Kitten Rescue Update Week 3 😮‍💨

[u/CanHamRadio]

Posted initially almost 3 weeks ago. Girl was rescued along with her sister. They were both spayed at that time, and sister, who is the most loving kitten, is going to a home. This little girl was slotted for TNR but we took her on to try and socialize her.
Day 1: Frozen and some shaking. No hissing. Ate off spoon.
Day 2: Still mostly frozen. Hissing but tolerates pets.
Day 3: Seems more relaxed and meows for her family when we're not around, but we immediately respond to her with Churu, wet food, and pets. She licks Churu off the finger.
Day 4: About the same as day 3.

UPDATE:
Day 18 or so. Still in her aviary outside. Still hissing. Added a couple fast spits to her repertoire but it’s very infrequent. Video attached. I’m not sure where to go from here. Progress has been slow 😔

[u/Logical_consequences]

Keep her in. She's well on her way to taming up. Keep rubbing her neck and behind her ears. She's just scared.

[u/Upbeat-Asparagus-788]

Great progress! Keep it up, giving treats whenever you interact so she associates you with good things. 18 days isn't that long. She's made incredible progress. Thanks for helping her 💕

[u/Eastern-Protection83]

This is a slow process but that you've already had improvement is great news!

Is it possible to sit inside the aviary with her? While you knit, read, scroll on your phone fer an hour or 2 a day? To get her more used to your presence

[u/SeashellsAndCoral]

Ditto what the others said. Great progress , keep it up.

[u/Swimming-Maize-5554]

When I adopted my cats from a cat rescue, they were almost 8 months old, and they were not particularly tolerant of people; the rescue thought they could be socialized. It took almost 6 months before they started coming up to me voluntarily. Now, I can’t keep them off of the bed, one of them is almost always on my lap, or on the arm of my work chair, they come when I call their name, etc. Every cat takes its own timetable. Yours looks young enough that she is still be socialized, and is, in fact, making great progress on that. From the video, it almost appears that she was hissing at you to get you to pet her., It appears that when you did start petting her, she stopped.

[u/CanHamRadio → u/Swimming-Maize-5554]

thanks for this. I wish that she was hissing for pets. That’s usually not the case with her. This looked like a frightened hiss and sometimes we get a wrinkled nose hiss like an angry tiger 🙄

[u/DragonFlyCaller]

It’s all communication and you’re just learning her language. You’re doing amazing OP!!! Keep working with that sweet baby and she’ll come around… they always do💕

[u/madammidnight]

You’re doing great! Keep at it.

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[u/TemperatureTight2556]

I brought in a young feral, it is a very very slow process earning trust. Mine has been inside for 3 years and it’s only recently that stopped hiding when a lawn nearby is being mowed. She still hides when it rains. Mostly she sleeps next to me, on me, always very close to me.

[u/madammidnight]

See if she will take some roast chicken or other delicacy from your hand/fingers. Food has been my primary means of establishing trust with very fearful cats.

[u/CanHamRadio → u/madammidnight]

yep. she’s taken wet food off the finger since day one.

[u/Eastern-Protection83]

I was rewatchin your video here and thought to myself, where is her box? Kitties LOVE boxes! Its a small enclosure, they seem to feel safer in a tight box. Even if its jest a cardboard tray, its box shaped they will get in it. Their gravitation towards boxes is well documented with many, many memes. Place it in the corner on her perch and she will use it

[u/CanHamRadio → u/Eastern-Protection83]

Yep. The “Catio” has 2 built in boxes on level 1. She sometimes hangs in them. I try not to pet her there because you can only reach her from the front.

[u/Eastern-Protection83 → u/CanHamRadio]

Curious, I have no advice on it. But, what does she do to "play?" Do you spot her playin with a toy when she thinks nobody is watchin?

[u/CanHamRadio → u/Eastern-Protection83]

She does. I put a few toys in there in strategic places and they move. So she’s either playing when nobody’s looking or the Catio is haunted 😄. I try to play “string” with her but she’s not ready for interactive play.

[u/Eastern-Protection83 → u/CanHamRadio]

Ah thats good. So she is sneakily enjoyin herself when nobody is watchin... or theres a ghost - whom also could be sneakily enjoyin thmselves when nobody is watchin!

[u/Mindless_Proposal777]

❤️

[u/Tinisaurus]

I think you're doing really good. For some cats it takes longer. She's beautiful.

[u/CanHamRadio → u/Tinisaurus]

Funny. Her name is “Tina.” Terrible Tina at times but we’re also gonna run Tinasaurus up the flagpole.

[u/Tinisaurus → u/CanHamRadio]

I love it

[u/Eastern-Protection83]

I came across this from The Kitten Lady, hope it helps some: Helping a Feral Kitten Become Friendly (Step by Step How-To!)