Wow, six of them!

A couple of years ago, my sig. trapped three at his job. Mom-cat was
later captured and spayed by a rescue group.

The kitties were judged to be about 10 weeks old. They hissed at us and
hid immediately. We kept all three in our bathroom for several weeks.

We let them hide in a box or the drawers without bothering them for the
first day. After that, we spent lots and lots of time with them, just
sitting and gently talking to them, getting them used to humans.

After a few days, I could lay my hand close to them and even touch one
of them without a hiss. The vet gave us good advice -- move slowly.
Don't use jerky motions or try to grab a fleeing cat. Any sudden
movement by us sent them flying.

I also started playing with them with a toy on a long string. They were
so tempted by that, they finally would thrust a paw out of the box while
I was there. Eventually, they all started playing, they couldn't help
themselves. Finally, I could pet them, and after a week or more, I could
pick one or two up (very slowly again.) By the second week, they were
starting to understand, and like, getting some affection.

We found a happy home for one kitten. He is still skittish to new people
and new sounds, but very loving to his human. We kept two. One of ours
is almost normal, lounging on the couch, a fairly relaxed cat. The other
one is skittish, but very affectionate. She will always be a flighty
cat, but is bright, alert, and happy.

Good luck with your guys!

Rhonda

Wendy wrote:

How does one go about domesticating ferile kittens?

The dh brought home 6 of them. They are approx. 8 - 12 wks. old. and want no
parts of being picked up - hissing, biting and scratching ensues when you
try. They had been living under a friend's porch but were upsetting the
resident 22 yr.old (not in good health) cat so they had to be moved
somewhere else.

Are these guys too old to tame? How does one go about doing so if possible?

W