How To Socialize Feral Kittens
Engage them in play with thing on a string toys.
How to socialize feral kittens. Community kittens can be socialized fairly easily if they re handled at an early age 8 weeks or under. Hold the kitten loosely on your knees and eventually up to your chest so your heartbeat can be heard. Lift under the chest with a small dish of food directly in front of the kitten s nose the entire time. Work up to feeding wet food from a plate as you sit on the floor nearby.
Spending time with these fuzzy little guys though a lot of work will also be a lot of fun. Even if your intentions are the best you can harm the cat. The urban cat league also suggest interactive play as a way to socialize feral kittens. For shy kittens start by feeding from a spoon through the bars.
We have tons of tips on how to help your mini kitties feel at ease around people and how to help them grow up to be loving companion animals. As they get more comfortable put the food in your lap and pet the kittens while they eat. If you re planning to socialize kittens it s important that you re committed to seeing the process through to its completion. Depending on what the cat is working on and what the cat can tolerate the length of sessions will vary.
By helping them associate human presence with a pleasant stimulus we slowly condition them to feel that we aren t so scary after all. There are a few steps to helping a kitten become socialized and they are as follows. 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. The primary principle of socializing feral kittens is gradual humane desensitization.
Then work your way to lifting while you re standing. 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. If you can grasp this simple truth you can socialize any feral kitten. Congratulations on deciding to foster and socialize kittens.
Once that s mastered try lifting while you re kneeling.