adopting stray kitten

Question
a stray cat (not 100% if feral or stray just guessing on behavior) moved in
under my mom's gardening/tool table outside and had kittens. I want to say
its been there since late june early july. Now, there were 3 kittens, one got
killed by a hawk. Another was adopted by my brother around early august
(named Datson). Took an hour of chasing around to get him. Can't be sure
about the age b/c size/behavior doesn't seem to match up and we don't know
how long they've been thereh. The adopted one seems alright, no owner
issues but he meows alot when he doesn't get attention. I can't tell if this is
because he was taken away early or he's just spoiled (no other pets). I was
thinking about adopting the last kitten outside for Datson to have someone
around. the remaining outside cats can't stay there. The outside kitten is
easily frightened. He runs away at the hinting of trouble. I think I'm running
out of time to adopt because he starting to spent a long time away from his
mother, usually only comes around to eat and sleep. Considering how long
he's been out there, could I adopt him without issues of some sort? He
doesn't seem to be a biter. I guess I'm just curious how stray cat adoption
works, what we should've done with Datson, etc. NO prior cat experience. No
other info on the cats outside.

Also, no health issues with Datson except worms. Vet said he's one of the
healthier ones she's seen. He's a mix of I think Calico(mom) and something
else; all black short to medium length hair

Answer
Hi Jason,

I can attest to the fact that most any cat can be tamed with some effort, regardless of age, but the younger you start having direct contact with them, the better.  You may need to trap this kitten with a humane trap in order to get him in the house at this point.  Some animal officers, local shelters or trap-neuter-return organizations are able to loan these out.  

If the kitten is under 8 weeks, chances to completely tame him with relative ease are good.  If the kitten is older than this, you may have a more challenging time, but it can still be done with effort.  If the kitten avoids contact, keep him in a small room with no hiding spots, such as a bathroom, or even in a dog crate, until he's easily approachable.  Avoid bedrooms where the kitten can hide himself under a bed or furniture for weeks.

Keeping this kitty together with Datson will be good for both kittens.  It's possible that Datson is just a talkative kitten, but many young kittens suffer separation anxiety when they don't have any litter mates, leading to excessive vocalization.  Giving him a companion may help him calm down.  Also, since Datson is now human-friendly, he can help the other kitten learn to trust humans.  

The new kitten will probably have worms like Datson did and should be treated right away so that he doesn't give worms back to Datson.

Best of luck!

Jessica