To make a long story short:
I brought home two kittens on Saturday. I knew they had been raised by mama, who is a socialized outdoor cat, and they were the last of their litter to be caught and rehomed. We live on a small farm and have some rodent problems, so my plan was to make spoiled outdoor working cats out of these two. However, I'm not used to cats, I'll freely admit, and I didn't expect them to be quite as wild as they are proving to be. They went from Puss 'n' Boots innocent to demon possessed spitfires in two seconds flat, and promptly escaped. Oh if I could only go back and redo that moment... anyway. They returned within 24 hours and took up residence by our back porch underneath the well house. I fed them twice a day at milking time. They would eat in front of me if I kept my distance, but that's about it. Because they are sill in that young, 8 ish week range, I decided to catch them again... I don't want truly feral cats running around here, and I don't want to have to trick them into vet visits later, you know?
They are currently in a sectioned off area in my bathroom (it's weirdly large). It's the only shower but we have other toilets we can use, and right now it's just DH and I in the house. I'm hoping I can make some progress with them by Sunday, so I can move them into the shop outdoors and keep working on them from there. We have a roommate who is mildly allergic to cats, and he's gone until Sunday night.
Today, I positioned myself in front of the crate, but not facing it, and put a plate of food between them and me. Then I studiously read my book for over an hour before they finally came out. The orange male ate, and the grey female (this is what I was told they probably are) promptly looked for an escape. These kittens are lightening fast, can jump high, and are REALLY good climbers. Though even if they escaped the enclosure they couldn't escape the bathroom. Pretty quickly, the orange male used my makeshift litter box, which was positioned in front of me, though I made of point of not look at him while he was doing his business. I stayed in there awhile longer with them. They didn't show much interest in me. The orange male meows, and the grey female seems to be the more skittish of the two. I exited the enclosure after about two hours in there total, and managed to get out without anyone hissing at me. I was careful not to look at them or move directly toward them. Then I sat on a chair for awhile on the other side of my "wall" I made. They napped in the corner. I had a quite phone conversation, during which one, or maybe both, meowed a little, and then they went back in the crate. Since I want to associate the crate with "their" space, I retrieved the empty food dish and shut the door gently.
I've been in and out of the bathroom since, not going out of my way to make noise but not tip toeing either, and am wondering, now what? Keep doing what I was doing? Once or twice a day? I have zero experience with wild kittens; I admit they shocked me a little. The grey female tore my hand up pretty good before escaping, which is probably why she is more wary of me.
Well, now you're probably thinking, that was the short version? I figured that in order to get the best advice, opinions, tips, etc., I had better give you as many details as possible. Please don't stone me - I truly didn't realize I was getting such wild kittens, and I wasn't really prepared for it, honestly. I want to do my best by them, and want to try to avoid hindering any progress we might make. Help?
I brought home two kittens on Saturday. I knew they had been raised by mama, who is a socialized outdoor cat, and they were the last of their litter to be caught and rehomed. We live on a small farm and have some rodent problems, so my plan was to make spoiled outdoor working cats out of these two. However, I'm not used to cats, I'll freely admit, and I didn't expect them to be quite as wild as they are proving to be. They went from Puss 'n' Boots innocent to demon possessed spitfires in two seconds flat, and promptly escaped. Oh if I could only go back and redo that moment... anyway. They returned within 24 hours and took up residence by our back porch underneath the well house. I fed them twice a day at milking time. They would eat in front of me if I kept my distance, but that's about it. Because they are sill in that young, 8 ish week range, I decided to catch them again... I don't want truly feral cats running around here, and I don't want to have to trick them into vet visits later, you know?
They are currently in a sectioned off area in my bathroom (it's weirdly large). It's the only shower but we have other toilets we can use, and right now it's just DH and I in the house. I'm hoping I can make some progress with them by Sunday, so I can move them into the shop outdoors and keep working on them from there. We have a roommate who is mildly allergic to cats, and he's gone until Sunday night.
Today, I positioned myself in front of the crate, but not facing it, and put a plate of food between them and me. Then I studiously read my book for over an hour before they finally came out. The orange male ate, and the grey female (this is what I was told they probably are) promptly looked for an escape. These kittens are lightening fast, can jump high, and are REALLY good climbers. Though even if they escaped the enclosure they couldn't escape the bathroom. Pretty quickly, the orange male used my makeshift litter box, which was positioned in front of me, though I made of point of not look at him while he was doing his business. I stayed in there awhile longer with them. They didn't show much interest in me. The orange male meows, and the grey female seems to be the more skittish of the two. I exited the enclosure after about two hours in there total, and managed to get out without anyone hissing at me. I was careful not to look at them or move directly toward them. Then I sat on a chair for awhile on the other side of my "wall" I made. They napped in the corner. I had a quite phone conversation, during which one, or maybe both, meowed a little, and then they went back in the crate. Since I want to associate the crate with "their" space, I retrieved the empty food dish and shut the door gently.
I've been in and out of the bathroom since, not going out of my way to make noise but not tip toeing either, and am wondering, now what? Keep doing what I was doing? Once or twice a day? I have zero experience with wild kittens; I admit they shocked me a little. The grey female tore my hand up pretty good before escaping, which is probably why she is more wary of me.
Well, now you're probably thinking, that was the short version? I figured that in order to get the best advice, opinions, tips, etc., I had better give you as many details as possible. Please don't stone me - I truly didn't realize I was getting such wild kittens, and I wasn't really prepared for it, honestly. I want to do my best by them, and want to try to avoid hindering any progress we might make. Help?