“Hisser” Foster Kittens!

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  • 30 June, 2009 at 11:56 pm #29060
    Rita B
    Participant

    Hi All:

    I’ll start again from the beginning again: When I left off in the last thread, I had just turned two sick foster kittens in to the shelter to be hospitalized, in exchange for four new “hissers”. (It says “hissers” on their paperwork.) The kitten room at the shelter was FULL and at home we were down to only one survivor from the litter of 4 that we were fostering. (We had named the last litter Al, Peg, Bud and Kelly. Al died, Peg and Bud are in the hospital so Kelly is the only foster we have left.)

    The new “hissers” got their first round of shots before the shelter released them to us and a woman with bloodied arms came out and handed them to us in the carrier box and said, “Be careful with these!” So I wondered what kind of monsters I’d find in the box when I got home!

    They are only about 6-8 weeks old (about the same age as Kelly) so I don’t know what could have happened in their short little lives to make them this way. But they sure were hissing! Do feral kittens just know when they are feral? And I could forget about touching them. Still, a kitten is a kitten. They HAVE to get used to us soon, right?

    After the first day I was beginning to wonder if they would ever do anything but hide and hiss at us. So I got a string and laser beam in the hopes that they would at least play. As it turned out, kittens will be kittens. They played! It seemed like progress that they would even come out and play with us in the room, but try to touch them and they’re back to hiding and hissing! I also tried to tempt them with food, since that has worked with kittens in the past. Only one showed any interest but I was able to touch him, so that was a little more progress with him anyway. Then later he hissed and bit me when I tried to pick him up. *Sigh*

    Pictures are posted online at: http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=820281246233535397/l=2244312013/g=107835416/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

    The “Hissers” are our 6th foster litter and we named them Arby, Jack, Loco and Wendy. Arby was the first to let me touch him and probably needs the least work out of the bunch (even if he did bite me). But right away we could tell that Loco was going to be the biggest challenge. Loco was the wildest, hissing, SPITTING kitten that I have ever seen. He was also the one who shredded the woman’s arms at the shelter. He seemed to be the ring-leader of the litter so we knew that we needed to reach HIM if we were ever going to succeed.

    As a last resort I introduced sweet little Kelly to them since she’s around the same age. To my surprise, they all came darting out toward her from under the bed! Whoa! Not knowing what they were going to I quickly snatched her up. We are supposed to keep them separated for the first 10 days as a quarantine measure anyway. But NOW I knew I had something to get their attention! I had BAIT! So each day I took Kelly into the kitten room and pet her in front of them as she purred. Arby would come over a little more each time and I’d pet him and he also purred. Loco would watch this very intently and would sometimes meow as if he wanted something from me but would still hiss and run if I reached for him. I did this “therapy” every day until I was finally able to touch Loco. He still winced with every touch of my hand but, for once, he didn’t hiss and run. Over the next couple of days I kept trying and petting him until finally he stopped wincing every time and he actually purred!

    I have come to accept that it’s going to be two steps forward, one step back, though, because the very next time I tried to touch him he was back to hissing and running. It’s been just over a week now and they are all in this stage now except for Arby. Arby lets us pet him most of the time without running. But, as for the others, sometimes they let us touch them and sometimes they purr but most of the time they still run. There is a bit less hissing, though. Just yesterday Loco hissed at me while he was purring but he still let me pick him up! What’s THAT about???

    We have only 3 and a half more weeks to socialize these guys before they go up for adoption. Yikes. I hope that’s enough time! Anyone else have experience with “feral” kittens?

    R

    1 July, 2009 at 12:24 am #451820
    CheetahBoysmommy
    Participant

    Looking at your pictures reminded me of why I don’t foster. I would have kept every one of those babies. I love the names you give them too.

    The ‘hissers’ must have been feral – probably with no human contact until someone scooped them up and dropped them at the shelter.

    It sounds like you are making good progress with them, though. It does take time but the progress should go faster and faster. They grow and learn so quickly at this young age.

    I admire the fact that you can foster; it takes a very special person to be able to do so.

    1 July, 2009 at 2:12 am #451821
    jcat
    Participant

    Yep, that’s normal for feral kittens. I also have a theory (probably everybody else knows this already but me, lol) that while (most) domestic cats love people and dislike other cats (at first, anyway), feral cats love other cats and dislike people. Or is that obvious?

    Anyway, you are FANTASTIC for fostering these little hissers. They should get better and better, especially with all your great care. Just keep handling them without startling them as often as you can. You could also try Anncetera’s trick with the plain yoghurt, letting them lick it off your fingers. They will get there. Best of luck!

    1 July, 2009 at 10:42 pm #451822
    Rita B
    Participant

    JCat: that’s so interesting! I was wondering if that was common with feral kittens. These LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our other kittens but want little to do with us. At least I was able to use our kittens to reach them. We try to touch them and/or pick them up at least once every day before work and then we try again after work. They are getting to where they no longer just hide when we are in the room, but they still don’t want us to touch them for the most part.

    Normally we let our foster litters have the run of the house and mingle freely with our “resident cats” after two weeks. That’s our favorite time of all, having all of them tearing through the house together. (We don’t have kids so that’s our pitter-patter.) But I’m afraid if I let these out of the room at this point if we won’t be able to catch them again. We really need to be able to touch them and pick them up before we can advance them to that next level.

    CBM: Yeah I thought that about fostering too – that I was going to want to keep all of them. So for the longest time I did NOT want to foster. But somehow I got on someone’s email list and I kept receiving all these emails pleading for foster homes and letting us know how many kittens are dying because they cannot survive the shelter. Week after week I was getting these emails and I started thinking, “If not us then who?” So we finally went and toured the shelter and they showed me all the kittens who were dying and explained to me that kittens simply don’t fare well in a shelter environment. They let me pick my first “starter” litter and from then on it was history.

    Now about us wanting to keep them all, well, that’s a whole other story and probably deserves its own thread! 🙂

    R

    2 July, 2009 at 1:19 am #451823
    feral
    Participant

    Welcome Rita…I loved reading your ‘Get to know me’. Your kitties are adorable. I’m curious…which one is the little black one in the very back?

    BTW…the last feral mama I trapped (she’s a siamese that took 3 yrs.& 5 litters later to cat). I had no choice but to name her Ms. Hissy. That’s all I’ve evr heard her do. That’s how she communicates to me. But, to this day the only time I was ever able to touch her was when she was still groggy when I brought her home from being spayed. She’s one tough cookie! lol

    2 July, 2009 at 5:32 pm #451824
    Rita B
    Participant

    Interesting, Feral, that hissing is how Ms. Hissy communicates to you. I was beginning to wonder that about Loco. As he was hissing and purring at the same time I wondered if he even realized he was doing that. Maybe his hissing is just second nature and it doesn’t mean the same thing as it did a week ago. I mean, he still did let me pick him up AND he was purring.

    Anyway, in answer to your question, in the photo of “Litter 6”, that’s Loco on the far left. I think that’s who you were referring to? They are all cute but we think he’s especially cute.

    It’s been nearly two weeks now and they all let us touch them every day, though most of the time they still run.

    Baby steps…

    R

    3 July, 2009 at 2:44 am #451825
    lilbabepink14
    Participant

    I was wondering how much would it be if i adopted the kittens. Could you email me at gkim615@yahoo.com thank you!

    3 July, 2009 at 4:49 am #451826
    feral
    Participant

    I just knew that had to be Loco!! Hahaha. The little ones always have to make themselves seem bigger than life. What better way than a good old healthy Hiss. haha

    14 July, 2009 at 9:59 pm #451827
    Rita B
    Participant

    Hey All:

    I’ve got great news! First, Loco’s name has been changed to “Carl”. (For those of you on the East Coast U.S. I believe that would translate to Hardee.)

    Anyway, Carl earned the name change. We’ve managed to turn him into a regular housecat! Now he meows and purrs and comes right to us. He never runs or hisses anymore and he lets us pick him up whenever. He was the only one we were truly afraid to even touch in the beginning for fear of pulling back bloody nubs, so I can hardly believe the turn-around!

    As for the others, well, Arby was never really too afraid of us and mostly lays around sleeping so there is not much change for him. I’ve just never seen a kitten lay around and sleep as much as he does, you would think he was 20 years old.

    Jack and Wendy stopped hissing at us but they still run from us. I don’t know what they think we’re going to do to them, they’ve been here almost a month so you would think they would have figured out that we aren’t going to hurt them by now. I don’t know what else we can do for them. We only have about a week left with them so I think they are about as tame as they are going to get. Getting adopted might be a challenge but at least they will be in a no-kill shelter.

    Kelly (from litter #5) is as energetic and playful as can be. I think she will be adopted before she even sets foot back in the shelter.

    We hope to start on our next foster litter (Litter #7!) this weekend, so I should have more pictures!

    R

    14 July, 2009 at 10:06 pm #451828
    Cats4cats
    Participant

    Hi, Rita, nice to meet you, and I’m so glad to hear you are making such progress with the little ones. Thank you for fostering so many babies — I’m not in a position to do that, and I wish I could.

    14 July, 2009 at 10:11 pm #451829
    MadcatwomanintheUK
    Participant

    Rita, if you’ve made that much progress with Carl in a week, then anything’s possible for Jack & Wendy!!! Good luck with them, and good luck for Litter 7!!

    14 July, 2009 at 10:18 pm #451830
    AV
    Participant

    Welcome Rita, it sounds like you are doing great with your foster babies!…. owning a “lifetime” hisser, Cuddles, I can only say it apparently never gets “old” to her!…. maybe that was her first interaction with her mother/humans, I don’t know…. she’s 12 now, and has been with us since we adopted her at the humane society…. she probably was feral!….. over her lifetime, she has really only “bonded” with one human, my daughter, although she “tolerates” Hubbs, Son, and I, and when daughter is not around, will “suck up” to us for (limited) pets when SHE feels the need…….. she WILL NOT be nice, cordial, pleasant or any semblence of such to any “outsider”…. she goes into “hissing mode” anyone not in our immediately family…. and has been know to bite, spit, and generally “scare the poop” out of many visitors, workman and the like!….. I don’t forsee her ever “changing” her grumpy ways, but she has come to terms with herself, and we with her…… we love her for all that she is (and isn’t – i.e. a lap cat)… so it might take some special care for you in finding the “hissers” homes…. best of luck, my prayers will be with you.

    14 July, 2009 at 10:48 pm #451831
    Lily
    Participant

    I am late weighing in on this but I have a bit of experience to share. I took in a feral kitten when it was less than a week old (its eyes weren’t even open yet). Despite the fact that I bottle fed her and groomed her, etc. she was basically stand-offish, would growl and spit at me, etc.

    My vet told me that depending on what generation feral she was, she might be so completely wild that domesticity had been bred out of her completely. I hadn’t realized that it was something that gets passed down through the genes, so to speak.

    She is now 4 years old. She started warming up to me in year 2 and now she really wants to be held and kissed, most of the time. But! She still has hissy moments when she will swipe at me for no good reason. It has gotten to the point that when she gets aggressive all I have to do is say “stop it Munchie!” and she stops. I actually wish she were a little less loving- boy she can be demanding when she is in the mood for love!

    15 July, 2009 at 12:05 am #451832
    GizzysAuntie
    Participant

    Our Lady Coco was also semi-feral and has never lost a fearful-of-humans suspicious streak. She’s not too fond of other cats, either; she tolerated Sam but can’t stand Sophie. I know no one could ever steal her because no one but family can get close. Strangely enough, she loved my MIL at first sight; but then everyone loves my MIL — one of God’s good people.

    15 July, 2009 at 11:11 pm #451833
    Rita B
    Participant

    Thanks for all your input. This is our first experience with hissers so this is all very useful information. I guess sometimes kittens will only change so much so maybe we should quit hassling Wendy and Jack by trying to touch them. We’ve done what we can. They are just going to be “fraidy-cats”.

    15 July, 2009 at 11:44 pm #451834
    Annie R
    Participant

    Lily, do you have a kitty named Munchie? We have lots of ferals in our neighborhood, I am trying to trap them so I can get them spayed/neutered. We have one little kitty that has been coming around, I call him/her Munchkin because it’s small and it always comes to eat the food I put out….of course the nickname is Munchie. Rita, I suspect that once Jack and Wendy find their forever homes, they will continue to become more “socialized” to their hoomins and may eventually stop hissing.

    16 July, 2009 at 2:51 am #451835
    Lily
    Participant

    Annie– I do indeed have a Munchie. She was foisted on me because my cat, Lily, a stray I had taken in 2 months earlier, absolutely refused to wean her kittens (born on day 4 after I took her in– a story in itself) and so was at the vet’s boarding when the little orphan was brought in. For all that this was almost certainly Lily’s first litter, she proved to be an obsessively good mother. She only had three kittens but by week 7 they had gotten so big, they couldn’t all nurse at the same time– but not for lack of effort! She even yelled for them to come eat the day I brought her home from being spayed! You know all that kneading on her tummy had to have hurt.

    In any case, I had brought Lily to board with my vet for a couple of days in order to break the bond with her kittens. A day later the techs called me to see if I could foster a tiny kitten that had been dropped off. I asked if Lily still had milk (yes) and told them to give the kitten to her. I left them a couple more days to firm up their bond and then brought both home. Lily promptly lost interest in the kitten and walked away. Once Munchie was 3 or so weeks old, she would try to play with the older kittens but she just couldn’t keep up with them. I gave her a name but who could remember it with all those other kittens’ names to remember? So I took to asking Lily, “where’s the Munchkin?” when I got home from work. It stuck and is still appropriate since she is small (but not abnormally so).

    18 July, 2009 at 8:10 am #451836
    sharbimillionaire
    Participant

    Hi Rita,

    We captured 10 kittens born in a shopping centre car park to 2 feral mums. We captured them at around 8 weeks, and only one was terribly hissy/spitty (although most of the others were also v. scared). We tamed them all except him. We moved him from their room because he was causing them to freak out, and spent time just with him (even sleeping in the room with him).

    In the end we were able to re-home everyone, but we kept him because we knew no-one would want such a cranky bugger. To our shock, when the last of his siblings found a new home, he became a snuggle bug. He’s quite slow (he falls down a lot, misses when he jumps, and slams into walls when he chases things – he always has bruised lips, the little angel), but we adore him.

    We used gloves every day when he was tiny and would relentlessly handle him several times a day. Poor baby was so scared of us then (for months), but if you could see the looks of love he shoots us now, you’d know it’s worth it.

    The spitty ones just need extra socialisation.

    I read something somewhere (probably here): There’s no such thing as a feral cat; s/he’s just a cat who hasn’t had enough love yet.

    21 July, 2009 at 5:56 pm #451837
    Rita B
    Participant

    Thanks for your input Sharbi~

    I’ve always wondered if feral kittens know they are feral or if they just need to be socialized with people. And the fact that we were able to “turn” the wildest one of them, Carl, makes me wonder even more. I guess he was never really afraid of us, which is why he seemed like the meanest. But he is SO sweet now, it’s AMAZING! The other two, Jack and Wendy, just run from us so it makes it really hard for us to handle them. We do pet them when we can, but I don’t want to chase them around and try to catch them because that might make them even worse. They were scheduled to be put up for adoption this coming Saturday but we’ve been granted and extension by the shelter because it seems they don’t weigh enough yet to be spayed and neutered. Maybe another week or two.

    Not knowing that we were keeping these fosters at the time, we took on another 8. Oops!

    21 July, 2009 at 6:05 pm #451838
    Pollys_Mum_in_UK_2605
    Participant

    Well, what’s another eight or so?

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