How to Tame a Feral Cat or Kitten

Can feral cats be tamed enough to live comfortably and happily with humans? The short answer is: Many times, yes! The longer answer is: There are a lot of variables involved, but feral cats and kittens can be taught to trust people, especially if caught young enough, if their human friends are patient enough, and if their experience with humans is consistently positive. Here are some tips from my own experience taming cats and kittens that were born outside to feral parents.

How I Got Started Taming Feral Cats and Kittens

My family's interaction with feral cats began 14 years ago when we bought a house in a rural setting that includes a large barn. We soon discovered our barn had come complete with a petite female tortoiseshell cat, who escaped our notice for many months after we moved in, due to her shyness around humans. At first we called her LBK (short for Little Black Kitty), but it soon devolved into Elby. My husband, who set up a woodworking shop in the barn, often found her watching him from a dark corner. He began to leave treats out for her. After several months of speaking to her gently, leaving treats out for her a few inches away from where he was working and calling out to her quietly to come to him, she permitted him to scratch her head for a few seconds at a time. It took two years, but eventually Elby felt comfortable approaching us and being touched by human hands.

Over the years, other barn cats appeared. Garfield was a humongous orange tabby tomcat who slowly faded away one winter with a respiratory infection, until one day he did not return for food and a pat on the head. We could never pick him up or catch him, and it was heartbreaking to watch him get sicker and sicker. Barney was a black tomcat who frequented our barn and took advantage of the free handouts after Garfield disappeared. Barney brought his wife along with him, and (we soon discovered) their three half-grown kittens as well. Soon another litter came along, and before we knew it we had a dozen or more full-grown prolific feral cats living in our barn, all too wild to touch. The males got into fights and limped around for weeks. The females produced one litter after another. In the cold of the winter they braved the snow and ice to come to the porch for cat food, and every once in a while one would meet its demise on the road in front of our house.

That brings me up to the summer of 2010. I decided I couldn't stand to watch another who-knows-how-many kittens grow up wild. My husband and I watched carefully for the summer litters to make their appearance, and determined to catch them as young as we could nab them.

Catching and Trapping Feral Kittens

The first two litters of the summer obliged us by emerging from the barn at the age of four weeks. We simply walked up to them and picked them up! They hissed and tried to scratch, so we carefully picked them up by the scruffs of their necks and gave them a deep box with a large piece of warm fleece in it to hide in. Every few hours, I removed each kitten carefully (so as not to be shredded by their tiny razor-sharp claws!) and bottle-fed it milk replacer formula heated up to about 100F. Milk replacer for kittens can be found at pet stores, veterinarians' offices or large department stores like WalMart.

Try bottle feeding a feral kitten to gain its trust

We discovered that bottle feeding is a great way to gain the trust of a small feral kitten. The first two litters we caught attached to us in just a few days. I followed up their milk feedings with dishes of dry cat food softened with warm milk replacer formula. I also carried each kitten in turn to the litter pan and waited for them to scratch around and learn how to use the pan. Within a week, the first two litters were eating well, using the litter pan, and warming up to us beautifully. All seven of the first-caught kittens were able to be placed in indoor homes with caring human families.

The last litter we caught were a trio of 8-week-old kittens who were much harder to catch. We ended up using a live trap and nabbed all three of them. They were absolutely terrified. I was amazed at how much difference a couple of weeks can make. A 5 week old feral kitten tames down in a few days' a 7 or 8 week old takes months. Don't give up however. We kept ours in a large cage for the first month or so, because if we let them loose in the house they were nearly impossible to catch. We kept a litter pan in the cage with them and they quickly learned to use it. Every time I walked into the room where they were, I reached into the cage, touched each one and spoke gently to them. Some days I thought they would never tame down.

It has been three months now since we caught the first litter. The tame ones are all placed in homes and doing great. The three wilder ones are still growing up under foot in our house. Two of the three seem to be permanently feral, but I have hope they will yet change their minds about us. I can sometimes pet them when they are napping, and that's about it! The third one has warmed up a bit more. He allows me to scratch his head and back, he purrs to let me know he trusts me, and stands closer to me than the other two do.

Please spay or neuter your newly-tamed kittens

All three are tame enough to take to the vet for neutering, which is next on the list. The least we can do for them is keep them from making more feral cats - and keep them from a life of fighting on the back fence. If you can't afford a vet's fees, try calling the humane society nearest you. There are many discount programs out there for spaying and neutering feral cats.

If you love cats, have patience, and have a colony of feral cats nearby, give them a chance to have a human friend - and an advocate for their health and comfort.