About a week ago, I took in four feral kittens who are probably three to four months old at this point, but I cannot keep them forever. My hope was that they could eventually be adopted, but the more I read, the more worried I get about whether this will be possible. They weren't entirely unfamiliar with me when I took them in, as I had been feeding them and their mother on my doorstep since they were born. However, they are definitely feral and have never come close to me. I live in a small apartment with a combined living room/kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom. The kittens have been here only about a week and are confined in a cage in my living room that is about three feet wide, three feet tall, and eight feet long. I keep a sheet over it at night but have been leaving a good part of one side exposed when I am home to let them get used to the sight and sound of me moving around. For the first few days, they made good progress and would come to the side of the cage when I brought food. Three of the four were also letting me pet them while they ate, although they were clearly just tolerating it.
Over the past few days, I've made some very stupid mistakes that have set us back. One of the kittens escaped the cage and was loose in the apartment, I made the mistake of catching him, and he is now terrified of me. When he escaped again, I was at a loss and decided to be patient and try to get him back in by waiting until he was hungry and putting food in the cage. That resulted in two of the others' escaping, too. They enjoyed themselves immensely watching the fish in my aquarium and playing together in the living room if I was safely on the couch. They were wary but delighted when I used a cat toy with a ribbon on a wand. I thought this was great, so I allowed the fourth out, too, thinking that I had discovered the secret to making them comfortable. However, they were also overwhelmed by the large space, and they stopped interacting with me and began to hide more and more when I would move around. I became worried that I was having no contact with them at all anymore, so I ended up putting their food in the cage and was able to get them all in and close the door without any trauma. All of this happened over the course of about three days. Since going back in the cage, they have been angry and vocal about wanting out. Tonight, I opened the door to feed them, and all ate next to me at the door, but they all backed up if I tried to touch them. One finally came and pushed next to me, and I instinctively grabbed her, fearing another escape. She hissed and scratched and bit me before I got her back in the cage (I did not let go). However, the interaction was ugly, and I fear I have lost any little trust I had from any of them. I realize now that I should never have tried to catch any of them with my hands, but I can't undo this now.
I am unsure about what to do, going forward. None of the rescues around here seem to have people available to socialize kittens, and I am being encouraged to try to do it myself. However, I am frightened of ending up with four unadoptable cats. I don't know whether to keep these kittens in the pen, or to let them loose in the cottage again--and when to make such a shift. I have seen posts here about using a bathroom, but my bathroom has a hole in the drywall that worries me. I could cover it, but it still makes me nervous. The place overall is small, and I'm wondering if they would eventually come to trust me if we all just lived together. Or do I need to keep them in the cage and try to socialize more gradually with feedings? I would greatly appreciate any ideas you have for how best to move forward. They are dear little cats, but I worry that my inexperience is putting them at risk for failed socialization and an uncertain future. Thanks in advance for any ideas you have for me.
Over the past few days, I've made some very stupid mistakes that have set us back. One of the kittens escaped the cage and was loose in the apartment, I made the mistake of catching him, and he is now terrified of me. When he escaped again, I was at a loss and decided to be patient and try to get him back in by waiting until he was hungry and putting food in the cage. That resulted in two of the others' escaping, too. They enjoyed themselves immensely watching the fish in my aquarium and playing together in the living room if I was safely on the couch. They were wary but delighted when I used a cat toy with a ribbon on a wand. I thought this was great, so I allowed the fourth out, too, thinking that I had discovered the secret to making them comfortable. However, they were also overwhelmed by the large space, and they stopped interacting with me and began to hide more and more when I would move around. I became worried that I was having no contact with them at all anymore, so I ended up putting their food in the cage and was able to get them all in and close the door without any trauma. All of this happened over the course of about three days. Since going back in the cage, they have been angry and vocal about wanting out. Tonight, I opened the door to feed them, and all ate next to me at the door, but they all backed up if I tried to touch them. One finally came and pushed next to me, and I instinctively grabbed her, fearing another escape. She hissed and scratched and bit me before I got her back in the cage (I did not let go). However, the interaction was ugly, and I fear I have lost any little trust I had from any of them. I realize now that I should never have tried to catch any of them with my hands, but I can't undo this now.
I am unsure about what to do, going forward. None of the rescues around here seem to have people available to socialize kittens, and I am being encouraged to try to do it myself. However, I am frightened of ending up with four unadoptable cats. I don't know whether to keep these kittens in the pen, or to let them loose in the cottage again--and when to make such a shift. I have seen posts here about using a bathroom, but my bathroom has a hole in the drywall that worries me. I could cover it, but it still makes me nervous. The place overall is small, and I'm wondering if they would eventually come to trust me if we all just lived together. Or do I need to keep them in the cage and try to socialize more gradually with feedings? I would greatly appreciate any ideas you have for how best to move forward. They are dear little cats, but I worry that my inexperience is putting them at risk for failed socialization and an uncertain future. Thanks in advance for any ideas you have for me.