Cat people - help me advise a friend please?

[Laiste]

In a nut shell: a good friend of mine has just taken home what sounds like a feral kitten (8 weeks ish) from a farm in the next village.

The seller didn't know the sex of the kitten and took ages to catch it from in a barn. I think the parents are just feral 'barn cats'.

It was all a bit awkward, a misunderstanding and friend was a bit railroaded at the time. Now kitten is home obviously and understandably terrified of everything and everyone. They are doing their best to settle it with patience and gentleness. It has a pen in a quiet place in the living room. It has not seen a vet yet. Appt. is booked. They need gloves to handle it and are realising the extent of the job at hand!

Does anyone here have experience and know what the chances are of them being able to actually socialise this kitten and end up with a happy pet?

They wanted a nice pet for their DD (12) to love but obvs this is not a good start.

No experience of this personally as i only have daft Ragdoll cats (who always arrive socialised and ready for anything at 13 weeks) and worry friend is heading for a lot of stress!

TIA

They need to speak to a cat rescue place. It’s a wild name and it may never be fully tame.

It sounds very early to worry about.

I once took in a fairly feral barn cat and within a few months he loved home comforts.

Right now places which are dark and quiet to hide would help with the stress for the cat. Giving it time to approach humans rather than active handling.

They need expert advice urgently, they should ring their local cat charity. My kitten was really nervous for a couple of weeks, I don’t think we tried to handle her much until she was more confident.

long and short - sounds like kitten has had no socialisation, get help from people that rescue this type of kitten.

This is what i fear.

They have a blanket pegged over the pen as a 'lid' to help make it feel secure.

I'll advise her to ring a local cat charity.

The vet will help also surely ?

I’d try and build a rapport through a little bit of calm play - chase a ball made from scrunched up paper. Is food coming at predictable times? how is the kitten eating?

Something with high sides or a lid that isn’t actually enclosed (so not trapped) could be best.

I’m sure vet will help but I’d also call the cat charity as they will have feral kitten advice.

At 8 weeks they can definitely be socialised. They just need time to get used to humans.

If the child it's for is patient, and willing to spend lots of time sitting near the kitten without forcing any socialising until the kitten is ready, they could form a truly special bond.

I rescued a couple of similar kittens around that age and they became very, very attached to us.

Kitten is eating and using litter tray, but only at night when all is quiet.

She (friend and i think it's a she because of her little face !) just cringes if they try to play (dragging string and feather on a stick type toy) and hisses and scratches if picked up.

She looks to escape the pen when she thinks no one is watching.

We took in a feral cat and befriended another. I have to admit we were all in, and spent weeks and months just letting it be, feeding, the odd pet, while always being calm and warm.

To be honest all cats are so different you can never be sure you’re going to get a friendly cat that acts the way people seem to think cats will. 12 is old enough to be sensible and able to help but they have to know this could go either way- happy home cat or disappear never to be seen again. Oh and both scenarios can come with bites and scratches!! Best thing we ever did, she was a legend. But I’ll say it again, they all have to be all in

That is encouraging to hear! They are patient gentle people - i really hope this works out.

I agree with calling a cat rescue group for advice.
A Veterinarian might be willing to give some advice but their main concern is the physical condition of this kitten. The people that will give you the best advice are those who work with cats and kittens all the time, many of them have had a lot of experience.
I hate to state the obvious but googling answers to questions is often very helpful, I have used it myself when in doubt about the outdoor feral cats I've fed and cared for.
It sounds as if your friend has a basic idea of how to make this frightened kitten feel more comfortable.
That's very good start.
Most kittens respond well in time to kindness, comfort and good food I'm mature and sensible people who care for them.
It does take time, but it will be worth it I'm sure.
I think your friend is lovely for giving this feral kitten a chance at a good life in a good home, with good people, and it's very kind of you to care enough to help this happen too.

Years ago before i had Raggies i had a kitten from a rehoming charity which in hindsight probably wasn't socialised. She didn't hiss or struggle from the start though and lived happily to 19! A quiet gentle cat.

They are all different!

I agree friend should warn the DD that this could go either way.

I might advise that tomorrow.

Mine were barn cats basically exactly the same but also very ill (cat flu) she will just need to give them space and time, mine were in the kitchen only the first few weeks (to give them a chance to get comfortable) and I routinely just sat on the floor with them a few hours at a time, it takes a few weeks for them to come round but mine while still very skittish with strangers are very snuggly with me and dh and take every chance to sit on a knee for a snuggle…the only long standing “issue” I have is one who weirdly likes to play fetch with his toy mouse 😂 but they can absolutely be pets just don’t force them and keep in mind they don’t come from a house so everything is brand new x1000

At 8 weeks the kitten can definitely be socialised but just needs time and patience.

A feliway plug in would be a hood idea to help calm kitty down a bit (and apologies if it's already been suggested).

They also do a spray now if the carrier and car ride/vet visit seem like they'll be challenging.

I've dealt with many, many kittens like this in 20+ years in cat rescue. If it is genuinely 8 weeks old then it will almost certainly socialise really nicely.

Most vets and cat welfare organisations will say 6 weeks is where socialisation starts getting more difficult, but it really isn't. Any feral kitten less than 10 weeks I've always regarded as easy. Beyond that gets more interesting, but typically anything below 4-6 months isn't that bad, especially if they are somewhat used to human presence as most farm/barn cats are.

The first step is time. It will probably take 1-2 weeks for a kitten of that age to really settle. The current fear is probably as much separation from litter mates, mum etc. as it is fear of humans. Even well socialised kittens can be really on edge for 24 hours to a week especially rehomed on their own.

Second step, food, warmth and security - kitten needs to feel safe and secure and to realise that food comes regularly...

Third step, games - no kitten resists a piece of string for long

Fourth step, bribery - I recommend wafer thin chicken slice from Sainsburys. Other brands may work, but that stuff is kittie crack. If you pull long strips off you can dangle in front of the kitten and they can grab it at a little distance from your hand. Be warned - after the first couple of pieces are finally accepted expect the kitten to be a little undiscerning and a few finger chomps are likely.

I was only cuddling one of my proteges this morning who 18 months ago was attempting to surgically remove my arm at about 4-5 months old (cat tax paid with a photo - it was the black and white one who was especially spicy when first out at their mouse placement). It's amazing what daily feeds will do for friendships... And anyone who speaks 'cat' will recognise that the tabby is definitely pleased to see me - both were barn cats trapped at about 4 months and put out as mousers (although they'd love to move in with me now if I had the space).

Also will add mine were 11 weeks and even though it wasn’t always easy we still got there 😂

Call the local cat charity and ask to speak to TNR or feral specialists. Rehoming/adoption centre will NOT assist as a feral kitten over 8 weeks old is usually deemed to be beyond socialising.

Vets will unlikely have experience of feral kittens and they may refuse to treat the kitten if it is feisty feral. Some ferals will display shutdown and be easy to handle by a vet but this is NOT a sign of it being socialised or used to humans.

Keep your 12 year old away until she understands that this will not be a cuddly kitten for a long time, if ever.

Socialise by talking quietly to the kitten when feeding. Using gloves will scare it more. Use a towel, gently placed over kitten from behind and loosely wrap so you can pick her/him up. Sit beside the cage and only handle them for a couple of minutes, quietly without bright lights using a soothing voice.

It takes lots of time for experienced feral handlers to socialise these kittens. Patience and time is essential.

My DM had a 12 week old feral kitten. She just hid under a table for a week when she first came home. Only came out to eat and use litter tray when no one was about. My DM didn't force any interaction with her, but made sure she was always nearby pottering, cooking, watching tv, reading etc...and eventually curiosity got the better of the kitten and she came out from under the table. She ended up being the most darling and sweet natured cat. Quite noisy though!
But yes a lot of patience and calm.

I took on an 8 week old semi feral barn kitten a couple of months ago. For the first few weeks, I kept her in my spare room with a litter tray, bed, food, water and a few toys. The radio was on quietly and I’d go in for a short time every hour or so to either read a book or do some work. I’d chat to her but didn’t try to handle her at all.

After the first two or three days I took in some roast chicken pieces and put them just outside her bed to tempt her out. It took the best part of a week before she slowly started coming out of her bed when she heard the door open.

Nearly two weeks in, I opened the bedroom door and left it open for her to explore if she wanted to. It took her a little while to pluck up courage to come out but she did eventually.

About a month after I bought her home, I was sat on the sofa and she jumped up onto my lap and went to sleep. Now she’s the biggest cuddle monkey ever, she sits on my desk while I work, sleeps on the bed with me and loves to be picked up and fussed. Everything was done at her pace with no pressure at any time.

When I was first arrived to first DH he worked on a farm and one day he brought home 3 feral kittens because Mum had been run over and they were crying. It took him ages to catch them. For first 2 weeks we could only handle them with gardening gloves on. One had weepy eyes and needed antibiotics from vet. The other 2 were skinny but not ill. After 6 weeks they were playing, eating wet food, using a litter tray and every day we handled them 2 or 3 times. By 12 weeks they were tame and became little house cats. We didn't want to let them out because we were afraid they would go back to the barn. They all lived to a good age. My DD who was 4 at the time used to push them around in her dolls pram. They would jump in and she'd push the little pram around. Then they would jump out. She never wanted to put any dolls in the little pram.

Id let it out of the cage and let it have a safe room with places to hide.

I adopted a feral farm kitten once (I’ve had many rescues). With time and patience he became the soppiest, loveliest boy. Not too much handling at first, just be in the room with him, ignoring him and over time letting him get closer. Resist the urge to try and pick him up at first (and you’ll need gardening gloves to even try!) Be patient, he presumably hasn’t had much human company as of yet, but is young enough to learn. My lovely boy, Harry (before Prince or Potter!) was adorable. He was a real hunter though, and never outgrew that side of his personality. I am sure with time, your friends can make this work.