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When they’re verycomfortable with your pettingthem, which again can take a fewdays, you can start to pick themup. Once again, increase thecontact slowly. At first, only liftthem up slightly off the ground fora second or two. When they’re okwith that, hold them a bit longer.Eventually, place them on yourlap, but don’t force them to staythere if they want to jump off.photo: Meredith WeissContinue increasing contact untilthey’re lying in your lap and purring as you stroke them. The length of this process –from physical contact during play to petting to holding at length – will depend on thetemperament and age of the kitten. It’s an excellent strategy, if you’re able, to involvemore than one person in the process so the kittens don’t socialize only to yourself. Onceothers can hold them and they enjoy it, the socialization is complete.Another technique besides play for teaching feral kittens to touch and be touched isbribing them with food. Start off putting some very smelly and tasty food, like tuna, on aplate and let them eat it undisturbed while you remain at a distance. Next time, placeyour hand a foot or so away. Let the kittens come and eat the tuna without moving yourhand. Each time you put the food down, move your hand a little closer. After the kittensare eating with your hand only inches away, start putting the tuna on a plastic spoon, holdit out and let them lick it off. Once they’re doing that, then sit on the floor and put thespoon on your knee (while wearing pants). After they’ve gotten comfortable eating whiletouching you, put the food on a plate in your lap. When they’re fearlessly standing onyour leg and eating off a plate in your lap, you can start touching them. Just as with theplay method, start slowly with a brief stroke or two and gradually increase the amount ofcontact until you’re able to hold and lift them.If you have a litter of kittens who are especially wild, try working with them one-ononeinstead of letting all the kittens out at once to play with each other. This way you’llgrab each one’s full attention as they play or eat tasty treats.With a particularly fearful kitten who resists these methods, try wrapping him in atowel (to immobilize him), then put him in your lap and pet him on the head and over thetowel. Start off doing this briefly and, over the course of several days, slowly increasethe time period he’s held. When he’s comfortable and appears to enjoy the touching,then you can try doing it without the towel.Another method for very wild kittens is to start them off in a smaller cage (like 36" Lx 21" W x 24" H) instead of a larger space like a big play pen or bathroom. Put a litterbox and a small, open cardboard box inside the cage and some toys. Once the kitten isused to his surroundings, which may take a day or two, use a back scratcher or a long,soft-haired paint brush to reach through the bars and touch him. He may hiss and reactpoorly at first, but eventually he’ll realize it feels good and start to purr. At this point,you can try using your fingers through the bars, though be on the alert in case he tries toscratch you. Play with the kitten through the bars, too, with a Cat Dancer or similar toy138