And with your love and care, they'll be socialized little angels too.

They're gorgeous now.

I admire people like you.

The little black one looks so much like the kitten I rescued last summer, found him in a grocery store parking lot on my way home one night and he's growing into a beautiful cat. These little ones were so fortunate to have found you. I'm sure they'll come around before long, with you looking after them...

I sit next to their dish of food, about an arm's length away. They come up to it and eat some(in between playing) and I try to pet them on their backs. Mostly they shy away, but don't go to far. Certainly not to the far corner where they were at the beginning of the week. and sometimes I can pet their backs as they are playing. Little by little I'll get them used to me.

They still hiss, especially if I have just come into their room. It takes a lot of patience!

And, seeing the pix, I can picture the little ones. They are just the cutest things and it sounds like you've already made progress. Sitting by their food has got to make a difference. Learning that you're the feeder has got to make a difference too, eventually. I imagine it takes a great deal of patience, but each time you make progress has to be so satisfying and totally worth it...

I had only the one, said earlier that I found him last summer. He's still a little skittish, but a totally different kitty than the one I first brought home. He's not exactly a lap cat - yet - but he actually likes being petted now, and that's real progress from the beginning.

Like a special treat, maybe he will jump into your lap for that.

One of my cats, the brown tabby, loves to be brushed, so the sight of her brush makes her come over. The longhair wants one ten- minute time per day on my lap, where she kneads and purrs, and then she's done! The third, Eddie the orange tabby, will snooze for long periods just for the warmth and companionship. He's the only one of the three who doesn't mind scary noises on TV like sirens, so will stay through them.

These are 2 of my 3 old 12 yr olds who were born inside my house and handled from birth.

We have 3 Formerly Feral Felines ( all black/grey tabby stripes) from same MomCat living with us now. All 3 have become wonderfully sweet kitties. It just takes time. The two younger ones lived on our screened porch for most of last summer. The one who let us handle him came inside first and a couple of weeks later the female just pranced into the house, following my husband who had gone out to feed her. Both have never indicated they would have any desire to go back outside.

Fortunately MomCat has been trapped,spayed and returned to the neighborhood. We see her occasionally but a neighbor told me she comes to eat with the ferals that they feed.

I saw a video online that recommends using food as the incentive to getting them to come close. Slowly you work at getting closer and closer to them while they eat it, and begin petting them while they eat, and eventually get them onto your lap to eat. I'm going to get some baby food chicken--supposed to be irresistible and you can get them to lick it off your finger.

Anything else I can try? Where they are at now is they will play with me in the room, and if I stand up they run and hide most of the time. They will play with a toy with me (something on a string), as long as I'm sitting down. I have not really tried using food--have just put it down for them and waited for them to come out to get it.

Unfortunately because they need meds twice a day, I have had to grab them and hold them and give it to them, which probably makes them more scared. They sit quietly while on my lap though--just don't like the process of being picked up, and are happy to get down again. They are getting healthier now, though, and eating better and keeping themselves cleaner, so I'm not having to hand-feed or bathe them--and that's progress.

The video said that after 8 weeks old it gets a lot harder to tame them. These guys must have been right on the borderline--maybe 7 weeks when rescued, and 8 weeks when I got them, so it may take a while. I don't know how much socialization they got during that week in the shelter.

If you can figure out what makes them purr, go for that, until they get over their colds.

There might be something useful for you here: http://www.alleycat.org/page.aspx?pid=292

Best of luck--very cute little kittens.

I would love to hear them purr....

Dat works. Must be boo talk. Low voice, consistent. I have a neighbor whose two cats will run to me when I visit because I have boo talked with them.

Dey also flop ober, and gib me da bellies!!!

Durn! Too cute!!

Start by dropping a bit in front of you. Next try opening your hand with a bit of it in your palm.

Animals learn by watching. If you have (or can borrow) a cat that loves to be petted, do it. When they see another cat lapping up all that attention, they will do it too eventually.

We are in process of socializing a husky puppy, very smart dog but not trained. We'd try giving her a treat, she wouldn't sit or lie down, kept jumping to grab it out of her hand (with razor sharp teeth!). But when we had her watch our other well-trained dog, she got the idea right away. She still only does "sit" and "down" for maybe a second, but it's a start.

You could also offer something like a catnip toy.

And you, my fellow DUer are an absolute

Big from another one cat lover to another.

The kittens are adorable and that ring with the ball in it is a winner even when they get older. I think you're making remarkable progress considering you've only had them 5 days, right? You are also their second stop, so there's that to consider. I predict when they're off their medicine and can be handled for affection only, you'll be their unconditional Mama. Are you going to keep all of them? You sure seem like an ideal owner. Good luck with them.

We have three of our own. Unless one particular kitten comes along that mine just love, etc.--I'll plan on taking them back when the time comes. I have to keep in mind that they are only "rentals" and will go back.

You are probably right about the meds, although they are getting better with that. I make sure I follow it with a bit of something good. They like the yogurt mixed with powdered kitten milk replacer that I'm using to get some probiotics into their systems.

If I can sneak up while they are playing and gently pick one up, and not have to grab them roughly from under the furniture, that's to the good.

I am now able to stroke their backs as they eat, so maybe soon I will be "Mama". Once in my lap they will sit quietly for a while, enjoying being petted before jumping down again. Still no purrs!

I'm such a failed foster myself ~ I have seven cats to testify to that fact. I've had cats all my life, 70 years, so when our oldest one died when he was 17, my husband and I started fostering. We became so attached, we just couldn't give them up. I was sane 5 cats ago, lol.

Five--you are most definitely a failed foster caregiver! I know how it is though-- I still think of a few of them who touched my heart and hope they are doing okay. Were they kittens or adult cats when you got them?

One thing that helps me give them back is that knowing by three months old they will be little hellions and tearing the place apart! This happened last fall when a litter had to stay to get over a very contagious virus. I had to take down the curtains, block off rooms, hide the plants, etc.

They usually go back at two months. These four will be older, so we'll have to kitten-proof the house again when we let them out into the house once they are ready. First they need to be well (not contagious to my cats), and socialized enough to come when I call or bang the food dish.

All the cats we have fostered were past that 'cute' stage and were considered 'unadoptable'. At my age, I would never take in any that I didn't think I would be able to see through to their trip to the Rainbow Bridge. Older cats in shelter environments just do not do well, but we give them all the space they need and have really had no problems with their little quirks.

Senior cats have just as much, if not more love to give, as you know!

Older cats can take a long time to find their new forever homes, while kittens and young cats come and go.

of a wonderful no-kill shelter. There was one cat who looked so sad in his picture I instantly called about him. The foster said he was an older kitty who had seen a very hard life and then been abandoned in the winter. He had lost all of one ear and half of the other to frostbite. She also said that in the year he had been with her I was the first person who had called about him. I broke down crying after I hung up the phone and knew that he was the cat for me.

He actually came out and said hi, a little skittishly, when I went to see him. He hid for a couple of weeks until he realized that I was the only living critter in the house and that it was safe to go anywhere he felt like going. I had to meow at him for a few weeks before he started to meow back, but he got some of his cattitude back over time. I spoiled him, taught him it was cool to sleep on the bed and Max was a wonderful cat for five years and two weeks before kidney failure got him at about 17, per the vet.

When I had my house, I helped out a local cat shelter. I think I had 15 living with me at one time, including my own.
And yes, I was a big time foster failure. Adopted too many. Very important work, though.
I do remember the statistic that one mama cat and her offspring will result in 500,000 more cats in just 7 years. Insane. Spay and neuter your pets!
So much fun, though! I would always tell people at the shelter, when you have a pair of kittens, you don't Need cable. You've got 24/7 Kitty Cam!

Ägain, good work in rhe Feline sommunity! 😼

And these four make 41. Out of those, two kittens died over the two years I've been doing this. Which is probably par for the course.

The one cat we adopted was from the shelter but not one of my fosters. I think it just got so quiet during the winter when there were no kittens that we wanted to liven things up around here. My older females, 10 and 12 weren't enough. So we adopted Eddie, a young orange male cat and he's just like a kitten in a lot of ways. Filled that gap!

I think if I hadn't had my husband here stopping me, I'd have become a crazy cat lady by now with six or more!

for the support from all of you. I don't come to this forum to receive praise--just to talk about something I'm interested in. Your comments and experiences help encourage me to carry on. So thanks!

I have been feeding and caring for these guys for almost a week now. Today I laid down on the floor in their room, and started talking to and petting Ziggy, the black one. He had been the most fearful, hissy and hiding one.

Well he started to purr!! Pretty soon he was snuggling up to me and purring, sniffing my hair, trying to get close. This is the first time any of them have approached me--best I had done before is that they allowed me to pet them at arm's length, or let me pet them on my lap once I had picked them up.

Soon all four were on me as though I were a mama cat--snuggling, purring, climbing on me,playing with me! I could hardly believe it. I think what was key is that I was lying down and they were able to get right near my face and alongside my body. They started rooting around on each other's fur looking to nurse, while purring, and then I knew I was in--I had become Mama cat.

They may forget and be afraid again, but I know this is a big step forward. The first time they wanted to come close to me and enjoy being petted, scratched and loved. The look of contentment on their faces was just priceless. That's why I do this.

And those four break the squee meter to pieces.

Kitty love is the best!

i was doing this and then i saw a post on DK where another person was also doing it-

Make up a song for them, with their names in it, and sing over and over and over...it worked with my older girl who was not feral, but abandoned in the winter by her people who moved away and left her to starve, freeze and get pregnant....she had bad PTSD but eventually got over it and she loved her song where i sang her praises lol...she became just like the song...

And my boy kitty was feral, found sick and abandoned in a garage...now healthy strong and wonderful...his ears always pick up when i sing to him(and i have a HORRIBLE singing voice)...apparently cats are not as judgmental as people lol..

Good luck and bless you

I will try singing.