Hopefully we can get help with our situation. We had lost our elderly cats several years ago and a year ago we decided we wanted to add to the family again. After looking around we adopted two feral kittens from an animal center thru a local pet store, they were around 8-10 weeks old. One a tux and one a tort, both girls. They were skittish when we held them at the store, but we figured just nerves. When we brought them home in a carrier and opened it to let them out. The tux laid in the carrier and torts zoomed out and immediately crawled behind some furniture. We had a heck of a time getting her but finally did and put them in a spare bathroom with some bedding, food, water and a litterbox.
We kept them in there for a couple weeks until they were calmer and then moved them into a spare bedroom. Still couldn’t hold them but sat with them and didn’t try to grab them. They stayed in there for several more weeks with a cat tower and they would play and romp around but wouldn’t let us near them. After several more weeks we left the door open and after several days they got curious can came out.
Over the next year we added to the entertainment and they enjoyed going outside on the screened porch thru a cat door in the kitchen. We have a large lot and many bird feeders, so they enjoyed watching the wildlife. We added shelves for them to climb on and many forms of entertainment. They have full run of the house and enjoy exploring, but they still would not let us touch them.
We have a sitting room and that has turned into their safe room and where they sleep most of the day. There are some cat beds back there and over the last couple months, they have allowed us to pet them when we’re sitting with them and they’re in the cat bed. Pretty amazing as they roll around and let us pet them all over, purring. But, cannot even think about holding them or picking them up.
When they’re out and about in the house and we get too near them they run. If we’re in the kitchen and they think we’re getting them food they’ll rub up against our legs. The torts will often let you pet her a bit but she’s skittish. The tux, no way. She’ll run if you even move a hand in her general direction. The tux will stand at the door and meow every morning like she wants attention, but she’ll run if you try to give her any. She’ll sit in a spot in the living room and look around for her laser and chase it all over, but don’t try to touch her. The torts could care less about the laser.
Surprising that in that one place in the one room they’re putty in our hands but everywhere else they’re terrified of us. So last weekend we had a vet appointment. We were going to try to entice them into the carriers and when that didn’t work, we tried to segregate them into small rooms to get them in. After them cramming into unimaginably small places and drawing some blood we gave up. They’re back to their old selves and we have another appointment this weekend, hopefully what the vet gave us will calm them enough to bring them in.
But we’re really at our wits end. We’re looking for retirement not too far down the road and really wanted pets and not projects but this where we are. We both work full time so our free time is pretty scarce, we love them but would like to find some way to socialize them. We have bought every treat under the sun to try to use to help them get close, but they turn their noses up at everything, even expensive dehydrated chicken and salmon snacks. We were quite naive in the ways of the wild kitties and probably could of done things differently but that's water under the bridge so any and all help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
We kept them in there for a couple weeks until they were calmer and then moved them into a spare bedroom. Still couldn’t hold them but sat with them and didn’t try to grab them. They stayed in there for several more weeks with a cat tower and they would play and romp around but wouldn’t let us near them. After several more weeks we left the door open and after several days they got curious can came out.
Over the next year we added to the entertainment and they enjoyed going outside on the screened porch thru a cat door in the kitchen. We have a large lot and many bird feeders, so they enjoyed watching the wildlife. We added shelves for them to climb on and many forms of entertainment. They have full run of the house and enjoy exploring, but they still would not let us touch them.
We have a sitting room and that has turned into their safe room and where they sleep most of the day. There are some cat beds back there and over the last couple months, they have allowed us to pet them when we’re sitting with them and they’re in the cat bed. Pretty amazing as they roll around and let us pet them all over, purring. But, cannot even think about holding them or picking them up.
When they’re out and about in the house and we get too near them they run. If we’re in the kitchen and they think we’re getting them food they’ll rub up against our legs. The torts will often let you pet her a bit but she’s skittish. The tux, no way. She’ll run if you even move a hand in her general direction. The tux will stand at the door and meow every morning like she wants attention, but she’ll run if you try to give her any. She’ll sit in a spot in the living room and look around for her laser and chase it all over, but don’t try to touch her. The torts could care less about the laser.
Surprising that in that one place in the one room they’re putty in our hands but everywhere else they’re terrified of us. So last weekend we had a vet appointment. We were going to try to entice them into the carriers and when that didn’t work, we tried to segregate them into small rooms to get them in. After them cramming into unimaginably small places and drawing some blood we gave up. They’re back to their old selves and we have another appointment this weekend, hopefully what the vet gave us will calm them enough to bring them in.
But we’re really at our wits end. We’re looking for retirement not too far down the road and really wanted pets and not projects but this where we are. We both work full time so our free time is pretty scarce, we love them but would like to find some way to socialize them. We have bought every treat under the sun to try to use to help them get close, but they turn their noses up at everything, even expensive dehydrated chicken and salmon snacks. We were quite naive in the ways of the wild kitties and probably could of done things differently but that's water under the bridge so any and all help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.