# Fostering Feral Kittens



## mhagen (Aug 17, 2009)

I do not have cats, so I am a cat novice. I need help! At our church there were some feral kittens wandering about. Not sure if the mom was nearby or not, but all we saw were the kittens, that appear to be about 8 weeks old. They were caught by the maintenance crew, and they attempted to take them to the humane society, but they are full. So I tried to help but all the area animal shelters are full with kittens, and the only place to take them is animal control, where they will most likely be put down. So, after their pleading, I agreed to foster them, 2 of the kittens. Both are very scared. I attempted to pick them up the other day, one did well the other one bit and clawed me, so we're back to taking it slow. I'd like to get them socialized, because then they will have a better chance of getting adopted. I plan to have them spayed / neutered, and all their shots done, but I want to wait a week or so, so they can calm down, since they've been stressed out by the move.
My question is, what is the best way to socialize them? I have a large, screened in patio, where I have them kept for now. Is that too big a space? Should I keep them in a crate/carrier/cage? They seem to like wandering around the patio, but I don't know if this will slow down or hurt the socialization process. Please help me know what I should do, what is the best way to handle this situation.

Thank you!


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## Xanti (Nov 4, 2008)

If you do a search on this forum, Heidi has written an excellent post on how to foster and socialize ferals


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Welcome mhagen, I am out-the-door to go help my husband with some property chores, but here is the link to my Kitty Cat Boot Camp.
I will return later today for specifics. Generally speaking, the KCBC is an overview of what your goals are, which is to safely handle the kittens and get them socialized to people. There is no right/wrong way to work with these kittens, you may find some of my tips helpful or you may not. In addition, you may find *different* ways of working with them that work for you and *your* fosters. It is ALL good. The end goal is happy and confident cats. Work hard to keep forward progress with no negative experiences or back-sliding in behavior.
Good luck, and thank you so very much for taking the little preciouses in and helping to secure a better life for them.
heidi =^..^= 

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=60586


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

Mhagen, this site is devoted to feral cats and kittens and their care. I hope it's helpful.

http://muttcats.com/articles/taming_ferals.htm


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