How to tame a feral kitten

Loulou32

Hi looking for advice. Over a week ago we took in a feral kitten. Probably around 4 months old.

So far he has been in the utility room until he gets used to new surroundings. Problem is he just hides and runs away when we go in.

Not looking for him to be totally domesticated but don't want him just running off when we open the door.

Any help would be great

the beer revolu

Just time and patience, really.

Try to sit quietly in the room with him as much as possible.

Mollyb60

You need to associate yourself with good things for him. So bring treats when you come into the room, sit quietly on the floor and ignore him. Talk to yourself, read a book out loud, something nice and normal so he can understand that you're not a threat. Leave the treats close to you on the floor and see if he'll be brave enough to come out while you're there. Don't react when he emerges, just continue speaking so he knows it's normal. And don't have more than one person in there at a time, you'll just overwhelm him. Don't force any interactions, that'll just do the opposite. He needs to learn to be comfortable around you.

As the beer revolu says, it will take time and patience. You can look up Jackson Galaxy on youtube or IG for other tips. He's a brilliant cat specialist.

Sigyn

I find with feral cats and kittens less is more. Don't be in their face constantly with "here kitty kitty" etc. Basically just ignore them, go in, hum or whistle, talk to yourself, put down the food, clean litter box, rinse and repeat several times a day even if you don't have to change the litter or food. Give small portions several times a day and then gently throw a piece of cooked chicken in the general direction of the kitten and walk back out. Cooked chicken is usually the magic that makes kittens and cats braver.

I adopted two semi feral cats years ago. The sitting room was theirs (we didn't use this room). To start we would just go in, clean the litter trays and replenish food and water. Having regular feeding times helped as they would come to expect us at those times. To start they would both hide when we came in. Within two weeks the braver of the two had started to come out and watch us. It was probably a month before I could touch him, which I did by holding my hand out and letting him set the level of contact. From here it was rapid with him, I was sitting in the room with them for half an hour at a go and he was then coming to stand on my lap (no touching!) then rubbing against my legs. A few days later he was walking around the house and quickly found where we hung out upstairs and started sitting with us. In the meantime the other semi feral was still under the couch. I only knew he was alive because I would see a black streak disappear under there whenever I opened the door! He continued to live in the sitting room, coming out to eat and use the tray when no one was looking. We still put the tame guy back in to sleep there. The tame lad unfortunately developed a bad infection in his jaw, we brought him to the vet but he went full feral in there, it was a sh*tshow. The vet gave us some sedatives to give him at home to bring him back in at another appointment but he rapidly went downhill at home and they couldn't save him. A week later, the very feral guy was not hiding anymore. We couldn't get close to him, but he was sitting out watching us. One day maybe two weeks after, he followed me out of the sitting room. He started doing this a bit more, then running straight back in. Three weeks after his friend died, I was preparing smoked salmon sandwiches in the kitchen when I heard a little meow behind me, so I held some down for him and he ate from my hand! From there it was all positive, he started coming upstairs, he discovered the bed. But it was all, every bit of it, on his terms. I eventually had to give him to my mother when my circumstances changed. He used to sleep draped across her shoulders. He died two years ago, a very happy pet cat. We never thought he would get there from his first six months of living under the couch.

Everything is on your kitten's terms. Sit with them so they can see that you are no threat. When they start approaching you, it could take weeks or months, just hold your hand out and let them sniff it, or run their head on it, don't try to pet them. Don't try to touch them at all, let them do the touching. And smoked salmon is like crack cocaine for cats! Little things like that go a long way.

Best of luck with the little one! You have done a wonderful thing giving them a chance.

Two words : roast chicken.

All great advice from budges above.

I befriended a feral cat and her kitten as a kid- very much on her terms- if they associate you with food at regular times, such as small bits chicken etc they’ll decide in their own time.

I can still remember the first time the mother cat allowed me to pick her up and hold her- it was such a breakthrough moment- but it took weeks of building trust daily.

Her kitten unfortunately went awol after about 2 years - not sure why but I know at one point he was hounded for days by a couple of magpies, probably for raiding their nest- he became super sensitive and he eventually disappeared.