stray kittens

Question
I will try to make this as brief as possible. My daughter is a hugh lover of all cats. In fact, we have 4 cats and a dog right now all indoor animals. She just recently rescued 2 kittens from a constructions site that were not tame but in fact, very wild. We had to trap them as they would not let you get near them at all. We were in touch with all the rescue shelters and such in our area and they were not accepting any more kittens at this time. The animal control person said that they would take them and try to domesticate them and if they could, they would then be put up for adoption. Well, my daughter and I decided to try to domesticate them for a little while ourselves in order to ehlp them get a good start. They are in our spare bathroom and not withh any of our other cats. We are now able to pick them up, cuddle them, play with them. They never hiss anymore and they actually purr when we hold them. One is a boy and one a girl. They are however, still very skiddish and will run and back away when approached so we have to just pick them up when we can catch them. My daughter wants to keep them both because she doesn't want to separate them since they have been together in the wild. I think they are about maybe 3 mos if that old. We are looking into getting a discounted cost to have them spayed and neutered but I'm wondering how lon, if at all, it will take for them to relax and stop running from us and hiding or backing up when we approach and also will we ever be able to introduce them to the other cats after they have been examined and the vet says they are healthy.

Answer
Terri,

How long have you had these babies? It sounds like you have had them for a bit and really made an effort with them. I have an idea that will help with the running away, don't approach them. When you go into the room where they are, ignore any running away, sit down as far as possible from them. Bring a cooked piece of chicken with you, and wait for them to come to you, when  they do reward them with pieces of chicken from your hands. By doing this they will eventually learn that coming to each member of the family has its rewards. If chicken doesn't work I promise you that tuna will! Some vets offer multiple pet discounts, and with the brood you have I would set about looking for one that you like in your area. You have done the best thing for the babies and your resident animals by keeping them separate from each other, once they are given the all clear by your vet feel free to introduce them at will provided that you have had them isolated for at least 2 weeks. Patience will be the best way to make sure that your newest family members become at least a little less timid. As I mentioned food does wonders to bring some cats out of their shells. Good luck with your household, it sounds like you have your hands full, and hearts full of good intentions. Congrats on your new additions. Please keep me posted as to how your four legged family is doing. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact me.


Ali

PS: make sure that whichever vet you choose to spay and neuter knows that these babies are formerly feral and to go slow and be gentle with them as rough handling can set things back a ways.