TNR Handbook - Neighborhood Cats

The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
the alert for a possible scratch. Play with the kitten through the bars, too, with a Cat
Dancer or similar toy and give him lots of little treats – anything that gives him a positive
association with you is good. As his comfort level with you increases, initiate more open
contact. Eventually, when trust has been built up, move the kitten into a confined space
like the bathroom and carry on as described above.
The more contact feral kittens have with you, the faster they will socialize. This is
very important at the beginning of the socialization process when the kittens, especially
the younger ones, are liable to identify you as their surrogate parent. So play and talk
with them as often as you can. Interacting with them for short periods several times a day
is better than being with them for one long period and then leaving them alone the rest of
the time. It’s also important with feral kittens that multiple people handle them, if that’s
at all possible. This way, you avoid the risk of them only socializing to you and not
being adoptable to others.
There are a variety of other methods for socializing kittens and it’s a good idea to
read up on them and find what works for you. Two other resources include the
following:
1) “Taming Feral Kittens,” a fact sheet by Alley Cat Allies. Available on their
website (www.alleycat.org – click on “Resources.”)
2) “Taming Feral Kittens,” an article by the Feral Cat Coalition of San Diego.
Available on their website (www.feralcat.com.)
Even young kittens who quickly learn to become house cats will usually still retain
some feral characteristics, such as extra-sensitivity to changes in their environment and
more than the usual fear of leaving their territory when you move or take them to the
veterinarian. These behaviors may stay with them their entire lives, should be anticipated
and, if possible, prepared for in ways that will lessen their stress.
• Socializing feral adults
Should you try?
Socializing a feral teenager (older than 3 to 4 months of age) or feral adult can be a
time-consuming, difficult task with uncertain results. The older the cat, the more likely
he will socialize only to a certain degree and then only to the person taming him and not
to anyone else. Whether you should attempt socialization depends on several factors.
The first consideration is the context in which you’re working. Are you caring for
one group of cats only or are you setting standards for a citywide feral cat organization?
If your target area is the community as a whole and not just your own backyard, then
allocating resources to socializing feral adults can take away from your group’s ability to
neuter and care for other street cats. In addition, most communities are euthanizing
already friendly, domestic cats who can’t find homes. Having a policy of socializing
feral cats could mean even fewer spots for friendly cats already in the system. On the
other hand, if your focus is on the one colony you are the caretaker for, these types of
considerations are not as pressing.
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