My foster kitten is feral. How can I get it to socialize and trust me?

If she is older than 16 weeks then she may never really be much more social. However, if she is younger than 16 weeks then it is still possible that she will become more social. Give her time, lots of treats, and allow her to slowly gain trust. You may want to get a tall cat tree in the family room and put her on top. She can be up and safe but still be “getting used” to another room. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Make sure she has her own safe space so she doesn’t become overly stressed (a large dog crate with food, water and litter box is perfect). Make sure all meal times are interactive and distract with food or treats when you’re trying to make physical contact. Take it slow and eventually she will become used to you being around. This website has some good tips: http://www.urbancatleague.org/TamingFerals

Hello. The biggest milestone will be the introduction of solid food & stopping genital stimulation to encourage eliminations at three weeks of age. A kittens world will really open up at this point, so it is important to protect them from wandering too far, falling down stairs, or becoming injured by older pets or children. Otherwise, just keeping the kittens together until a minimum of 7 weeks of age will allow them to learn boundaries about rough play, biting & scratching, things their mother would help with. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

You will have to take your time and be extremely patient with them. You could try to feed them close to you and then slowly move the feeding bowl closer to you after a few days so they get used to being around you and trusting you. You could also try some Feliway spray or diffuser and see if that helps, too. Hopefully with some time they will let you actually touch and pet them.

Hi there. The socialization time for kittens is about 8-16 weeks. So if you are still within that window then I think you may be able to make some big progress. However, if she is older then she may still learn to trust you and be less scared,but she probably will never be as social and accepting of humans. Be slow and patient and she will come around! Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

While you can't predict how any cat would react, I would avoid adding stress to both your feral cat, and you, and a new cat until everyone is settled in and comfortable in your home. This would introduce a lot stress to everyone which may lead to increased behavioral issues, or may cause your feral cat to not bond with you as closely. Once your feral cat has settled in some and seems more comfortable, you can then re-evaluate if a kitten would be a good addition to the home.

From your description, I wonder if Nala is a feral kitten. A feral kitten is a kitten that is born to a cat who lives outside and is essential wild without very much human contact. The general rule is that if feral kittens are taken away from their mom by the age of 10 weeks that they can get used to humans and become well socialized. If they do not have human contact until after 10 weeks of age, then that can be much more difficult. I would ask your friend where Nala came from and get more information on her situation. In the meantime, I would not push Nala to have any more contact than she is comfortable with. Let her hide and come out when she is ready to. I would also consider adding a Feliway Diffuser ( https://www.feliway.com/us#redirected ) to your house to decrease stress. This is a calming pheromone that will work for a month. I have also had luck with Rescue Remedy ( http://www.bachflower.com/rescue-remedy-pet/ ) which can be added to the water. I would try to find toys that she can play with herself that do not involve you if that stresses her out. You may find some good ideas on this website. https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats Good luck! I hope that was helpful and gives you some ideas. Thanks for using PetCoach.