I picked up a very wild stray kitten just about an hour ago....need help?

Question

I picked up a helpless kitten about an hour ago on a back country road. I saw it this morning when my husband almost hit it while driving. When we came back through this afternoon, it's sibling was dead in the road along with a hawk. I didn't see the first kitten then, so tonight I went back and there it was crying out beside the dead kitten. I didn't have any catfood but a couple slices of ham. So I lured it to me. It attacked my son when he picked it up, bit him on the thump pretty hard. I put it in a box to bring home and a cage once we got here. I really would like to keep this kitten but I don't know how to make it tame. It won't let me close enough to pet it. I have small children so I'm concerned. I don't even know for sure if it's male or female. Does anyone have any thoughts on getting a wild kitten used to humans?

Answer 1

Its possible it isn't even as wild as you think it is. When they're scared they act like wild, mean, little maniacs; but once they figure out you aren't a threat they relax.

Feed it, give it water, but don't make any moves to do anything much else. It may have been particularly upset because maybe it hadn't eaten or was otherwise scared. Usually, very little tiny kittens (5/6 weeks) are happy to just be held, so if this one is spunky I'm assuming its older and old enough to be afraid.

You should bring it for shots, of course, because you need to know it won't give anyone rabies. A vet could look it over and make sure it doesn't have parasites.

I would think that about a day or so after you have the kitten around it will start to realize you aren't a threat. Even then, though, it may still be a little on edge. Just let it see you put water down, and let it see you put the food down. Let is have a place where it can be alone and calm a good part of the time (I don't mean all day, but it needs a chance to be able to get away from any children for a few hours.) Let is also walk around and get to know your house. They walk around and smell everything for a while.

Talk to it in a very soft, gentle, voice - either soothing or cheerful and nice.

Of course, I don't know what the kitten has been through or whether it has some permanent "issue", but if its just a matter of its being scared it should start to come out from any hiding places and kind of snoop around (maybe) tomorrow or the next day. You probably won't have to "walk on eggs" around the kitten for too long, but for now watch that the children don't do anything that would scare the kitten. If they're big enough, let them put food down for the kitty too.

I don't know how old the kitten is or whether it should be on kitten food, but I have found that "people tuna" makes cats calmer. If the kitten is big enough a little people tuna just as a treat (not its meals) may help.

My son (grown) has a cat, and every year or so I end up taking it while he goes somewhere. It is generally a sweet cat that is well cared for, but when it comes to my house it knows I have a cat of my own and always goes through the "edgy" (beyond "edgy") stage for the first day its here. I know she knows my house by now, and she knows where I put the litter box and food - but she acts like she needs to get used to me every time. She'll go under the bed and if I look for her she'll do that horrible, low, growl they do. You would think she is wild. My point is the kitten may simply be afraid and not used to you or your children. That's why I it may not be as wild as you think.

If its a kitten young enough to still have been with its sibling it was either born recently in the wild or else living with people until it was left out there. If it hasn't been out living for months and months in the wild there's a good chance it doesn' t yet have "wild" behavior.

Just let it know you folks are kind and gentle, and let it decide when it doesn't need to be hostile any longer. If it feels safe and sees you offering it food it will most likely relax and no longer be afraid.

Answer 2

If you have a small room like a laundry room or bathroom where you can put him that would be best. Make sure to put in a litterbox, some food and water, plus someplace soft to sleep. Do you have a nightlight for the room so it's not completely in the dark all the time? (Mine doesn't have a window)

If the kitten appears to be very young (less than 6 weeks), you will need to go to the store and get some KMR (kitten milk replacement). It's basically kitten formula. The kitten will need the vitamins and minerals that are provided in the formula. It's about $13 for a cannister, but should last quite a few days if you are just feeding one kitten .....(I was feeding it to 7 kittens). I bought mine at Walmart, but they also sell it a places like Petsmart, Petco and probably even your local feed store. Put it out in a small shallow dish -- a saucer works great. It he is so young that he doesn't know how to lap, put some on his nose and he will lick it off. You may have to gently stick his nose into it a couple times so he can figure it out.

Otherwise you can feed it soft canned food or even kitten chow softened up with a bit of water or KMR. Make sure you get kitten chow .... again, additional nutrients plus it's easier for the kitten to chew.

Visit the kitten in the room you have provided several times a day. Talk quietly and don't move too fast. It will take a few days, but he should warm up to his new loving family soon. After a few days, let it out to explore your home -- best if you can shut off all but a couple rooms such as the kitchen and family room. Do it at a time that is fairly quiet. Be fair warned that the kitten MAY have an accident or two while it's getting used to his new home --- if it's too busy in your household, he may not feel safe enough to get back to his litter box. But within a few days, you will have a kitten purring and wanting to snuggle up with you.

Meanwhile, place another litterbox where you want it to be and show it to the kitten. Scratch his feet in it. Best if you can manage to do this about 20 minutes after he eats. Then slowly move the secluded room litter box to the same location as the preferred location. For a few weeks, you can use something as simple as a foil pan (get mine from the Dollar Store) for a litterbox. Then they get too big for the pan.

Then once you get him tamed, you can take him to the vet for the needed shots and worming. Please be a responsible pet owner and have him fixed when he's about 6 months old.

Enjoy ....

Answer 3

You are going to have to watch it carefully and keep the children away from it. The poor thing has lost the only natural support (the sibling) that it had. You need to get some canned cat food tomorrow for her. Please get some good stuff for her and don't just pick up cheap grocery store food and I realise that may not be possible with all your other responsibilities. But make sure it is meat, not dry food.

If you can get to a health foods store get some Bach Rescue Remedy. Call before you go to make sure they have it. You can mix three to four drops in her serving of food. It will really help her to settle down and heal the trauma of her loss and fears. It is about $20. Keep giving it to her on a regular basis for the next week. When you get so you can touch her you can just shake the bottle well and put some drops on her fur.

She should be in a warm, quiet place. Talk to her softly and keep the children away from her right now. Let them take little peeks and talk softly to her too.

I am concerned about your son's thumb. I hope she didn't get a deep puncture bite to him. The puncture wounds of the cat drive staph bacteria from the surface of his skin deep into the body and he may get a serious infection. So watch it closely. One of my cats got a good bite on me last week when I was giving her a pill and there was some redness for a couple of days as she didn't get too deep. So I hope that is the worst that will happen to him.

Kittens do come round and she will quiet down. Don't neglect the RR. It will really be very effective in helping her to settle down and relieve her emotional stress and move her socialization along more quickly.

Answer 4

Number 1: Take it to a vet... it could be sick and most strays are.

Number 2: If you want to tame it, lock it in the house and provide a kitty litter. Be patient when it messes on the carpet. Handle it every day even if it is terrorfied of you... handling an animal in my expierence is the best way to domesticate and tame them.

A lot of people think feeding kittens milk is good... dont do it, it can make it violently sick and give it colic, and I think milk can cause bacteria to flourish in it's guts.

I really recommend you take it to the vet. If the vet says it is too sick or whatever, do the right thing and have the poor thing euthanised. Some people give kittens away to people who simply ddont care and will abuse it, meaningfully or not. Sometimes the kindest thing can be to euthanise an animal that is stray or may not survive.

Good on you :)

Answer 5

Wow, that's quite a rescue story! The poor kitten is terrified that you want to hurt it, like something hurt its littermate. All this guy needs is time, I promise. If it is still a kitten, that means it can and will get used to people, with patience! Just give it a small, quiet safe place to calm down (like a bathroom), and visit with it in this space every few hours. Make sure a bed of some sort, food, litterbox and water are all close by. It needs to start with as little as possible to adjust to and then when he seems ready, you can let him explore the rest of the house. Don't let it out, or it will run. And give it a few days, at least, before you bring it to the vet, if you can wait. Good for you for being willing to save his life and keep him! His love and gratitude will come once he learns you are his new family.

Answer 6

The best way is through food. Feed it often and it'll learn to trust you. I once had a ferel cat that had been part of a hoarder's collection. She never tamed, but her 6 month old kitten turned out just fine. Cage it if you have to until it is more trusting of you. Keep the kids away for awhile, or at least teach them not to touch it. Try putting the cat in a high traffic area like the kitchen on bathroom. And talk to it often.

Answer 7

I just got a stray kitten. She was vey skiddish too Rememer that it is a wild cat now so it will take time. We placed food and water with a litter box in one room and kept the kitten in there for a could days to get used to it/. We would go check on her and spend time in the room at little bits at a time and gradually longer andlonger. She grew to trust us and then started eating. After she woudl eat, each time we placed her in the litter box and tool her paws to scrath- she picked it up quickly. After a could of days we opened her to a bigger section of the upstairs, had her get used to that and then the rest of the house. We have people over( we have no kids yet) to get her used to more human contact. I think you should just b patient and go slow with her remembering her instincts being a cat. The kids will want to be slow with her too. She will come around. I would not feed it ham or meat anymore-but change to catfood.

Also, take her to the vet quickly to check for parasites and worms, etc. They will also have some insight for you as well.

Good luck!

Answer 8

Right now, the kitten is freaking out. His/her sibling was killed by a hawk, almost hit by a car, and who knows where the mother is. For now, just keep the kitten in a room alone, and make sure there's food and water in there. The thing with kittens is that they need to be socialized a great deal before they hit six weeks old. From the sound of it, your kitten is a little too old, but don't give up.

Keep giving the kitten food and water, just make sure it's kitten chow, not adult food. Kitty needs all the nutrients she can get, and when she realizes that the food isn't going anywhere, she'll settle down. Just sit down in the room with her and don't touch her unless she comes to you, and don't grab her. If she climbs in your lap, pet her, but only if touching her doesn't send her off your lap and under the couch.

It will take time. Give it your best shot, but if she keeps attacking your kids, I hate to say it, but you'll have to take her to the pound.

Answer 9

First off it would be very wise to get this kitten to a vet.. It could have distemper, or some other ailment from being in the wild. It sounds like the kitten also has experienced a traumatic experience, so it will take time and patience to get it to come around. We took in a wild cat once..He was weak and had been severely abused. We tamed him by giving him food, milk, and letting him decide when he wanted to come to us.. We always talked gently to him, and approached him slowly. We made a place on the deck for him to sleep. It took about a week, for him to take food from our hands, and for him to trust us enough to let us pet him.. It was a month before he acted like a normal cat..(playing, snuggling, and keeping himself clean).. But in the long run, it was well worth it.. He was a wonderful pet for many years til he passed on.

Answer 10

You are an absolutely wonderful person for caring that much. I have had quite a few ferel cats over the years, a good dozen, at least, since i was little. my mom collected strays and that started me on it. Most were kittens, and all of them turned into absolute angels w/time and love. Well, all but Bucky, but he just didnt let me touch him, & he would get into my moms lap & curl up,so it was probably just me. A vet examis imperative, though. you dont want to go to all the trouble of taming it& getting attached, only to find out it isnt going to live long. It does happen, i had a full grown cat, not ferel, show up at the front door of my work on a snowy night at 1 a.m. (and i work at the front desk in a strip club, which made that quite odd),and i had him for about 2 months, then one day he was just lethargic, took him right to the vet, but he died w/in 3 hours of acting that way. Nothing prior to that indicated that he wasnt totally healthy, either. but i wish i had taken him in to the vet sooner, maybe that would have kept him alive, even. never know, though.