feral kittens are like owning cats on hard mode

Once the kitten realizes humans are good slaves, they'll like you.

I found an hour old kitten on HOT asphalt screaming embilical cord attached although not that fond of cats I took it home and started feeding and nurturing it vet said she wouldn't make but I kept at it. 6 months later she waits at the door for me with kisses and hugs . Her 5 dog brothers love her to death .

“Something they like (food) with something they don’t like (humans)” It’s me. I’m a feral kitten

We socialized a feral kitten many years ago. He bonded very strongly with our son. The cat is now 15 and the boy is grown-up; they are still together.

I socialized an adult feral cat doing 3 things. Talking to it, petting it and feeding it. Now its a spoiled house cat that plays outside during the day and comes in at night to hang out.

I just caught a 14 week old feral kitten about 3 days ago and I was constantly talking to her and feeding her and just yesterday I called for her to come and she came running and purring. It lifted my heart to see that she was finally comfortable being around me.

All this advice can be applied to a new boyfriend btw

how to turn one of nature's most successful predators into the best lazy lap warmers :)

I wish the entire KZfaq was as peaceful, enlightening, and beautiful as this video.

"Invite over lots of friends." Game over for me. Feral cat life.

After my great grandpa died, we took in over twenty feral cats and kittens and socialized them. I was in charge of it and they seemed to really like when I just sit in the room and let them come to me. I also let them watch those cat videos where it shows the birds. Happy to say most of them have been adopted.

My grandmother always fed feral cats near her workplace, but one day a small, small kitten just kept circling her, meowing and even climbing her. She brought the cat home and the two of them spent almost twenty years together.

The "feral kitten wiggle" isn't crazy at all. In fact, my ridiculously social adult kitty loves it. :-D

I have done pretty much exactly as you have with these two. I got my cat when my neighbor just tossed her out and stopped feeding her in the middle of winter. She was emaciated and quite feral when I got her to come in to my house and at first it was a nightmare, she would attack at random. But by just sticking with it, being persistent, feeding her by hand, frequent physical contact, and socializing her I now have my best friend little love bug. Today people don't believe she was feral and mean because she is just constantly craving attention. And I am glad, she is my little companion and I love having her. As I type this she is sitting in my lap purring and bugging me for more petting. Keep up the channel, love the videos and topics.

I worked at a Sonic fast food restaurant and I was closing that night. It was storming really bad and my coworker told me a kitten ran out on the patio. I walked out carefully, as I have experience with animals. My family had an animal rescue. I met eyes with the kitten and he ran under a bush. I walked over slowly and picked him up from under the bush. He instantly snuggled into my arm he was so scared. My coworker brought a box out and I put the kitten in it. He was hissing at the thunder and as well as at me. I took the box and set it in my car, which I turned on and turned the heat on so he would dry. He was emaciated and sick. I was told he wouldn't make it. That night I bought him kitten stuff like milk and a bell collar so I knew where he was (which he didn't like so I took it off), a litter box etc. and quarantined a small area in my house where he could still see me all the time and my family members. I moved my stuff I to the living room and I still sleep out there to this day and this was a year ago in June. He socialized very fast. He cuddled with me that night. Once I got him out of the storm he was very loving. He was stray. He had never been with people before. He only experienced the public and cars down the street. It amazes me how loving he was. All I can say is he's my baby and he's made it so far, although he is, actually, mentally retarded. I love him to death, and I'm very glad that I worked until close that night.

He got so chill during the wiggle.

i thank the Lord for creating cats. they are irresistable to my senses

3:32 after he hissed at her 😭 "oh no what have i done this is the human the cuddles me and gives me food ive ruined it"

Even being a foster mum I can’t imagine socialising a kitten that big! I had a whole litter of 5 firey kittens all hardly old enough to have left their mother but already as wild as an adult feral, but tough love like you said they all calmed down and were adopted in no time once they left I secretly missed every hiss and spit

I found a feral kitten. She was maybe 7 weeks, just a tiny thing with no mama. She was caught and was shaking. :-(. Well it pretty much stopped after a chunk of meat was put in her face. It stopped for sure by the second piece. Her name was Twinkie; always a petite cutie with tiny ears. Later she looked like a powder puff with tiny ears and legs. She had a squeak of a meow. I had her fixed, shots and wore a pretty ID collar. She was so precious! She lived about 17 1/2 years. My little Twinkie with baby blue eyes! One thing I do with all cats is purr. They look either startled or annoyed. Kittens are calmed and see you like Mom. Most cats see your purring as a good thing. When I can mimick their meow, they answer me back. Try it. It's kind of cool.

I bonded with my kitten through play! If food is only kind of working, playing with them with a fun toy can really loosen them up. I spent hours with her with the "bird on a Stick" until eventually she decided I was pretty cool.

Me and my wife rehab feral animals as well. When we had kittens that were too feral and too abused to accept hand-feeding, we basically fasted them overnight (only food; they ALWAYS had water) and fed them very desirable food twice a day, at the same time every day. At first, we would just stay in the room with them, waiting until they slunk across and ate. Over the course of about two weeks, that progressed to one of us sitting and holding the edge of the bowl while the kittens ate. Then hand-feeding; then normal mealtimes and treats. Then we moved on to petting, cuddling, etc. Even human adverse kittens can become loving pets after they gain trust. We adopted a kitten from that litter, and she's about the happiest and most extroverted cat you'll ever see. All her sibs were rehabbed and went to good homes, too (and two of them were adopted by the vet clinic that treated them!).

there was a full-grown feral male cat in our neighborhood that we eventually got tame enough that we could brush & pet him... all with food and talking to him. it took years, but we were the only people he trusted. i'd give him treats of cooked bacon in the cold winter months and we closed in the bottom of our porch & put cat beds, hay and blankets. sometimes we'd change his water 5× a day so it didn't freeze. during summer he'd let us comb the flees out of his coat & enjoyed a cool drink and a plate of tuna. we named him Morris, and he'd come running when we called him. one day he was gone without a trace :-( i called the shelter & put his pic on facebook.. we never saw him again. i miss him so much.

That black kitten is sooooo cute!

I'm a neonatal kitten nurse in NYC and I just found your youtube.. I've watched quite a few videos and all you advice and tips are just wonderful! It's good to see a well-educated kitten rescuer proving great info to people! I am definitely a new sub!

My kitty is about a year old now, she's not very fond of being held. I tried the "feral kitten wiggle" with her, and she near fell asleep in my arms! I guess kitties just like to be wiggled.

The eyes rolling to the back of the head during the Feral Kitten wiggle was too much XD hahaha how cute

Working with feral kittens is one of my favorite parts of fostering. Yes it's difficult and can be frustrating, but rewarding and also interesting in that you see their personality develop and all. Love!!

I took in a barn kitten who zipped under the bed before I could get it isolated. (small apartment). I set it's food and water in a place it would have to see me box was well away from these. It would feed after I went to bed. After a couple days it would come out and watch me. I would slow wink and talk to it. Just over a week after bring it home it decided to give me a check out while I was sleeping. I was woken up by my ear and side of my head receiving a bath. She was about 3 months old when I got the human hating snake and rat eater (garter snakes were a favorite) and caught in live trap (too many cats for the barn and farm to support). But in less than 2 weeks I had snuggle monster.

I always talk to them.. they listen to your tone.. and signal your intentions to sooth and protect.. they respond with mews and a rapport begins with the touching, safe cuddling ...

2:50 - Kitten snuggling party sounds like the best idea ever.

I wish I could have watched this video 5 years ago when we adopted and rescued one of our cats. She was already around 3-4 months old and I couldn't touch her for the first 2-3months and she was constantly hiding. The only thing I knew to do was speaking to her and just sit in the same room as her for hours after school. One day she just came out of her hiding spot and since then she is the cuddliest cat I know and she loves small children. As soon as I could touch her I was touching her every second she let me, she is turning 6 in June and I'm so glad that we could save at least her.

awww the white-grey one is so cute :)

We've fostered a few hundred kittens over the years, and it's been my experience that the ones who start out feral, hissy and spitty end up being some of the nicest cats. It just takes patience, love and affection, and the ability to put their needs first (not yours!) I love what you do to educate people about fostering kittens. Your videos are uplifting, informative and not at all preachy. All the best to you!

Good vid! Nice work you're doing. Seven years ago we got an adult male cat from the shelter. He was not used to humans, hissed when you got to close, and would lash out at you if you got even closer. He did very little else than sitting in a corner and stare at you. And now, he loves to be petted, wants to be on the bed, and asks for attention and hugs. We used all the methods as in the video, except for the wiggling. We just didn't know.

I put a litter of young feral kits in a wire show crate set in the living room. These kits were not accepting of any human touch. Daughter and I sat on floor by the crate and ate roasted chicken, slipping bits of the chicken through the wire to the kits who were interested in the food. They learned to associate good food with people. The reluctant littermates began approaching us when they saw their more outgoing siblings getting the 'good stuff' and therefore became acclimated to humans as well. Within 3-4 days we were able to carefully handle the kits, proceeding with their socialization outside the kennel from there. Baby food meats are a good bribe also in small amounts.

we rescued a feral kitten 4 years ago, and luckily I was working from home so it made her transition so much easier on her. I didn't realize that the kitty wiggle/bounce was an actual THING! I used it with the kitten, named Squirrel, all the time! Squirrel was so tiny when we brought her home (after vet clearance), and since we had other cats in the house, I made sure to keep her localized in one room while everyone adjusted. while I was working, she would curl up inside my hoodie and later she would curl up between my upper back and the back of the chair, LOL. I have so many funny stories about Squirrels antics while I was working...or trying to work! Can't begin to tell you how many conference calls she hung up from, my boss was ticked until I told her what was going on: one of the guys from Corporate would host a call each week, sometimes twice weekly, I would usually have the call on speaker phone with my side muted unless I needed to present, and I would otherwise take notes or IM my coworkers. As soon as squirrel would hear this guy's voice, she would come Running from wherever she was, jump on my desk and try to nuzzle the phone, purring like crazy! of course, if the screen was still active, she would manage to disconnect the call, which meant I had to dial back in and cause a disruption (no big deal to anyone, but my boss hated that it was happening frequently). I finally had to send her an email and explain/apologize to her and to the guy from corporate..."my cat is apparently in love with you, Neal..." thank goodness they both got a laugh out of it!

"invite over lots of friends" well gee must be NICE to have SO MANY FRIENDS! why do you think we're hanging with CATS?! (kidding)

I once tried to save an abandoned ferrel kitten. Woke up one morning, it was screaming under my house. Gave it about 30-45 min. No sign of mom so I got it. Had to force fed it a week, then bottle fed it a couple more. It was younger than I though lol. It never hissed at me. Never screamed or clawed or tried to bite me. Coming up on his 4th week he didn't make it. I was devestated and haven't owned a cat since. I heard meow's for weeks after thinking there's another cat. It was horrible. His name was Pepper.

We had a little fellow who was very free with his claws when he first came inside. He would sit on a chair and watch us, but was a little too insecure to let us get too close. The chair he usually chose was within arm's reach of my computer, so when I was gaming I kept challenging him, and he would occasionally draw a line on the back of my hand when I wasn't quite fast enough to get away with touching him. That game continued for a few weeks, but he eventually figured out that all I wanted to do was stroke him and that stroking felt... pretty nice actually. I got a shock a couple weeks later when he just simply decided (all his idea) to walk over and lie on my lap while I was playing. The change of mind can come pretty suddenly once they recognize that not only do you mean no harm, what you're trying to do actually feels pretty good.

I once socialized feral ghouls so this is easy peasy for me..

My Spooky boy was feral when my mother rescued him from the engine of our truck (overheated a bit, but uninjured). He was so wild that when she took him to the vet they couldn't even get him still enough for long enough to tell if he was male or female. We knew we couldn't leave him outside to get up to MORE mischief, though, so she pretty much did exactly this and held him in a towel for some time, just talking to him, and then left him for me to watch. I talked to him, and put my hand in his cat carrier for him, played with him, and sang to him. I held him in the towel some too. And within only a few weeks he pretty much became my cat. Now he's the sweetest boy you'd ever meet, though still a bit shy of strangers, especially men for some reason. And he's learned to avoid engines.

Thank you! I just got my first three fosters (thanks to you and Tiny kittens). They are 6weeks old and very scared. I wasn’t sure how much I should push them but I only have them for two more weeks and really want to get the ready for their forever home. This makes me feel so much better.

I've socialized many feral kittens (one of my adult cats had a peculiar habit of well, cat napping them to our basement) and it can be frustrating at times, but very rewarding when the hissy little critters become lap hogging snuggle beasts. They're well worth the effort. Some of the once-feral babbins I've rescued have gone on to be the most loving, grateful companions I've ever known.

two beautiful kittens, hope they have a great life

Ferals still need love and kindness. I used to feed dozens of strays. After a while, they would run to me and even sit on my lap. It's a challenge, but they will eventually calm down.

The Feral Cat Wiggle works!!! I'm fostering 3 semi-feral kittens right now and I got my first purr through the wiggle!!! :D

My hubby and I are working with an older young cat who comes for food and shelter. Slow going since she is still not letting us approach closer than about 18 inches! Mews for us then sometimes "spits" just like a kitten that is miffed. Named her Cupcake since my Mom always said you need to give the shyest ones a sweet name.

I really agree with this video! I'm trying to socialize these somewhat feral three-month-old kitties, and the more positivity the better! At first they hissed and ran away, but I found that if I sat a respectful distance away, and constantly talked to them, it sort of desensitized them. Now, one I call Percy comes up to me even, though he's not quite used to ear rubs yet!

I had to socialize my oldest cat. He hid under my bed for a week and only snuck out at night to use his litter box. This video reminds me of his old behaviors so much. He used to hiss and spit every time I walked past the bed. I read to him and talked to him almost constantly. He finally let me pet him for the first time when I was eating a quesadilla and his curiosity about the quesadilla was greater than his fear of me. Since then he's been super lovey and bonded with me.

I just adopted a kitten who was feral for the first two months of his life. He gets fixed tomorrow and then comes home with me. I'm so nervous but I am SO ready to help this little guy become comfy and happy living with humans. Thank you for the video! I'm going to watch the rest of your channel and binge on every feral kitten socialization video I can find over the next few weeks. Keep up the amazing work!

Love this! Having socialized 3 feral kittens in the past year I know how important patience is with these sweet babies. Thank you for all you do!

you are a wonderful kitty mom 💜 thank you for all you do!

When my family used to foster the local rescue used to just send all the ferals to my house because we were so good with them. They always seem to end up being the most affectionate. Only had one who never quite came out of it, Wilma, she ended up staying forever because she's too jumpy to rehome, but even she loves some loving on her own terms :P The first purr is always the best feeling!

Bass went into another dimension during the kitten wiggle 😄❤️❤️👍🏻

I love how you help kittens, but there are also lots and lots of old and adult cats who need help, too! I hope that there are people willing to help the old cats, too, and to love them just as much as the little babies!

I’m fostering my first rescue baby. He’s 12 weeks young after mom abandoned him in my backyard. I got him neutered, tipped, vaccinated, dewormed etc....but after 24 hours, he’s the SWEETEST shy little snuggle bug. He’s quarantined from my two house cats, so it’s hard to split the time (with work and my sleep too). But I can NOT imagine releasing him back outside. Never! I’m taking my time and finding the perfect forever home for my little dude. Helping him is the best feeling ever. I literally just taught him what a water bowl is, and how to PLAY! Everything is a learning curve, and so amazing to watch the progression. Thank you Kitten Lady.

My mom, sister-in-law, and I worked on socializing a group of feral kittens that had been born in our backyard. The mom never seemed to be around and I still can't remember what happened to her. Only one of the kittens, a solid black male, was interested in humans and we had gotten him to sit just inside the backdoor of the house. We fixed him up a cozy box to sleep in and his first night indoors a huge snowstorm went through, as it was the middle of winter. Since then he was our little "Midnight" and got along well with our other cats. Unfortunately he passed away a couple years ago. I think it was from an infection or illness of some kind, but I'm so glad that we could make his short time on earth a good one.

A black cat named Guppy? Is that a Binding Of Isaac reference?

I'm gonna try this with my shy kitten. hes not feral but he hates guests :( the feeding solution and visible hiding spot are great suggestions

lol when you rocked the kitten the eyes made me laugh so much!

Gentle bouncing, as seen in the video, has a calming effect on fully grow cats as well. It has allowed me to provide care for a geriatric cat with kidney disease who otherwise may not have let me bathe and diaper her. Thank you for sharing this video for kind cat caretakers everywhere looking for helpful tips!

I got a kitten from a family who lives on a farm near the town I live in two weeks ago. Being a farm cat, the kitten was....somewhat used to human interaction, but not entirely warm to the idea of bonding with them or coming to them. I remember it taking fifteen minutes to catch the little guy, and him pushing away from me when I tried to hold him! The first day, I gave him a little space, but made sure to interact with him on a regular basis....playing with him, petting him and holding him. Within three days, he definitely showed signs of becoming more friendly towards me! He'd come when he was called, meowing and talking a mile a minute. I then began doing exactly what you described in regards to having other people hold him...He's a friendly little guy, and I want him to be more open to interacting with other people! Now, these two weeks later, he just comes to me on his own, jumps up on my lap, settles in and goes to sleep, purring away! Quite the difference from the kitten I started with, for sure! I look forward to the many years I'm gonna be able to spend with him!

We got our old cat that died this year from a farm when I was 2 years old (I'm 21 now) and she was a really sweet cat but did not like being touched at all. She calmed down as she got older (much older) but nobody would want to move her off a seat or pick her up to put her in a cat carrier. As I got older I became one of the only people in our house that would pick her up because everyone else was afraid. After seeing this I realise that when we got her my parents probably never knew how to take care of a cat as wild as her so they never tried to make her more social. She was still the love of my life though and frequently came to cuddle me. ❤

I think the thing with most people is that they think there is no teaching kittens, like they think they're "easier" than dogs and there for doesn't need any "rules", which is sad. :/

Thank you Hannah. I’m watching a pair of feral kittens and they’re both my most challenging kittens to socialize! They’re eating from my hands and will walk around me. But the moment I really get near them they get scared, run away, or hiss. So I’ll keep at it and I’ll try wrapping them in a blanket and giving them more affection :)

I found a little feral kitten when I was 11. She actually came to me when I simply sat down a few metres away from her and simply observed her. She was never agressive or tense around neither me nor my parents. She is now almost 20 years old and I can't bear the thought of losing her to old age :´-(

There is nothing more rewarding than winning the trust of a cat who didn't trust anyone. In 2012 I found 3 completely wild, feral kittens outside our house (their mum had disappeared). It took me 3 months of throwing bits of dry food towards them (closer and closer to me) and started with small bits of touching... at 9 months they were purring on my lap. There were days when I was convinced they would never stop being afraid... but they always do!

I love to watch your videos. I can't afford to have a pet, but your videos make me wish I could.

The kitten at the beginning is me when all the Oreos are gone..

I was raised on a farm. We had kittens every spring. I used to take naps with Mama and her babies. You know what you are doing. thank you for doing it.

I went about this differently with kittens in my neighborhood. They were too young to take away from their mother, so I fed them everyday for a couple weeks. I'd bring food and a toy and sit there while they ate. Then play with them for a while. Eventually I was able to touch them without them running away. Then one tolerated me petting him for a few seconds. I caught that one with a pet carrier and the toy. When I brought him home he was very scared. But since he was already familiar with me he ran right to me to hide. I put him on my bed and he cuddled up by my neck and started purring. Then he remembered what was going on and ran and hid in the cat tree. We just let him stay there pet him occasionally. He slept all day. By the time it was dark he was ready to come out for food and to play. It took less than 24 hours for him to be completely comfortable. Now he follows me around the house and crawls up on my chest when he wants to be pet. The other kitten, the more timid one, is taking longer. It's been 4 days and he's starting to come around now. He wasn't used to pets before bringing him home. So it took a bit longer. I know I got to them very young. But getting them used to me and being touched before catching them sped up this process so much. We tamed 2 kittens in our house in less than a week. They should be ready to be adopted soon.

those kitties are so cute. man they are literally babies. I want em

You make some damn brilliant videos. Matching your advice with action - illustrating that the techniques with advice works. Sound and educating stuff. Thank heavens for people like you that care about animals.

theres a tiny lil 11 week old loner named gandalf at my local animal shelter. the first week i saw him, at age 8 weeks, he was so scared of people it took five minutes of holding to get him to relax and he still ran away and hid behind 5 different kennels. when i saw him again at age 10 weeks, he was still skittish around hands but he was screaming for people to come pet him. it's such a wonderful experience.

A kitten snuggle party sounds like the best social event ever!

Awwww cats are the cutest and most lovable creatures

Thumbs up!!! With life long experience in handling cats of all kind, I can say you are spot on. The grey-white kitten reminds me of my girlfriends late tomcat and he used to be a feral cat, too.

That is so sweet! You clearly love kittens, and animals in general, so much, it's really touching.

Kitten Lady, you are the best!! Thank goodness for your love and kindness towards these neonates!!! Also, you do a great job with encouraging people to do the TNR!!

I got feral kittens 4 years ago and they are so loving now.

Exceptional presentation in an educational, fun to watch video. Great work you are doing.

I don't even have cats, I just watched for the cute kittens. They are lovely.

I found a two month old feral kitten under our shed. She was hissy with me but we were able to catch her and put her on our screened in porch. It took me a day or two, but I was able to get her to eat kitten kibble next to me. After she had a few mouth fulls I would scoop her up and pet her, then get some string to play with her. The mix of play, food, and pets made her become very attached, very quickly. One day after I was done playing with her (I think it was the fourth or fifth day on our porch) I came inside and found her clinging to the screen door like one of those Garfield window clings, meowing for me. We couldn't find anyone to take her, so she became our kitten. The first night in the house I found her curled up on my husband as he played on his iPad. She's now a year and a half old and ALWAYS has to be around someone. She is such an affectionate and loving kitten.

I always relied on my adult cats to civilize the feral kittens

this video brought tears to my eyes...tears of gratitude for your effort of rehabilitating stray kittens. how wonderful and noble your work is. i would like to be a part of it and help; where do you live? i am in north-west nj...

People who foster and care for kittens are amazing and have my utmost respect. To me its one of the most virtuous endeavors humanity is capable of. God bless. PS those are some really adorable kittens, lucky as well!!

I just adopted 3 semi-feral cats. They will live in our barn, and are being acclimated in a secure room until they get use to it. It’d be very nice if they could learn to love us as much as we love them already!

KITTEN: meeeooooow HUMAN: wiggles them KITTEN: oooo, dat stuf nice.

The 6 wk old feral that found my home yesterday always makes like I'm scary when I enter the room , then after 5 mins she's okay with me .

My daughter brought home a feral cat, well a feral kitten who is missing her tail. She hid for the first 24 hours under my couch, we gave her her space but when she was out and about we would give her love and food. Within 24 hours she was purring and loving up to us

I didn't know much of this when I'd taken in my cat a few years back, but while she's still very shy with people she doesn't know(she recognizes voices) but I got her comfortable around me by laying her up against my chest and gently 'petting' her with cat cleaning wipes, didn't take her long to be comfortable enough around me to pounce around, though it did take her twice as long to not hide as soon as someone else entered the room, though she loves my mom, since she was the only other person who actually put an effort into subtly introducing themselfs over a long period of time(read aloud in the room, doing some small tasks like sorting the file cabinet or working in the room to familiarize the cat hidden behind the curtain to her voice, and smell)

he seems very aware of the camera

Holy shit! Best of both worlds! Beautiful tatts on a beautiful woman and a kitten. Can't go wrong with that!

I signed up at a shelter to foster cats/kittens and last night received a long awaited call to take home some kittens. When I got there I was asked if I had ever handled feral kittens before ....no....they recommended I watch your video's. I have been watching you for some time and I am amazed at the work you do and the knowledge you share. I just finished watching "How to socialize hissy feral kittens". I am looking forward to getting these 3 beautiful babies ready for forever homes (but I will admit I love tuxedo kitties and may be a foster fail for one of them!). One is actually ,in my opinion, friendly or at least not too hissy, it has even meowed! One is very very hissy and the third is just very quite . I so want my fostering to be a huge success story and I know that by watching you I have a very good shot at that happening. Thank you so much for passing on all that you know to help others to help the kitties!

That kitten wiggle is going to help a lot! One of my cats can get quite tense and I would really like to be able to relax her and get her used to being held more.

Would of been great is KZfaq recommended this while I was trying to socialize ferral fosters! Lol. Do love this video anyway 😇

I do same ting but you are wonderful maa sha Allah GOD BLESS you

The Kitten Wiggle totally worked, I have a feral kitten that had to have a back leg amputated, so this little girl has been through hell already, but i wrapped her up and did the back and forth motion while petting her and she fell asleep purring up against my dog too! It really relaxed her. Thanks Hannah, you do wonderful work!