How To Socialize Older Feral Kittens
Congratulations on deciding to foster and socialize kittens.
How to socialize older feral kittens. Even if your intentions are the best you can harm the cat. Have the kitten examined by a vet. The more you hold the young kitten the better. But kittens between 2 months and 4 months old are more difficult and time consuming.
The kitten will be more trusting and easier to socialize. Community kittens can be socialized fairly easily if they re handled at an early age 8 weeks or under. I followed those instructions to tame two beautiful grey tabby kittens who were well beyond 8 weeks. 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.
They estimate that kittens under 4 weeks old take a matter of hours or days to socialize older kittens take longer naturally and kittens who are 10 weeks or older can also be tamed but it may take much longer and many times they will only tame to the person working with them and remain wild with strangers. How to tame feral cats i found a lot of helpful information online. 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. We socialize feral cats and kittens to help them find homes and because they become happier cats.
The most helpful was a set of three videos on the urban cat league s website. In attempting to socialize an older kitten who seems borderline feral we recommend giving it 2 weeks maximum. Aca advises against trying to socialize kittens that are older than 4 months of age or adult feral cats. If the kitten isn t making progress by then it s best to spay neuter eartip vaccinate and return the kitten to his or her colony before it becomes unfamiliar territory.
Talk to the kitten as you hold it so the kitten feels safe with you. Containment within a cage or carrier handling with a towel containment in a room to work on socializing. Feral kittens that are between 4 to 10 weeks old are especially suitable to socialize. As always start by taking the kitten to the vet to be de wormed receive any necessary vaccines and assess overall health.
Spending time with these fuzzy little guys though a lot of work will also be a lot of fun.