Taming kittens...

Da Shins Kelly

Our cat had three kittens, and they're quite big now, but they're still very wild. One of my friends wants to take one of them, but they're not nearly tame enough to give to anyone. I want to try and handle them, but at the moment they're impossible to catch. The only time they will come to me is when I have food for them, and then when I try to stroke them, they run away and won't come back to the food until I leave. I can't get close enough to them to actually properly handle them.

Any advice on how to get them used to human handling so I can get homes for them?

Thanks!

Narsil

Hi!

Me and my partner successfully tamed 2 feral kittens last year and they now live as lap cats:)

We started by feeding them wet pouch food from a fork so they had to come close to us for it. We started talking to them and stroking them as they ate and slowly bringing the fork closer to our bodies until after a week/two they were eating in our laps(crosslegged on the ground).
We also started playing with them with a dangly piece of ribbon as no kitten can resist it!
It took us around 2 months to get them tame enough to be handled, but they were still very shy-it was food that worked for them.
Also I think they settled down better once they went to someone new when they tamed down.

Best of luck with them and thanks for giving them a better future:)

Sassy58

You say your cat had the kittens - is your cat a domestic cat - is she in the house at all (I assume you are going to get her spayed now). Can you pick up your own cat?

How old are the kittens - this is important the older they are the harder and longer it CAN take (always exceptions to the rule)

In order to tame them you really need to catch them and convine them to one area.

Ways to tame kittens vary one I find that works if you have the time is getting something that would have a high prey value i.e. chicken, ham etc.

Sit in the garden (I assume they are just outside) and let them come into the garden and see you there - throw a piece of chicken close to them and let them get the taste of what is on offer - it is funny to watch kittens growl over chicken. Throw another piece (little pieces) and each throw let the chicken land a little closer to you, you will know how close they will comfortable come quiet quickly. You want it to be that they eat the food not grap it and run back to a safe distance and eat it and then look for more.

You will need to do this over a few days and there is normally one kitten who is braver then the others and will come closer with the thoughts of the reward. You need to have a lot of patients as kittens can be quiet flightie.

Its easier to tame kittens if they are in a crate or at least confined to one room in the house.

I have tamed quiet a lot of kittens over the years - also have an ex-feral as an indoor only cat - took time and patients but I have a cuddle monster now.

Da Shins Kelly

Sassy58 wrote: »

You say your cat had the kittens - is your cat a domestic cat - is she in the house at all (I assume you are going to get her spayed now). Can you pick up your own cat?

How old are the kittens - this is important the older they are the harder and longer it CAN take (always exceptions to the rule)

In order to tame them you really need to catch them and convine them to one area.

You will need to do this over a few days and there is normally one kitten who is braver then the others and will come closer with the thoughts of the reward. You need to have a lot of patients as kittens can be quiet flightie.

Its easier to tame kittens if they are in a crate or at least confined to one room in the house.

The mother is very friendly. She comes into the house quite a bit, but I can't coax the kittens in, so they stay in the garage, which is quite warm for them. The kittens are about two months old now. I feed them in the garage, and try to get them to come to me, but it hasn't been successful so far. There does seem to be one that is braver than the other two. She comes quite close to me and has let me stroke her on a couple of occasions before running away, which is more than the other two.

Sassy58

I would block their exit from the garage so they are confined - go in about 30 minutes later then you would normal feed them at she they are hungry and bring in chicken - sit on the ground so you are more at their level then towering over them and throw it to them and see if you have any success that way

franksm

sitting at their level, and just pure perseverance while they're hungry. They'll come to you eventually. Play with them too - rolled up balls of paper and string are much better than anything you'll buy in the shop