How Long To Socialize Feral Kittens

According to the american veterinary medical association avma the time to socialize kittens begins at 3 weeks of age.

How long to socialize feral kittens. They estimate that kittens under 4 weeks old take a matter of hours or days to socialize older kittens take longer naturally and kittens who are 10 weeks or older can also be tamed but it may take much longer and many times they will only tame to the person working with them and remain wild with strangers. Once the kitten s eyes open you can start to touch and interact with it. Spayed or neutered it will take a few days after sterilization for that strong urine smell to mitigate but to stop spraying territory marking before it starts it s best to sterilize as soon as possible. Kittens as young as eight weeks if weighing 2 pounds can safely be spayed or neutered.

Sometimes this can take anywhere from 2 6 weeks or even more if they re skittish. This usually happens when the kitten is around 2 weeks old. Kittens older than two months eight weeks of age often take more time and skill to socialize. Usually the two main factors that you do want to think about if you want to understand feral kitten behavior is the following.

If the kittens are eight weeks or younger usually just about anyone can socialize them by following some simple steps. Even if your intentions are the best you can harm the cat. Community kittens can be socialized fairly easily if they re handled at an early age 8 weeks or under. With some time and attention you can work with young feral kittens to help them become affectionate and loving companions.

If the mother cat trusts you you should be able to touch the kittens starting when they re 3 days old. However there is a gray area in which the personality of the individual cat comes into play. Several organizations recommend not to take a cat from the wildness if they are all grown up already. Alley cat allies does not in general recommend trying to socialize a feral cat over 4 months of age.

The socialization of feral kittens requires a daily commitment of time the duration of which depends on the age of the kittens and the amount and consistency of the time you spend working with them. The primary and most important age for socializing a kitten is between three to nine weeks of age says miranda workman a clinical assistant professor in the animal behavior ecology and conservation department at canisius college in buffalo new york. After that up to about 12 weeks of age is the best time to play with the kittens. Feral kittens that are between 4 to 10 weeks old are especially suitable to socialize.