Time to introduce my four new cat spicy babies! They were living under a woman’s deck in Wauconda, IL. Someone else trapped them, but was trying to find them homes despite having no socialization or vet care. That’s when I stepped in to help!
They’re about 8 weeks old and there are three males and one little female. I decided to name them after characters in a book I read in 3rd grade that randomly surfaced from the depths of my memories a few days ago. Meet Ragweed, Poppy, Ereth, and George!
I went to relinquish them today to the shelter so I didn’t have to take on the burden of more vet bills. I was told that I have 2-3 months to tame them or they’ll be sent to a barn home (I will NOT be letting that happen🙃). So socialization boot camp has officially started! I have to earn their trust and time is of the essence. Wish me luck!♥️
Ragweed @windycityfosters Poppy
Ereth George
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A lot of you wanted me to share details on how I’m socializing the #DimwoodKittens so here is their progress after about 4 days of having them!
Every meal should be seen as an opportunity to acclimate them to human presence and touch. I don’t put down wet food unless I’m in the pen with them. The wet food is an incentive to come out of hiding, where they’ll realize that humans really aren’t so bad! If they refuse to come out and eat it, I pick up the wet food, put down a small amount of dry food, and try again in a few hours. You need them to realize that they need you!
After they are comfortable eating near me, I try to reach out my hand and pet them. They’ll back away at first like George did in the video, but eventually they won’t mind it if it means they get food. It only took these guys 3 days to get to this point! Still have a long way to go, but progress is progress.
You’ll notice Ereth was not eating and hissed at me when I got near him. He’s going to be a tough egg to crack, so separating him from his litter mates might be a good option for him so he isn’t feeding off of their fear. I will assess his behavior tonight and make a decision.
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Ragweed, my handsome ginger boy, is by far the friendliest kitten of the litter! He’s got a lot of confidence and I will often find him lounging on the cat tree independently from his litter mates. He hisses at me, but he does not run away. We have a little agreement that if I give him food, he will be nice to me. We’re friends. He doesn’t realize it yet but we’re definitely friends.
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Poppy says “fine, you can sit next to me while I eat breakfast but make ONE MOVE and I’m outta here.”
Are you ready for tip #2 on socializing kittens? Limit their hiding places! If you find that your semi-feral kittens are consistently seeking refuge in a place that is not easily accessible, block it off. I’m talking under a dresser, in a dark closet, behind the toilet, etc. You’re going to want to provide one or two hiding spaces like a cat cave or a play pen. This will ensure their safety and in the event that you need to retrieve them, they will be easy to locate and picking them up will be less traumatic for both parties.
Something I’ve had to do recently is block off the cat door leading to my bedroom closet. They were hiding in there which made it easier for them to avoid me and avoid exposure to the sounds and sights they’ll experience in a home. They now have a cat tree and a cat cave and I am noticing that they are becoming more curious of the toys and treats I have scattered about the room.♥️
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Today Ereth was moved into my bathroom away from his litter mates. This will allow him to make quicker progress with his socialization as he can no longer feed off of the fear of the other kittens. He has to realize that he needs me for food and affection! He got a puree treat to calm him down. These are the BEST for socializing scared kittens.
The other kittens are quite friendlier than he is (not friendly-friendly, but “friendly”), so I’m holding off on separating them too. If I notice that they are continuing to flee to each other when I do something that makes them slightly uncomfortable, separation it is.
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I purrito’d Ereth and he stretched his lil paws when I scratched his chin. Does this mean we’re friends now?🥺
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