Wish me luck with feral kittens

Feral, according to dictionary.com refers to

fe·ral
–adjective

• existing in a natural state, as animals or plants; not domesticated or cultivated; wild.
• having reverted to the wild state, as from domestication: a pack of feral dogs roaming the woods.
• of or characteristic of wild animals; ferocious; brutal.

So feral kitten is one that is born in the wild and has no human contact, and the main diference of this kitten compared to a domesticated kitten – fear of human.

My friends know that I want to adopt another cat/kitten, to accompany Oyen at home. It just happened to be that one of my friend’s mother just has something that I want. A stray female cat in my friend’s mother neighbourhood (in Perlis) gave a birth to 3 beautiful kittens.

Being a strayed mother cat, no one really fed her, and her kittens. So my friend’s mother ended up giving the food to the cat, but at the same time, really wish that someone will adopt the kittens.

My kind housemate, who happened to go to Penang, actually went to Perlis, and bring back 2 kittens to KL. The other one is MIA, and can’t be captured by my friend’s mother.

This is the first kitten,

and this is the second one.

Not much of colour variation here. All of my cats are orange on colour. LOL. But put that aside. My love for cats that counts.

How Oyen take this? Well I’m suprised that he takes this really well. At first, I thought he will hiss at the cat when seeing them for the first time. But it happened that Oyen really got interest in them, and starts to sniff them around.

From my readings on the web, it can take up to 4 weeks to tame feral kittens. I will keep the kittens in this cage until the condition improved. One may think it is cruel to leave them in there for so long. But hey, you have to be cruel to be kind. And based on my reading again, I shouldn’t be tempted to release the kittens to soon, as once released, they will hide, and continue to have their feral lifestyle in my house, and will not settle.

And this is something from the web:

How to Tame a Feral Cat or Kitten
Difficulty: Moderately challenging

With a little patience and time, a feral (or wild) cat can be tamed into a loving pet. Younger cats are more apt to adjust quickly: 6-to-8-week-old kittens typically take two to three weeks to adjust to a domestic environment.

• STEP 1: Enclose the cat or kitten in a small space at first’a bathroom or bed-room works best.
• STEP 2: Turn out the light if the cat is terrified; this often has a calming effect.
• STEP 3: Put a bed, a litter box, food and water in the room. If the cat is very young (6 to 12 weeks), put her in a large carrier with a grated door and small windows.
• STEP 4: Spend at least 2 to 3 hours a day with the animal. Just sitting quietly in the same room will allow the cat to learn that you are not a threat.
• STEP 5: Gently compel the cat to let you touch her. Carefully wrap a blanket around her if you have to, hold her on your lap and pet her. Stroke her coat and touch her ears, face and neck as you talk to her in soothing tones. Even if the animal doesn’t seem to be enjoying the attention, she is. Hold the cat by the scruff of the neck if she attempts to leave. (The mother cat will do this to carry or train a kitten’it doesn’t hurt, and it actually relaxes the animal.)
• STEP 6: Present special treats such as chicken or tuna, and leave them if the cat will not eat from your hand.
• STEP 7: Gradually allow the cat to roam about in more rooms.
• STEP 8: If the cat tries to run away from you repeatedly, enclose her in a smaller space and start again.

Well, I’m up for the challenge. Wish me luck folks!!!