Feral Kittens

Almost four weeks ago, two of our volunteers (Caley and Mary) found out that a feral mom was raising her kittens behind the Starbucks on Howell Mill Road. Basically, connecting the stores was a small drain about half a foot wide and 2 feet deep. Mom is a huge long haired black cat with bright piercing orange eyes. In order to get to the kittens, Mary and Caley had to reach in and "scruff" the kittens and quickly pull them out before they ran and hid back underneath the store and before Mommy kitty got mad. They couldn't see really what they are doing and we are all very impressed that these girls made such an effort to rescue these kitties! The kittens were about 5 weeks old and just starting to play so they were pretty oblivious to the girls. They were able to get three out of the four kittens. The mother has since been guarding kitten number four and has taught it to be very alert and avoident of humans. Caley and Mary continue to check on them, feed them, and we hope to get the mother spayed. The other three, however, have now found themselves in foster care with me. They started out scared, hissing, spitting, and pretty wild. With four weeks of patience, love, wet food, and nurturing they have become 100 percent domesticated. As I write this, Xena is curled up on my shoulder kissing my neck. Zeus and Electra are curled up in my lap. It's amazing to see them start off so vulnerable and scared and then transform into happy, confident, and playful kittens. These kittens were weaned in less than a day, and mastered the litter box without any accidents. At first, I wasn't able to tell them apart. Now, they all have such different personalities!

• Xena: She is like a puppy. She rolls over on her back when she wants you to rub her belly, and meows at you when she wants attention.
• Electra: She is extremely laid back and likes to sleep on my pillow with me. She likes to watch her siblings play and loves the laser pointer.
• Zeus: I thought Zeus was a boy until yesterday. He is the shyest, but has the loudest purr which he uses non stop whenever you touch him or scratch his head. He is also extremely handsome and has gorgeous eyes.
  

Working with these feral kittens has taught me to be patient, to slow down, and to realize that a little love can go a long way. I am going to be so happy when these guys find their new forever homes, knowing that they probably wouldn't have made it if left in the wild. But, I am also going to be sad seeing my new friends go. Luckily, I can fill that void with a new litter of kittens who desperately need rescuing.

***Do not attempt to domesticate feral kittens unless you research it and have the time...please contact a rescue group for help. For more information on feral kittens please click HERE!