My new feral kitten won't leave the bedroom. How can I socialize her?

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.

Since the kittens are still under a pound, they are probably only about a month old, so you still have time to socialize them. The most important socialization time frame is up to about 8 weeks of age, and it is important for them to learn social skills from their siblings, so I would recommend keeping them together for another month if possible. Hopefully, the 2 that are more fearful will learn from the affectionate one. Do not force any of them to interact with you (unless medically necessary). Try to make them associate you with good things like food and play. Sometimes you can get feral kittens to be willing to play with you before they would ever be willing to allow you to touch them. Don't give up on the shy baby or the more feral one yet. Continue to try to find a way to interact with them that they like, then build their trust from there. Good luck! Please let me know if that helped. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and being a good foster parent.

If this was a semi feral cat it may take many months to years for it to come out and be social. Some cats enjoy being pet when they are eating, and some don’t like to be handled at all. She needs to be patient and not push. Gradually the cat will feel more secure and confident and Hopefully will want to be around people. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you get answers to your veterinary questions.

Moving into a new home can be very stressful for kittens - since she has only been with you for 4-5 days, it's likely that she's still adjusting and getting settled. It will take time for her to feel safe and comfortable in your home, so I would be patient for now and give her plenty of time to adjust. You can try using Feliway pheromone diffusers around the house to help make her feel more at-ease, as well as a natural calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure if she seems anxious.

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

I would recommend trying Feliway products to help de-stress the environment. You can also try a melatonin supplement to help calm Tor. I recommend using Naturvet Quiet Moments with Melatonin Calming Chews, which you can pick up at your local Petco. I hope this helps! You may also consider taking her out and socializing her with your friends and exposing her to more people. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

She is very unlikely to come out until she boosts get confidence, so earning her trust in the bedroom is most likely to be beneficial. It can be very helpful to confine on a half covered crate with bed and litter tray and handle frequently when offering small meals so she builds positive associations with you and uses tray