When a kitten is a wild child

We usually find them in a box left at the gate, or else they’ve been found under a garden shed, we get semi-feral kittens brought in all through the summer.  They are little spitfires at first.  When kittens aren’t socialised in those crucial first weeks, they became wild and frightened.   That’s all their hissing and spitting and scratching is – they are terrified of us.  All they want is to be left alone – so long as we keep putting dishes of food out for them to wolf down and then they’ll scoot away and hide again.

Catching the kitty is the first problem.  They may be tiny but they have sharp teeth and bite as well as scratch.  If you put food out at first without trying to catch her you will establish a rapport.  If you have a cat basket or a shed then you will be able to  lure her inside with a pouch then a hungry kit will forget fear long enough for you to shut the door on her.  You may still have to pick her up  and get her in a cat carrier though.

Don’t try to grab her with bare hands, you are bound to get scratched.  Get set up in advance – with everything you need.  Your first try is the most likely to be successful.  Wear gloves and have a blanket ready-throw it over the kitten and scoop her up and straight into the basket.  She’ll be so busy tangling in the blanket she’ll not get you.  That’s the hope anyway.

A frightened kitten can do a lot of damage, if you do get scratched then soak the wounds with soap and warm water for a good few minutes.  We then soak for ten minutes at least in antiseptic (Savlon or Dettol), Epsom salts is good also.   Cover with a clean cloth and get medical help, cat wounds can become infected and bites are worse than scratches.

We coax the wild-child kittens with food and t.l.c.  We had three pretty little tabbies brought in recently.  They were eating well even though only about four weeks old.  Sadly, one died but the other two are thriving and coming round.  Once they are tame they are just as sweet as the kittens who have been handled from the start.  Some of the friendliest cats here were wild as kittens.  It’s when you make that first breakthrough and they learn that you are giving them dinner and they’re not your dinner, that they relax and start to purr.