Hi everyone,
I’ve been fostering cats for several years, including sick kittens, feral cats and kittens, dumped cats, etc. My rescue considers me to be a good socializer of feral cats and kittens. Many times I get cats and kittens that other fosters are overwhelmed or scared of. Most recently they asked me if I could take a ten week old kitten that was with another foster but she works long hours and he bit her. I already had three feral kittens, 12 weeks but they were moving along okay. When I first got him I though right away, this kitten is 4 months, not 10 weeks. Fast forward, it’s been a month and I don’t see any real progress. He never played in his former foster home but he does play here quite a bit with the strings, wands, mice, but along with playing swipes, low growls and generally does not want any touching.I’ve gotten a few pets in while giving him treats, but he will stand firm and not come out to eat until I step at least a few feet away. I have him in a crate and usually will let out once a cat starts accepting pets whether at meals or other. I’ve let the other kittens enter his crate, but he is aggressive with them so I can’t let him out with them unsupervised because he’s bigger than them. I never like to give up, but he is an older kitten. His former foster would purrito him and that’s when he would bite. I thought perhaps forcing that may have made him distrustful of hands and humans. He generally seems happy, but I hate having him crated so long without seeing progress. He hisses at me with every interaction without fail. I joke that he’s working on becoming a barn cat, but at what point are we forcing something to happen. I tend to be a foster who fosters quite a few cats and finds good homes quickly so I also worry that I’m holding up a space for other cats and kittens. Do I keep trying every day or do I start asking my Rescue to think of other options. I’ve socialized feral adult cats and other kittens his age, but he’s giving me a run for my money. He’s about 5 months and absolutely cute. Has anyone else been in this position?
I’ve been fostering cats for several years, including sick kittens, feral cats and kittens, dumped cats, etc. My rescue considers me to be a good socializer of feral cats and kittens. Many times I get cats and kittens that other fosters are overwhelmed or scared of. Most recently they asked me if I could take a ten week old kitten that was with another foster but she works long hours and he bit her. I already had three feral kittens, 12 weeks but they were moving along okay. When I first got him I though right away, this kitten is 4 months, not 10 weeks. Fast forward, it’s been a month and I don’t see any real progress. He never played in his former foster home but he does play here quite a bit with the strings, wands, mice, but along with playing swipes, low growls and generally does not want any touching.I’ve gotten a few pets in while giving him treats, but he will stand firm and not come out to eat until I step at least a few feet away. I have him in a crate and usually will let out once a cat starts accepting pets whether at meals or other. I’ve let the other kittens enter his crate, but he is aggressive with them so I can’t let him out with them unsupervised because he’s bigger than them. I never like to give up, but he is an older kitten. His former foster would purrito him and that’s when he would bite. I thought perhaps forcing that may have made him distrustful of hands and humans. He generally seems happy, but I hate having him crated so long without seeing progress. He hisses at me with every interaction without fail. I joke that he’s working on becoming a barn cat, but at what point are we forcing something to happen. I tend to be a foster who fosters quite a few cats and finds good homes quickly so I also worry that I’m holding up a space for other cats and kittens. Do I keep trying every day or do I start asking my Rescue to think of other options. I’ve socialized feral adult cats and other kittens his age, but he’s giving me a run for my money. He’s about 5 months and absolutely cute. Has anyone else been in this position?