We're adopting sibling rescue cats this weekend...what do i need to know?

[Winona45]

Brother and sister 18 weeks old. Abandoned in a bin and mum died. .
Rescue centre says they are inseparable so we said we'd take them both.
Now im nervous. Are 2 really better then 1 ?
Been reading advice online and will get multiple litter trays, food bowls etc..
Do they really ignore cat beds ?
Is there anything mega important i need to know??

The rescue centre suggested i do that with the igloo bed but each time theyve leapt out or the girl has hissed if i put my hand in.

It takes time OP, so carry on being patient. Talk to them in a soothing way, it will help them get used to your voice. When I bought home my second kitten she hid under the wardrobe for two days, but while she was under there I would go and sit on the other side of the room and read, so she could hear that I was there and not a threat.
I also brought up some boiled chicken which finally brought her out, and then she was fine after that. If they are hissing, stop putting your hand in their territory, and instead focus on letting them come to you. It's a good thing that they have been out and explored, and I'm sure in no time at all they will be out during the day :)

Have you got any toys? You need something with feathers on like dabird. And a laser pointer. And Dreamies. Even my little outdoor feral runs up when she hears the being opened and lets me stroke her. If i had the space im sure she would be a lovely lap cat 😒

I adopted 2 brothers at age 6. They hid for weeks and weeks and weeks. It took a long time (not helped by moving house 6 months after I got them) for one to enjoy cuddles. The other loved to be stroked, but only ever sat on my lap after his brother was PTS unexpectedly. However, it was only for a few short months before he followed his brother over the Rainbow Bridge. I was very glad I had taken them, as otherwise I suspect they would have remained at the rescue centre, as they spent their time hiding away.

If I ever get more cats (2 dogs currently) I would always get 2.

So they ran riot again while we were in bed but have remained behind the sofa as soon as we got up.
Spoke to rescue woman who has said them being behind the sofa is not good. We have to block it ?? She also said dont let them get away wjth not being touched. Pick them up in a towel so they cant scratch too much.
Wtf?
I can't catch them surely??
They are hissing at me if i put a hand down anyway !

Yes she’s right, they need to come out and learn humans are ok.

Have you got garden gloves?

Tried to pick boy up from his bed he just clung on. Moved the igloo bed to the sofa he legged it.
Girl cat is always behind the sofa so i cant get her. Besides she hisses !!

Many years ago I adopted three farm kittens. Two became friendly quickly - the third (a girl) wouldn't let me near her for about a year - but she did eventually come round.
I'm not sure I agree with the advice to block off their 'safe space'. You haven't had them for very long, and if it takes a few weeks or more before they are comfortable to come out then I'd be inclined to give them that time. Just use the room they are in and ignore them.

Hissings just a warning, their going to fight you on this. Have you watched the YouTube videos.

I wouldn't be forcing myself into their space tbh. I've always had more success with animals in sitting quietly and letting them come into my space as they feel able to. It takes time and patience, and all my cats have benefited from safe spaces where humans don't trouble them

Barbara Crocker on YouTube, she does videos on this.

(Late to party). I was going to say if you get two identical black cats (we did) you'll spend your time saying "oh hello you" so you don't offend them balling then the wrong name......flickety how do you manage three?😀 out make was so shy we thought the best we.d get was him agreeing to live with us and his brave sister. He has really turned himself round happy adventurous little cat loves dd but if I touch him .I get the "I didn.t invite you" glare TIme and routine that that can trust is what will win them round

(Semi)feral kittens require a different approach from other types of shy cats - to a great extent to you have to force them to be touched until they realise it's actually really nice! And you need to be confident enough to touch them even when they do hiss, as I said in an earlier comment, if you cover your hand/arm with a thick hoodie or something, chances are they'll soon stop hissing if you continue touching them without being deterred. Or hold a towel in front of you to cover the entry hole to the igloo bed, there is a way to pick it up so that the cat is held at the back as if in a bag and won't bolt. That said, kittens like this are not right for every home and there's no shame in admitting it - there are plenty of friendly, sociable cats and kittens who are in need of a new home too.

Do you have children as well?

Perseverance is required not easy and I really feel for you

It sounds like the rescue place was not entirely honest!

I have found food and calmness helps and time.

They need to learn trust. Personally I would not be forcing myself upon them but others may be more experienced than me

Our three are coming out after three weeks.

Viccats right, if this is too much tell the rescue. A hissing kitten wouldn’t bother me but I’ve got a 6.8kg Bengal who hisses if you take his mouse/bird/rabbit off him and I just say “oh stop it” but our ndn was really offended when he hissed at her for following him up the road.

Ignore the fuck out of them.

Before you know it they’ll be purring on your lap

DHs cat hissed at me a lot when we started dating. So I pretended she didn’t exist. She was having NONE of that and within 2 days was all over me

Flickety i love your photos! We had 3 brothers, down to 2 now unfortunately ... they are b&w shorthair, black short hair and FatCat was black long haired, so not identical - but when they turned to look at you, their movements and expressions were absolutely the same ! So sweet seeing the family resemblance.
OP I hope your two settle down soon, they're really beautiful.

Ahh ignore them, force them, i dont know what to do for the best.
I do know my 6 year old is frightened of them though.

We tried to block the sofa off this afternoon as reccomended by the rescue centre and to enforce some cuddjes.
This resulted in them hysterically bolting behind the tv and wedging themselves into a gap in the pine unit that i never knew existed !!!
We then had to get them out. Lots if hissing and scratching, crying from 6 year old and they have now been wedged back behind the sofa since 4.

Im leaving them there. Food is in the kitchen. No doubt they will eat it when we're all in bed like the last 4 nights

Did you watch the video where she holds them by the scruff? Then flips them over on her lap to feed them?.

Their going to run, they know your an apex predator.

Foods cats can’t resist;
Rotisserie chicken
Tuna
Chicken livers
Tinned salmon.

OP, the fact that they're using the litter tray sounds good, i.e. they're unfriendly but more or less behaving. How about consistently giving them, say, 4 to 6 feet of body space for a day or two, but trying to tempt them to play? As a pp said: laser pointer, feather toy? Ping pong ball? At the very least, some play might relax them a little.

You need to give them their space OP. Give them time. If they are hissing at you there is no point grabbing for them as this is only going to make them more scared because you're going into their safe space. Be patient. If the only experience of you is grabbing them and picking them up then this is going to take much longer.

Giving a feral kitten space is a bad idea, you don’t socialise kittens by not interacting with them. It only works with socialised animals because someone put the effort in with them from a very young age.

I don’t think some of you have experience with ferals.

You see lol.
Two different opinions right there lol.
Space versus no space.

Well ive not aeen them at all since our disastrous attempt at trying to pet them earlier. And i do think i agree with the " give feral cats attention " camp as thats what both the rescue centre and YouTube is telling me.
I've since tracked down the fosterer and she said she had them for 10 days and only ever succeeded in getting slightly close to the boy.
She said they had no prior human contact. And shes experienced fosterer!!

Honestly i think this is more than my family can handle. I took the week off to settle but Saturday im back on call.
I feel dreadful but also slightly deceived. I was told they were nervous but not feral. I also asked for young adults.
If i take them back, which has been offered, im going to feel dreadful.

This is so sad, but with a young child in the picture I'd advise you to return them and look for properly socialised kittens or cats. Feral cats/kittens need an experienced (preferably adult) home, what a shame that the rescue weren't a bit more up front initially. There are loads of cats out there that need a great home and will be much more suitable for your family. I very recently adopted sisters (aged 15 weeks) they're adorable little lap cats but we're classed as "hard to adopt" their only crime being all black

Bless you OP, sometimes you just have to accept that you and the adopted pet/s are just not the right fit. I agree with PP that you need socialised cats or kittens, maybe older cats so you can see their personalities. Don't feel bad, you need to get something out of cat ownership too.