Cat Blog 8c

Taming feral kittens

The best time to tame feral kittens is before the age of 6 weeks, while they’re still suckling (see https://iamcat.blog/helping-feral-cat-families/). If you come across feral kittens that are older than 6 weeks, you may not be able to tame them all completely. Or some may become socialised and others not. If you would still like to try to tame them, these tips may be useful. Also see the wonderful video ‘From Wild to Mild’ referred to below.

Keep the kittens in a smallish space, such as a small bathroom. Better yet, use a smallish cage with two of its sides covered or pushed up in a corner. This will give them a feeling of safety. Place a ‘cat cave’ or sleeping pod in the cage, as well as food and water. Also provide a litter box removed as far as possible from their food, and toys to play with.

• When taming feral kittens, don’t try to touch them at first. What is important, is to spend as much time with them as possible. You might simply sit and read aloud in or next to their cage. Speak to them often, looking at them while slowly blinking at them so they’ll know you’re no threat to them.
• If they’re in a larger room, they will probably hide under a bed or other piece of furniture. Ensure that their food, water and litter box are close enough to the bed that they needn’t venture into the room to reach them. If they have to venture too far out, they may go without food and water. Several times a day, lie down flat on the floor next to the bed and talk to them gently while slowly blinking at them.
• On around the 3rd day, use meal times to begin touching and stroking them lightly. If possible, use a long feather such as a peacock feather. Stroke the feather gently over their little bodies while they’re eating. They won’t be as spooked by the feather as they would be by your hand.
• Continue in this manner for a few days until you see that they’re beginning to relax.
• Then start stroking them gently with your hand while they’re eating. Slowly but surely, they will come around.
• Once they’re tame enough for you to catch them by hand, begin bringing them into your family room for an hour or so at a time. This will give them the opportunity to be in a room containing a TV, telephone, chatting people etc. If you have other animals, keep them outside at first. Small, noisy children will also spook them, so try to keep children from rushing or grabbing at them.

Cat quote of the week

A kitten is in the animal world what a rosebud is in the garden.

Robert Southey

Cat story 13

Do you live anywhere near Sandton in Johannesburg, South Africa? If you do, how would you feel about topping up 3 feral cat feeding stations in an office park 3 times a week? The food will be provided, so you’ll be donating your petrol money and, more importantly, your time. But it shouldn’t take you more than half an hour.

You’re probably wondering who you’ll be feeding. There is a little band of community cats at the Inanda Green Business Park in Sandton – very near Sandton City mall. Their regular caregiver will be leaving town soon to take up a job elsewhere. So they wll have no one to feed them as from the beginning of the new year.

This pic was taken a few months ago, before the little colony was provided with feeding stations. Feeding them now simply entails topping up the bowls in 3 different feeding stations within walking distance of one another.

If you think you might like to give this a go, won’t you please contact me? My e-mail addy is anneke@ncat.co.za. I will meet you at the Park and show you the ropes. And introduce you to some of the kitties, of course!