# Taming ferals



## lotocats (May 5, 2003)

I have been rescuing ferals for 15 years, but find myself in a quandry right now. I just rescued 4 feral kittens, 2 orange tabby males who I've named Pete and Repete because they are identical twins and 2 torti's who I've named Zoebell which means beautiful life and Maliika which is Angel in Swahilli. Anyway, my question is. The boys are coming around nicely and aren't nearly as frantic as the torti's. The torti's are spitting and striking out to scratch me. They are only 8-10 weeks old. I initially had the boys in one large kennel and the girls in another. However, today feeling sorry for them I put them all in a large wire dog cage so they'd have room to play and socialize with each other. However, I'm concerned because they females are so frightened they are making the boys nervous. Should I seperate them again until I get the females more tame? Thanks so much.


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## Birdgirl (Apr 6, 2005)

Yeah I think you should keep them in a seperate cage from the boys. If its making the boys more nervous then its going to be alot harder to tame all of them. Can you seperate the females for a little while during the day ( like 15 to 30 minutes) and just sit in the bathroom with one? That helped alot with the little feral kitten that I'm working with right now. Just sit on the floor and let her come to you. It is alot easier to work with Raven if she is not with her brother, because when she is with her brother she doesn't care about anything else but him. Just make sure that she doesn't have anywhere to hide under... put towels up against any little places she can fit under ( like dressers).


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## Sweetvegan74 (Jun 18, 2005)

*yes*

Yes keep the boys away from the sisters. They can convert the brothers into being feral by picking up on their sister's emotions. Since they are so young you should be able to get them to come around quickly. Some take a little more time to trust but it's worth it at the end. I got two 5-6 month old cats to come around just by being with them everyday, put on a TV or radio to get use to the sound of people, give them a nest box like a cardboard box with a large entrance so you can have easy access too and put in one of your sweaters or piece of clothing that you wore for them to get use to your scent. Stay with them while they eat, show that you are their mealticket. I use a stick method, once the babies are use to you being around try talking to them smoothly and pet them gently with a very thin long stick. Once the cats get use to it and begin to enjoy being stroked, cut the stick everyday till your hand is nearly touching their fur. Once you get to this part you will be able to pet them and when this is accomplished the cats should enjoy your company. Then you can reunite the siblings :wink:


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## KrazyforKatz (Apr 21, 2005)

Definitely separate them, and in fact, you may need to separate the two really wild siblings from each other (in addition to separating them from the other cats). I took on 3 feral kittens (about 12 weeks) two years ago and we had to separate one of the sibblings (I called her "The Hisser") because she was out of control and a bad influence on the other two. 

The good news is that they all turned into incredibly affectionate and loving cats. I still have two of them, and my neighbor (who found them to begin with), still has "The Hisser," who of course, is no longer called that. It took about 6 months until they were fairly domesticated, and from there their progress really accelerated. Now, the one who was the most hand shy (although he never hissed) is actually a shameless beggar for affection - if he sees any of my other cats being petted, he rushes right in to get some for snuggles for himself. :lol: 

Good luck in your effort.


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## lotocats (May 5, 2003)

Thanks everyone for your ideas. The kittens have calmed down considerably. Two of them, one boy and one girl are the most friendly. The other two tolerate me, but would rather I just leave them alone. HA! I found when I let them out of the large cage I was keeping them in and let them roam the living area and jump on the big cat tree to sleep and play, they became more relaxed then when they were caged. I think when they are caged they feel vulverable and it's more frightening to them. They are coming along nicely though.


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