What is a wild kitten age limit at which you can domesticate it?

Question

Hi,outside my home are 2 wild kittens with their mother which is very wild.The kittens are about 4 month old and they do hiss wen you come close.About 2 weeks ago I start to let them come in the kitchen where they eat and sleep,while their mother was coming and pull them out from the kitchen.Amazing!The mother is VERY VERY protective.Once she charge at me and I got peaty scared.Anyway I used to feed them from my hand but for the past 2 weeks they disappeared and I start to ask the neighbors about them and by "miracle" they start to come back.Probably some one kept them locked.I think that for as long their mother is around I have no chance to domesticate them if its not to late.It is ok to separate them if the mother is so protective?I love the kittens, their mother loves them too, but I can offer them more(a warm house, plenty of good food, etc.).What to do?To take them when they come eat in the kitchen and keep them locked until they forgot their mother?Also we have to move soon.

Thank you all very much for the time spend answering my question.
One more thing: if I do take the kittens when they come to eat in the kitchen and everything works as planed after they become adults they wont remember what happened and probably take revenge? I have a 6 years old daughter and I heard stories about cats killing their owners in sleep.Is that true? So I don't want to take this chance.
Thank you all again.

Answer 1

Taming Feral Cats and Kittens
http://www.forgottenfelines.com/new/pages/info/tame.html

How to Socialize Feral Kittens

Kittens that are not exposed to humans can become feral. If the kittens are caught and handled at a young enough age, however, they can be socialized to humans and adopted into homes. Kittens over 12 weeks of age are very difficult to socialize and may never be fully socialized. Follow these steps to learn more.

Instructions
1 Capture the kittens and have them checked out by a vet before you bring them home. This can help prevent the spread of disease and allow you to catch problems like fleas right away.
2 Confine the kittens away from the feral colony. You will need to have regular access to the kittens. Keep the kittens in a dog or cat crate, cage or small room. Put water and food dishes, a small litter box and bedding in the crate. Keep the kittens in separate areas if possible, but if not, spend time alone with each one as the socialization process continues.
3 Begin socializing the feral kittens with food. Offer dry cat food all day, but give the kittens wet food at least twice a day. Chicken flavored (without onion) baby food is a treat that most kittens will love.
4 Handle the kittens slowly. Younger and less feral kittens can be handled quicker than older, more feral kittens. Be gentle, but confident when touching and picking up the kittens. Place a towel around the kittens when you first start handling them.
5 Approach kittens from behind their head and gradually pet their head, ears and chin. Brush the kittens with a soft pet brush. This mimics the feel of a mother cat licking the kitten. Try to do several sessions of feeding and petting every day with each kitten.
6 Move the kittens to a small, confined room when they are no longer running from you and you are noticing improvement in their attachment to you.
7 Expose the kittens to a variety of people. Have them talk in low voices to the kitten and be gentle with them. Have prospective adopters spend time with the kittens as well and if possible, participate in their socialization.

Tips & Warnings
* Feral kittens will hiss, swat at you and growl. They are frightened by the situation and don’t know if you are a predator. Their nails and teeth will be sharp so exercise caution. Wear gloves to handle them if necessary and use lots of patience and gentleness.
* Leave a television or radio on near the kittens so they can get used to hearing human voices and try to confine the kittens in an active part of the house so they’ll hear the normal activities of humans.
* Some people use worn clothing for the kittens’ bedding to get them used to the smell of humans.
* Don’t let feral kittens run free in the house. They will be able to hide in small corners and will be difficult to get to. Large spaces can also further frighten them.

Answer 2

its never to late to domesicate a cat. we've done it to full grown cats. first just tame the mother. throw out bits of meat, keep a good distance between u and the mother cat. then slowly (give it a few days) throw the meat a shorter distance, if she wont take the food at all, leave food out for her and stand nearby when she comes. everytime she comes get a little bit closer. if she runs away start all over again. its slow process but it works. also use a high voice it comferts them and this sometimes works if u bend down and wiggle ur fingers(do that when shes very close to being comfterable with u) if this doesnt work till u move i would choose between 1 of the 2 kittens. so the mother gets to keep one of her little babies. so its a win win. a cat killing its owner in its sleep?! noway. a cat that does that is mental and should have been taken to the vet along time before. if u do take both kittens with u they wont want revenge, if u left them in the wild they would leave their mother, unless someone else was feeding the family, then they would stay together. cats arent as complex as we r.

Answer 3

No they are not too old to domesticate in fact you can domesticate any cat just by feeding it on a regular basis let them approach you, just remain nearby and they will learn you are not a threat. My husband and I have rescued many feral cats. Cats are just loving by nature but they can lose their trust of humankind when they are mistreated. Time and patience and kindness is all it takes to win them over. If you do manage to take a kitten with you when you move be sure and keep it in for a few days to prevent it from taking off. As for the kittens remembering I think they would be grateful to you for giving them a loving home and the Mom will be having another litter before long since she hasn't been spayed,then she will be having to figure out how to feed them. There is an old wives tale about cats taking a babies breath but I have never `actually heard of it happening.

Answer 4

At this age, the chances of "taming" them are very slim. You might get them comfortable with you being around them, but they may never let you oick them up. You should get some humane traps and get them all altered ASAP, or you will have quite a large feral colony at your house!!!!!!
The mother might come around to eat also, and she should be altered soon too. She may already be pregnant with yet another litter of kittens!!!
Chances are, if you keep feeding them, they will keep coming back!!

Answer 5

Maybe you can take the mother in as well ? It's sad to leave her on her own and take her babies away
Put food outside first and then sit next to it and don't look at them as they eat until they get used to you.
This is how I won the trust of a neglected very scared cat.

Answer 6

I have the same predicament! I have 1 kitten with it's mother. They actually fight each other for food. Foster trust with the mother cat, and she will allow you to take her kitten if you continue to feed him/her and her mother. It takes only weeks for this to happen

Answer 7

I am sorry but the socialisation window for cats is 2 to 8 weeks of age. Later than that and they cannot be properly tamed.

Answer 8

As long as they get use to humans early on, they will be easily domesticated, no matter how wild their mother is (they've proven this by coming back on their own.)
Don't lock them away; let them come and go as they please. If they like you and the surroundings, they will always come back. If not, they will find themselves a new owner.

Answer 9

i think you have about 8-10 months. the easiest way for you would be to keep feeding them and yes keep the mother away. she is teaching them to fear you. you just need to keep up with the hand feeding and that should get them to trust you more over time.

Answer 10

I think it's about half a year to a year when the mother no longer can care for t hem.