Semi- Feral mom cat with kittens

Question
QUESTION: Someone recently dropped a cat at my house who now lives in my basement.
The bad  thing is that the cat was pregnant. Mommy cat will come around and
rub against my leg but does not like to be picked up. she is somewhat feral.
She had her babies that are about 3 weeks old in my basement. I have tried to
handle them and have been successful although some continue to hiss and
scratch.  What is the best way to tame these kittens and should I leave them
with their mom until after weaning? How do I know when they are weaned? I
would like any advice on what to do to make these animals loving kittens so
that I can find them a home.

ANSWER: Hi Jennifer, well you are on the right track. Just keep handling them and handling them. You can even take one and pop it in your blouse or pocket  and walk around the house as you do chores, or work on the computer etc. They are fine to be away from mom for an hour at a time at this age as long as it is not "feeding time". And you will know it is feeding time if they are screaming at the top of their lungs ! I would suggest to pick them up when they are sleeping as then you know they weren't eating or being cleaned.
Keep the door closed to the basement when you do this as mom will want to keep coming upstairs and taking the baby back away from you.. but if you do it discreetly and the kitten is quiet mom won't even know it is gone ! Cats can't count!
Also you should try to change their bedding regularly.. for hygiene purposes and to keep your smell and the smell of humans next to them. You can get some inexpensive baby blankets at a thrift store that you can recycle through the laundry.
Once they are ready for cat food in about 10 days to 2 weeks make sure they know you are the source of this food. This will help mom also. Bring the food often and in small quantities rather than leaving food down all the time. Let them all associate you with food!
Good Luck ! Teresa

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QUESTION: Thank you for your advice. I have the kittens in a box that they cannot yet climb
out of but the mother can get in.  Should I enlarge their home to include a place
for food and litter? I have read some articles that say I should remove the babies
when they get weaned. I want them to be safe because I live in a rural area
where dogs are not restrained.

ANSWER: Hi Jennifer when the kittens are about 4-5 weeks old is when they will want to start using the litter box on their own, so at that time you will need to supply a low edged box that they can get into. And you might want to start putting down some food for them at that time also. The mom cat will start weaning them at 5 weeks by throwing up food she has already eaten. This way it is partially digested and the kittens can eat it. I know that is disgusting.. but that is the way mother nature made it ! if you want to wean them quickly you can start by putting down some soft canned food or soaked dry food that they can start nibbling at when they are about 5 weeks. Once they are eating well on their own.. which is usually about 10days then you can start removing them from mom. You only want to take one kitten at a time otherwise mom is going to be frantic. She will fill up with milk and be very uncomfortable. If you take them one at a time over a week then she has a chance to gradually dry up. At this young age they won't be venturing outside yet so they will be safe from the dogs. Do you have any homes  for them? are you planning on keeping mom? Teresa

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QUESTION: Hey Teresa,
I am planning on getting the mom spayed and keeping her. I don't think
anyone would adopt her because she is so skiddish and does not like to be
petted. I am hoping the babies will get tame. They are really different then
any other kittens I have saw. I am just used to domestic cats and worry about
their temperament. I work all day and only have time to interact with them at
night between feedings.  They are about 4 weeks now and I am looking
forward for them to start eating. Is it harder to tame a kitten from a feral
mother?

Answer
Hi Jennifer, it certainly is harder to tame kittens that are raised by a feral mom. Kittens learn so much from their mom like litter box training and interactions with other cats and people . So, if they see that mom is skittish that will be their natural tendency. So you need to work against that and keep doing what you are doing. Maybe you have a neighbour that could come over in the day or "after school" to play with the kittens??? anyone that could help you to increase the time they are exposed to people.. is a good thing ! Teresa