How To Socialize Semi Feral Kittens
Feral kittens that are between 4 to 10 weeks old are especially suitable to socialize.
How to socialize semi feral kittens. Most rescue kittens are adopted out by 8 weeks. Cats are animals that seek pleasure and attention she says. Several organizations recommend not to take a cat from the wildness if they are all grown up already. There are a few steps to helping a kitten become socialized and they are as follows.
Containment within a cage or carrier handling with a towel containment in a room to work on socializing. Many recommend using clay litter at first. By nature kitties walk away from anyone coming towards them and this gets kitty coming towards you. A kitten s primary period of socialization is between 3 9 weeks of age.
The socialization of feral kittens requires a daily commitment of time the duration of which depends on the age of the kittens and the amount and consistency of the time you spend working with them. Then we teach him to accept other people animals and new experiences. How will a cat or kitten ever become comfortable around humans if you don t interact with them. Acclimate the feral cat to your hand.
One tip to use once he is inside is to tie a shoelace or string to your beltloop something long enough to drag on the floor. Using cat attract litter will help your feral kitty identify the litter box as the place to go to the bathroom. Socialized cats are fully domesticated and comfortable around humans while feral cats have had little to no human contact and are basically wild animals. To begin place your hand flat on the floor palm side down.
Depending on what the cat is working on and what the cat can tolerate the length of sessions will vary. They tend to avoid being touched but may vocalize when around humans or even make eye contact. Becky robinson president and founder of alley cat allies shares a little secret about felines. Let her come to you and allow her to bump into your leg arm or hand.
Semi feral cats fall somewhere in between. Community kittens can be socialized fairly easily if they re handled at an early age 8 weeks or under. During the socialization process you ll want to do six to eight sessions per day with each cat with sessions in the beginning lasting one to three minutes. A cat or kitten is entralled with chasing fun things and kitty will end up following you around chasing that string.
Even better buy some potting soil to put a layer of clean parasite free soil over the top of the litter. Still wary of more human interaction the feral cat will need time to adjust to your hand. When trying to socialize a semi feral cat who quite obviously enjoys hiding from you this might seem counterintuitive.