Need help with taming feral kittens

[lynielime]

Originally Posted by hatemetoday

huwaaa huwaaaa..i wishhh i wishh...the black one...memang comel ...

the black one, mister fluffers, is also my favorite!! he's the most outgoing one! the others are still scared but he's already starting to play with me and eat from my hands. and i can pet him. i like his fluffy tail. makes him look surprised

[lynielime]

Originally Posted by ashleywong

hi lynie

thanks for keeping us posted. you're doing a good job because they have that fearful look in their eyes. congrats..i'm sorrry i'm not able to help you.

hang in there...all they need is lots of love .

as for mama, you're right, it's either you get her to do abortion immediately (and that's tough right?) or let her go full term and neuter after delivery.

why don't you open up the kittens for adoption now? has the vet estimate how old they are?

you know what? when your mama cat delivers and samantha delivers, we're both going to sigh with relief and look forward to being "foster feline grandparents"?

yeah i just don't have the heart to consider an abortion. i can't intentionally take their lives! will just to have find them good homes as well. aborting would be the easy way out. its my fault i didn't catch her earlier anyway

i've put photos of the kittens up on their petfinder adoption profile and have already received a few calls.. hopefully some patient cat lovers will respond. i'm really looking for adopters who understand the situation, that the kittens are NOT loving and cuddly right now. they must be rehabilitated and the adopters must be willing to go through that process. its tough coz people wanna play and bond with their new pets instantly but its just not going to be like taht in this case.

i'm actually a little worried about being a foster feline grandparent.. have no experience with newborns and pregnant mamas.. do share your experiences with me

[sillylupie]

Yes............ I love the black one too!!!!!
Reminds me of my Salem....

[June]

oh!! Dear.I have been through that too.the vet asked me if I want to consider abortion for the mama cat.I can't answer him immediately.I went home and asked for my hubby's opinion.Both of us was in dilemma for 2 days.Finally we decided not to abort it.I took 2 kittens and give out 4 for adoption.1 went missing but I saw her in my neighbour's house.Very well taken care of.I'm happy for her.

Your cats/kitten are so adorable and cute.Hot cake in the market.he!!he!! So you have the privilege to short list suitable parents for them.

Originally Posted by lynielime

yeah i just don't have the heart to consider an abortion. i can't intentionally take their lives! will just to have find them good homes as well. aborting would be the easy way out. its my fault i didn't catch her earlier anyway

i've put photos of the kittens up on their petfinder adoption profile and have already received a few calls.. hopefully some patient cat lovers will respond. i'm really looking for adopters who understand the situation, that the kittens are NOT loving and cuddly right now. they must be rehabilitated and the adopters must be willing to go through that process. its tough coz people wanna play and bond with their new pets instantly but its just not going to be like taht in this case.

i'm actually a little worried about being a foster feline grandparent.. have no experience with newborns and pregnant mamas.. do share your experiences with me

[lynielime]

Originally Posted by June

oh!! Dear.I have been through that too.the vet asked me if I want to consider abortion for the mama cat.I can't answer him immediately.I went home and asked for my hubby's opinion.Both of us was in dilemma for 2 days.Finally we decided not to abort it.I took 2 kittens and give out 4 for adoption.1 went missing but I saw her in my neighbour's house.Very well taken care of.I'm happy for her.

Your cats/kitten are so adorable and cute.Hot cake in the market.he!!he!! So you have the privilege to short list suitable parents for them.

i hope you're right june.. i can't stop worrying though. its so hard to be sure who's gonna be a good adopter in the long run. i suppose i think too much. you guys are a great help though. so nice to have this online support

[ashleywong]

hi lynie

sorry typo error earlier - i meant to say they don't have that fearful look in the eyes

that make it two of us - we shall look to june and other forumer to show us the ropes on being "foster feline grandparent".

my colleauges now asked : are you a grandparent yet? has samantha given birth yet?

how they knew : cos i panic when i heard samantha was pregnant and i had to be the feline midwife and i took my panic to work - they asked me why i had that frantic look and i spilt everything

how about you let the other kittens watch and observe how mr fluffers interact with you?

i noticed that when my previously lost ginger returned home to us, initially he would only interact with the other cats but not us - he was really afraid of us - but we also noticed how he intently observed how the others interact with us right from fighting us when given medicine to asking us for cuddles and kisses...and from then on we make sure he is only exposed to good behaviour. :-)

perhaps you can give fluffers more time outside the cage so the others can see from the cage there's nothing to be afraid of when fluffers is with you.

right now mama cat will not be that concerned about her kittens because to her mind they are "old" enough to be independent.

hang in there...

[lynielime]

Originally Posted by ashleywong

hi lynie

sorry typo error earlier - i meant to say they don't have that fearful look in the eyes

that make it two of us - we shall look to june and other forumer to show us the ropes on being "foster feline grandparent".

my colleauges now asked : are you a grandparent yet? has samantha given birth yet?

how they knew : cos i panic when i heard samantha was pregnant and i had to be the feline midwife and i took my panic to work - they asked me why i had that frantic look and i spilt everything

how about you let the other kittens watch and observe how mr fluffers interact with you?

i noticed that when my previously lost ginger returned home to us, initially he would only interact with the other cats but not us - he was really afraid of us - but we also noticed how he intently observed how the others interact with us right from fighting us when given medicine to asking us for cuddles and kisses...and from then on we make sure he is only exposed to good behaviour. :-)

perhaps you can give fluffers more time outside the cage so the others can see from the cage there's nothing to be afraid of when fluffers is with you.

right now mama cat will not be that concerned about her kittens because to her mind they are "old" enough to be independent.

hang in there...

Yeah! Mama cat doesn't care about them at all. Poor babies. I think this confuses them even more because they are trying to look to her for reassurance.. But really they are old enough to be independent. In the streets she would have left them already. They've been weaned for quite some time. Usually the stray kittens i find are much younger. Oh took your advice today and have given mr fluffers freedom in cat room. He's loving it and we played for almost 2 hours. Finally had to stop coz he was gasping for breath. The others watched and seemed interested when i dangled the toys in front of them, but still they held back. I'll try again tomorrow. At least they showed interest. That's something right? Will keep you posted. How is samantha? Should be giving birth anytime now right?

[June]

Poor babies!! Probably the mother cat feel secure in your house and thought the kitten will be safe also. I have 1 stray kitten still hostile towards me.She has no qualm entering my house and straight to the kitchen when I open the door.But everytime I want to pet her,she ran away. hmm!!

Don't worry lynie.we all are here.we can help each other giving tips or advise. For me,everyday is learning process with the strays cats or kittens

Originally Posted by lynielime

Yeah! Mama cat doesn't care about them at all. Poor babies. I think this confuses them even more because they are trying to look to her for reassurance.. But really they are old enough to be independent. In the streets she would have left them already. They've been weaned for quite some time. Usually the stray kittens i find are much younger. Oh took your advice today and have given mr fluffers freedom in cat room. He's loving it and we played for almost 2 hours. Finally had to stop coz he was gasping for breath. The others watched and seemed interested when i dangled the toys in front of them, but still they held back. I'll try again tomorrow. At least they showed interest. That's something right? Will keep you posted. How is samantha? Should be giving birth anytime now right?

[ashbutt]

lynielime...the mama cat is soooooo cute(adorable looking)
& by the way congrats on suceeding in capturing the entire family...
dont give up on the little ones...they will eventually realise that u mean well and will come to you...im sure they will realise tat your the next best thing besides their mom soon...hang in there!!!

[cerz]

lol, any success so far? i've had many rescued kittens too.. and most are like wat u mentioned.. hahaha.. ferocious cute little kittens that bite and scratches u and cries loudly when no one's around. im quite used to it ald so just catches them with bare hands and stroke them of course with a newspaper protecting my hands 1st while i proceed to get nearer to them. best way is to keep them near u at all times possible. it would atake some time yes. like the article says but its not possible. u dun need to do anything for this few weeks.. as it would most likely just stress u out more.. just wait till they settle down, they will stop hissing once they have it in mind that u brings the meals. den when they stop hissing, they will mos likely become submissive to u and u can pick them up, carry them for very short period of time(pls be careful if u hold them close to ur body they may freak after a while and may try to run, in process may scratch u unintentionally/accidently) altho they will not be as friendly/tame as our family cat. But if they get used to u, they will let only u touch/carry them. by this time, u can start playing with them chasing the feather-on-a-stick. hahaha. goodlucks

[ashleywong]

hi lynie and all

hey, what cerz said makes sense. perhaps we're all wrong in advising you to try harder to make contact with the kittens who are still jittery. worth trying to ignore the otehrs except for giving them food and cleaning their litterbox!

samantha has yet to give birth! i've been asking myself many times how come she hasn't given birth yet but dare not post the question to felix lest it frazzles her more..she's taking care of samantha besides her own 6 long-haired cats and her own children and she has been quite busy lately i hate to disturb her.

say, if you have found some potential adopters for the kittens, do try to get their email contact so you can mail them some information on how to handle kittens (assuming they're 1st timer or they need a refresher..the articles are from cats.about.com of course and very useful, i keep rereading them to refresh myself on the important points! ) i'll pass you the articles or links via PM.

[lynielime]

Thanks everyone. You guys are great! Will be trying everyones advice. I guess i'm just feeling a little lost with these kittens and disappointed in myself because i always thought i was good with cats. With previous foster kittens i thought i was the cat whisperer! Hahaha!! But these guys are showing me that i don't know cats as well as i thought i did. Its ok, when i need a boost i get some love from my own kitties and poochies. Will continue to update you guys on how things how with cocochino, socks, and mr fluffers. Thanks everyone!

[lynielime]

I have bad news. I was not careful enough and now mama cat has run away. I usually let her out of her cage for a couple of hours every evening and night for exercise. During this time she always tries to escape so i close all doors and windows. Also all the grilles in the house are covered with additional wire screens to keep all cats in. Guess what happened? She managed to rip out the wire screen in cat room grill, squeeze through the grille, push open the window and jump out into the garden. My dogs out there didn't notice her or they would have barked. When i noticed she was gone i went outside and saw her in alley behind my house jumping into neighbors garden and disappearing. I have to get her back. Do you guys think she will come back? If she is not already pregnant, then she will be in about 2 seconds. I'm worried she won't come back coz she wasn't very comfortable here. This is my fault, the window was not locked. Only closed. I thought the grill and screen would keep her in. I underestimated her strength and how much she wanted to get out of here. I hope she comes back asking for food which is how i caught her in the first place. I'm so upset. Have gotten quite attached to her. But obviously the feeling is not mutual.

[June]

oh!!dear!!oh!!dear!!oh!!dear!! I hope she will return back for her kittens and food.It was her instinct as stray that wants to break free from your house.Not your fault.Don't be sad.

Originally Posted by lynielime

I have bad news. I was not careful enough and now mama cat has run away. I usually let her out of her cage for a couple of hours every evening and night for exercise. During this time she always tries to escape so i close all doors and windows. Also all the grilles in the house are covered with additional wire screens to keep all cats in. Guess what happened? She managed to rip out the wire screen in cat room grill, squeeze through the grille, push open the window and jump out into the garden. My dogs out there didn't notice her or they would have barked. When i noticed she was gone i went outside and saw her in alley behind my house jumping into neighbors garden and disappearing. I have to get her back. Do you guys think she will come back? If she is not already pregnant, then she will be in about 2 seconds. I'm worried she won't come back coz she wasn't very comfortable here. This is my fault, the window was not locked. Only closed. I thought the grill and screen would keep her in. I underestimated her strength and how much she wanted to get out of here. I hope she comes back asking for food which is how i caught her in the first place. I'm so upset. Have gotten quite attached to her. But obviously the feeling is not mutual.

[lynielime]

Originally Posted by June

oh!!dear!!oh!!dear!!oh!!dear!! I hope she will return back for her kittens and food.It was her instinct as stray that wants to break free from your house.Not your fault.Don't be sad.

I hope you're right june.. Her kittens are calling her and they are even more scared now. I wonder if she found anything for dinner. Fingers crossed she'll be at my gate in the morning hiding under my car waiting for breakfast. That's what we used to do everyday before i caught her. Do you think she can remember our old routine?

[lynielime]

Mama cat's back! Thank god! 11 hours out wandering by herself and then she came back and meowed loudly outside asking for food. I can sleep peacefully now. What a relief.

[June]

oh!! Thank God.they normally remember our routine.Like the strays that I feed,by 7am all of them already standy for their food.then in the evening around 7pm.Everyday without fail.yesterday I came back home late.My hubby was asleep from 5pm-10pm.When he got up,I asked him to go and feed the cat downstair.We make ssst!!ssst!! sound and all of them coming from their hiding place and running toward us.they know we are coming to feed them.

Originally Posted by lynielime

Mama cat's back! Thank god! 11 hours out wandering by herself and then she came back and meowed loudly outside asking for food. I can sleep peacefully now. What a relief.

[lynielime]

Dear forummers, i need your advice again. Mama cat is extremely agitated. I feel terrible about keeping her in here. I am beginning to think that she is not pregnant. I think she's in heat. When i found her after she ran away yesterday, she was lounging under a car with 2 big toms. Do pregnant females behave this way? According to what i read on the net, pregnant females become more affectionate and stick close to home and familiar people. Mama cat is still desperately trying to escape and meowing loudly. She is restless and uneasy. What should i do? Should i let her go? She is so upset. The thing is, if she's already pregnant, i want her to have her babies in here. And if she's not pregnant i don't want her to get knocked up. But vet said we had to be sure. So a week ago my vet said keep her indoors for 3 weeks. If she has gotten bigger then she's pregnant. If there's no change in her size then we neuter her. The reason for this arrangement is that last weekend the vet felt some swelling and lumpiness in mama's tummy but said she couldn't be sure the lumps are fetuses coz too early and small if so. And the bloody ultrasound not working well so not clear. I have two more weeks to go before bringing her back to my vet. I think she will be nuts by then. Any advice please. Thanks

[June]

lynie,she is definitely on heat.do you have cage?? u must cage her.don't let her escape from your house.Yes,female on heat is very loud that drive us nuts.What I did was,I spray her with water to keep her quiet for a while in the cage everytime my mama cat meowing loudly. But on heat during pregnancy?? I have not come across this one yet.

Originally Posted by lynielime

Dear forummers, i need your advice again. Mama cat is extremely agitated. I feel terrible about keeping her in here. I am beginning to think that she is not pregnant. I think she's in heat. When i found her after she ran away yesterday, she was lounging under a car with 2 big toms. Do pregnant females behave this way? According to what i read on the net, pregnant females become more affectionate and stick close to home and familiar people. Mama cat is still desperately trying to escape and meowing loudly. She is restless and uneasy. What should i do? Should i let her go? She is so upset. The thing is, if she's already pregnant, i want her to have her babies in here. And if she's not pregnant i don't want her to get knocked up. But vet said we had to be sure. So a week ago my vet said keep her indoors for 3 weeks. If she has gotten bigger then she's pregnant. If there's no change in her size then we neuter her. The reason for this arrangement is that last weekend the vet felt some swelling and lumpiness in mama's tummy but said she couldn't be sure the lumps are fetuses coz too early and small if so. And the bloody ultrasound not working well so not clear. I have two more weeks to go before bringing her back to my vet. I think she will be nuts by then. Any advice please. Thanks

[lynielime]

Originally Posted by June

lynie,she is definitely on heat.do you have cage?? u must cage her.don't let her escape from your house.Yes,female on heat is very loud that drive us nuts.What I did was,I spray her with water to keep her quiet for a while in the cage everytime my mama cat meowing loudly. But on heat during pregnancy?? I have not come across this one yet.

I've put her in a cage for now but she is terribly bored and unhappy. I feel so guilty when i look at her.