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Here is a wish list Amazon link for feeding this feral cat colony:
Here you can see about a month-old kitten playing behind the fence at one of our local cat communities.
This kitten was born and has been growing on this concrete floor, never interacting with people.
Give it another couple of weeks, and the kitten will be fast to run and hide.
So... I picked up this kitten on the first occasion the kitten came to try the dry food we left for the adult cats.
We set up a place in our second restroom for the kitten to stay on quarantine.
Put my old sock for the kitten to get used to my smell.
The first thing we noticed was that this kitten has some eye infection - it's common among feral cats.
We are going to schedule a visit to a vet clinic anyway.
Meanwhile, we can keep the kittens’ eyes clean.
Here you can see the troubling eye.
The kitten is very cute and absolutely not scared of people.
5-week-old kitten is like a toddler, does not understand the danger yet.
It's a girl.
A very good girl.
We have to be very careful not to spread any infection from this feral kitten to our cats.
At this young age, the kitten needs the help of the mother cat to stay clean.
We use Hydrating Aloe Vera Pet wipes designed for cleaning pets.
Buy pet wipes on Amazon (paid link):
Feed the kitten with specially formulated wet food for kittens.
Buy kittens wet food on Amazon (paid link):
We want the kitten to trust us.
Holding the kitten during first feedings is one of the easiest ways to build long-lasting trust.
Wrap the kitten in a soft towel or blanket to make it feel comfortable and safe during feeding.
This is how we are going to feed the kitten 4-5 times a day.
Shape the food to make it easier for the kitten to pick it up.
Serve as much food for each meal as the kitten can eat.
The 5-week-old feral kitten that grew up on concrete figured out the purpose of the litter box on the first nature call.
The little kitten-girl has very healthy digging instincts.
She did what she had to do in the litter box on the first try!
We still keep the whole floor covered with absorbing pads until the kitten learns to use the litter box for sure.
Some old clothes to keep her warm and a bunch of toys for her to play with.
And playful kitten she is - very playful :)
We left an open pet carrier with a soft pet pillow inside to make a nest for her to sleep in.
It is the same pet carrier she will go into a vet clinic and eventually to her new owner’s house.
Essentially, it is her new house - and she already feels comfortable in it.
Sweet dreams, baby.
Every morning starts with a nice breakfast.
Schedule your day to make 4-5 meals for the kitten in about 3-hour intervals between meals.
Wipe clean the kitten as necessary.
Spend as much time as you can after meals playing gently and talking softly to the kitten to get used to being around people.
Avoid making loud sounds and fast movements that may scare the kitten.
It took two days for the kitten to poop for the first time after we brought it home.
I suppose the change in the diet caused the pooping delays.
We are all happy to see good, solid poop - one of the indicators of the kittens’ good health :)
Changing dirty litter as necessary is one of the daily chores.
Tight up and clean the place at least once a day.
You can see the kitten enjoys it too.
She is a very cute kitten :)
Here you can see another feral cats community with a 7-week-old kitten.
This kitten was born and has been living under rocks, never interacting with people.
The 7-week-old kitten already understands danger and knows to run and hide.
We brought the kitten home in the middle of the night.
This kitten tried to bite, scratch, and resisted getting in the bag as much as she could.
A couple of weeks’ difference in the age of kittens makes a huge difference in their abilities and understanding of danger.
She is very scared.
We gave her a cozy towel and let her be until morning.
The younger kitten came to check on her.
The towel is... well, it’s a poor substitute for the warmth of your mom, but it's way better than cold rocks.
Okay girls, try to get some sleep now.
When I woke up a couple of hours later, the kittens were already together.
And... apparently the new kitten vomited the remains of whatever leftovers of pigeon her mom cat shared with her.
Good morning, sweetheart.
You can see that she is still scared and doesn’t trust me yet.
That's alright, let's get to know each other.
You see, it feels good.
Now let's clean you up.
I like your big paws.
Remember to speak softly and move gently around kittens.
First feeding.
I wrapped the kitten for feeding in the same soft towel she already knows.
Holding feral kittens during feedings helps to build mutual trust.
She ate two servings of specially formulated for kittens wet food.
We feed both kittens at the same time.
5 meals a day every 3 hours or so.
I use full-spectrum LED lights imitating a day-night cycle in the room for kittens.
We named this gray 5-week-old kitten Mia.
And this, about 7-weeks-old kitten, we will call Leah.
The kittens have striking difference in their behavior, as you can see.
It would take time for the older kitten, Leah, to get used to being around people.
But the 5-week-old kitten Mia seems to be doing fine.
Look how playful Mia is.
The more time kittens spend with people in the first weeks, the faster they learn to trust.
And of course, every kitten has a different attitude.
Oh my-my... look at this.
Leah likes to be patted :)
The days go by fast between feedings, cleaning, and playing.
Mia starts contemplating ways to get over the fence.
Our much older kittens are kind of obnoxious about new kittens in the house.
It's going to take time for everyone to get used to each other.
Our cats get excited every time we set up their old playpen in our living room.
They grow up in this playpen, and it is associated with all the good childhood memories for them.
Three days since we brought Leah home, we are moving both kittens into the playpen.
Everything will fit in the playpen, and the kittens will have more space to play.
Check my previous videos about this playpen.
All necessary fits in, and there is more space for kittens to run around.
Kittens are safe to stay in this playpen for weeks and months to follow.
The roof can be closed as well when no one is watching.
Our older cats have different opinions about new kittens in the playpen.
Both kittens are having a great time running around in the spacious playpen.
Mia definitely feeling at home :)
We brought a flat rock from the place where Leah was seen playing with her mother.
Let's put the rock in the playpen.
Yes, Leah, this rock from your homeland is for you.
There is no science about homesickness for feral cats.
Judge it yourself.
This cold rock seems to be the best pillow among all for both kittens.
Surprisingly, Mia, the younger kitten born and grown on a concrete floor, is even more fond of the rock than Leah.
It is Mias' rock, no doubts about it!
Kittens enjoy playing with different toys.
And honestly, the simpler the toys, the more fun they are for kittens.
A string, cord, or shoelace attached to a stick works great.
More importantly, you, the person taking care of kittens, need to spend time playing with them.
The more time you spend with kittens, the better relations you will have.
Relations grow quickly into mutual attachment and love.
Looking at Mia now, I would never guess that it's been about a week since we got her from the street.
Only her attachment to the rock is all that remains from her past.
Well, of course, we still have to visit the vet clinic.
Meantime, a plastic zip-tie makes another good example of a simple toy kittens enjoy playing with.
Use different toys to keep kittens engaged throughout the day.
Older Lia also shows her affection for the rock.
Both kittens learnt the feeding routine in a matter of the first couple of days.
And now Lia is already much calmer getting into the hands for feeding.
We keep feeding kittens with different types of specially formulated wet food for kittens.
Healthy wet food promotes healthy growth for kittens.
And healthy kittens they are growing :)
We keep the roof of the playpen open only when we interact with kittens.
Both kittens are getting noticeably stronger every day.
And Mia is very fond of her rock :)
It's been a week since we got Leah, and a couple more days for Mia.
Looking at them now, one would never guess that they are feral kittens.
They eat, play, and socialize with us just like any other kittens born in a house with people.
Both kittens are already scheduled for a check-up and vaccination at a vet clinic.
After that, kittens will be ready to have fun exploring our home.
Please ask questions in the comments and share your experience with feral kittens.
We love them.
Life is good.
Have fun and happy kittens :)
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