Do feral kittens remember their siblings ?

[Norachan]

Lesson learned… hand tame the kitten first Then let it out. Lol.

OK, here's a tip from a seasoned kitten wrangler.

Get one of those long wand toys with either a long furry snake thing or some long dangly feathers on it. Start by playing with the kitten through the bars of the cage. You can stay hidden and just get them focused on the toy. After a while (could be a few days or longer, depending on the kitten) they'll start playing even with you in sight. You can then practice leading the kitten out of the crate and around the room with the toy. Once they've got comfortable with that you can always use the toy to lead them back into their room or crate whenever you need to.

The trick is to always make sure the kitten sees playtime as something positive. Stay relaxed about it, even if you're in a hurry to get the kitten back in their crate. Make them see going back into their crate after playtime as a positive thing too. Have some yummy treats to reward them with once they go back in. Something like Churu worked well with my last lot of feral kittens. You should only give that treat at that time. Then they'll learn playtime, then crate time means treats.

 

[Margot Lane]

(But also, please keep posting phoootooos of playtime!!!).

 

[Crabbysquatch]

Sage advice. I’ve got the kitten to play with the feather wand a little and it likes to play with the fleece snake toys as long as I’m not holding it. It won’t come out to play with them yet though. I like to use the laser toy on the other kittens to direct them back to where I can see them but sadly this one seems totally uninterested in the red dot. I might be pushing too fast and expecting too much. The other two were so easy but this one was always the skittish one and spent much longer in the barn than the others.

I just feel kinda bad when the other kittens are running around and playing and this one is watching them through the bars and trying to join in. I was hoping once it saw me interacting with the other ones it would come around a little faster. Luckily I have Odie and Puca that seem to be kitten magnets for some reason. It will come out of hiding to nuzzle them and if they are there I can walk right up and pick em up.

 

[Crabbysquatch]

(But also, please keep posting phoootooos of playtime!!!).

I’ve tried to take photos of them but mostly it turns out to be little blurs. Lol. They just never stop running and jumping and rolling around. I’ll keep trying though. Maybe my phone has a “sport” mode ?

 

[Norachan]

You can upload videos from your phone here if they move to fast to get pics of.

 

[Crabbysquatch]

IMG_1154.mov

• Crabbysquatch
• Jul 12, 2024

3 stray kittens playing

 

[Margot Lane]

I can imagine it all! It’s so great they’re relaxed around you. I’m glad they have cage free times, their little bodies need it!

 

[Norachan]

I've uploaded your video for you Crabbysquatch

You have to copy the Gallery BB Code, rather than the URL code, and post that.



They're adorable! And such beautiful markings too.

 

[Crabbysquatch]

Thanks so much for posting that for me.
The whitest one is the last one I caught and is still kinda scared of us and open spaces but is getting better.
We try to let them out as much as we can but they are pretty exhausting to keep track of and always underfoot if we are try to do anything lol

 

[Crabbysquatch]

Video I made so I can show people the kittens if they are thinking they want to adopt them

 

[DeesCats]

Wow are those kittens high energy but so cute.

 

[Norachan]

I want them all! But I already have 13 cats and I'm on the other side of the planet, so I'll just have to wish you luck with finding nice homes for them all.



Do you have a contract for adopters?

 

[Crabbysquatch]

I want them all! But I already have 13 cats and I'm on the other side of the planet, so I'll just have to wish you luck with finding nice homes for them all.



Do you have a contract for adopters?

We tried to bring them to the shelter but they were full. Unfortunately there have been a couple 100+ cat interventions this spring/early summer so the shelters are bursting besides the usual amount they get and then our local shelter in town burnt down. Hopefully I run across someone that wants all 3. I’d hate to split them up now.

 

[Norachan]

A good way to make sure you get serious adopters is to print out an adopter's contract.

Stipulate that the new adopters have to get the kittens spayed or neutered, if you haven't done that already, won't have them declawed and will return them to you if they can't keep them for any reason.

Charge a rehoming fee, keep copies of receipts for any vet work you have done (Spays, neuters, blood tests, vaccines, worm and flea treatment etc) The rehoming cost should cover all of the vet bills you've paid, plus be a little bit more on top. You can give the new adopters all of the original receipts and the vaccine certificates, but keep copies yourself.

You should have the adopter's address and phone number, your address and phone number and the vet that the adopters use contact details on the contract too. Before you agree to the adoption contact the vet to make sure they really know these adopters.

If you can't find anyone suitable are you going to keep the kittens yourself?

 

[Crabbysquatch]

Still dealing with 3 feral kittens Goober, Stanley, and Harley. We haven’t been as diligent as we should trying to find a new home for them. They are too much fun even if they are a big pain in the ass.
Problem now is the “Mama Cat” ( that’s what I call her when I’m talking to her ) is hanging around in the barn again and looks pretty pregnant again. Grrrrrr.
She trusts me to be around while she eats and even meows at me for food when I’m in there. I can’t be responsible for more cats. I’m broke as it is. lol. Going to try and get her to trust me enough to handle her so I can get her to a shelter. Hopefully before she pops out more fur monsters.

 

[Norachan]

Going to try and get her to trust me enough to handle her so I can get her to a shelter

Could you try trapping her? Even if she`s not suitable for rehoming or going to a shelter you could get her spayed that way.

 

[Crabbysquatch]

Mama cat coming to eat. She is starting to get closer. She likes to roll around on the floor by me and meow. Still pretty skittish though.

IMG_1376.mov

• Crabbysquatch
• Jul 30, 2024

 

[Crabbysquatch]

Could you try trapping her? Even if she`s not suitable for rehoming or going to a shelter you could get her spayed that way.

She looks pretty pregnant and most vets around here won’t spay her until after the kittens are born if they are so far along. I can’t blame them. That would be a very tough thing to do. I still have hope I can befriend her to the point I can handle her some.

 

[Norachan]

Yeah, she does look pregnant. Any chance of getting her into a shelter to have her kittens? Even if she needs to be spayed and then released at least the kittens would stand a better chance.

 

[Crabbysquatch]

Well Mama cat isn’t pregnant anymore. She isn’t tolerating me being towards the back of the barn or near her in general. Also she doesn’t look as plump.