from us, and they don't want to be picked up and held. They tend to hang around each other, but every now and then you may see one venture a little far from the group. So if you find a kitten, what do you do?
First thing is first!
You need to assess the area/ health of the kitten. Is the kitten in danger if they stay outside? If the answer is no, than they may be happiest in their natural enviroment. If the kitten looks sick, or is hurt, it may be best to take them in.
How old are they?
Kitten's do best with their mom's. If their eyes are closed and they don't have fur, it may be best to put them in an area where their mom can come back for them. Make sure they are not out in the open, and they have some coverage. Mom should come back, and if she doesn't, then it is time to take action. Just remember, a kitten's mother knows best! There are times when we do need to step in, but normally Mama cat will be back looking for her babies. She has all the tools and vitamins to take care of her babies. If you see her around the area, do not take the kitten.
What if they are the age they do not need their mom?
You have a couple of options. You can TNR (Trap Neuter and Return) the cats if they are 6 to 8 weeks of age. You can take them in for adoption, or foster and re-home them.
What is it like having a feral kitten in my home?
The first kitten I took off the streets was either too young to be feral or semi- domesticated. He had no problems being picked up and held, took his flea bath like a pro, and even sat on my shoulder. At the time, I was not able to take in a pet, so I did surrender him to a shelter. I do not reccomend this. Shelters like the ones I dropped him off at often are overflowing with animals. Because of this there is a high risk of euthanation for the new animals being brought in as well as the older/ animals that have been there longer. Dropping off an animal to a shelter can mean another animal does not get rehomed. So if you find a kitten, please do what you can to keep it out of the shelter!
Now that your kitten is home, it is time for their assessment. If you are able to pick up the kitten, make sure they look phycically healthy. Most of the time kitten's come with fleas and sometimes worms. Make sure to quarentine your new kitten away from any other animals or small children in the home. I often will handle them with gloves in case they have ringworm.
The kitten may be very scared. They may growl or hiss. You may need to handel them with thicker gloves to protect your hands. A kitten may be small but they can do some serious damage.
Once they are clean, I recommend putting them in a mesh pin with lots of blankets and a heating pad or warm water bottle. I used pellet litter in a plastic box and puppy pads to keep everything quick and easy to clean.
How to domesticate your kitten:
Any cat at any age can be domesticated, the question is, should they all be indoor cats. I think that depends on each cat. Some cats prefer to be outside, and while they are happy to receive the occasional pets and food from a friendly human, that does not mean they want to be your roommate.
When I took home my second feral kittens, I did not realize the amount of work that it would take. I used food as a motivation to help expedite the domestication process, and while that worked well for one kitten, it did not work for the other.
Since the kittens did not need to be with their mother, I was able to feed them wet kitten food right away. Since the boy was very scared of me, I could only feed them with a spoon or with gloves on for weeks. Being cautious and taking it slow was better for me and both of the cats in the long run.
The girl kitten warmed up to me right away. I could handle her without heavy gloves and give her forhead kisses every time, however the boy would hiss and strike if I was not careful. I made sure I took extra time with him since he was going to need more work.
Because the boy had so much energy, I used play time to make him feel confident and to bond with him. He loved to hunt and I used a fishing pole toy to lure him to other places of the house.
Once the kittens were able to come out of quarentine, I was able to intragrate them with my cat Macie. This took some time, but eventually worked out well for us all. The kitten's took to Macie like she was their guide and once they realized she was not afraid of me, I was able to use her to bridge the gap between the kitten's and I.
This process took a lot of patience, and a lot of trail and error. It took over 3 months for the boy kitten to trust me, but after a year, I could not imagine my life without him. If you are considering taking in a feral kitten, I hope this gave you some guidence on what to do. If you need more help, please consider reaching out to us at clairecsims@gmail.com, or calling our number.