The only difference between domestic and feral kittens is FEAR
We have established that domestic and feral cats are the same species, and indeed there can even be both domestic and feral cats in the same cat family. An abandoned cat will give birth to kittens which will grow up feral unless they are rescued soon after birth; otherwise, this is the start of a feral cat colony. It follows that the difference between domestic and feral cats is the direct result of their lifestyle and upbringing.
[See article: Feral or Domestic? That is the Question]
Whereas domestic cats are born and raised in the security of a human environment and used to being handled by people, feral kittens are born “in the wild” and hidden away by the mother. If unnoticed for several weeks they will develop their inherent wild instincts, regardless of whether the mother cat is feral or domestic. Once exposed to the outside world they will react aggressively or elusively towards anything unfamiliar – including humans. To become domesticated they have to be tamed, to be taught to live with humans without fear and finally to trust people to the extent that they can be handled as pets.
Question: how long does it take to tame a feral kitten?
Answer: this appears to depend on the following factors:
The kitten’s age at the time of rescue
Its previous experiences and traumas
Time available, intelligence and commitment of the “tamer” (fosterer)
The kitten’s inherent personality – the siblings of a litter usually show varying degrees of tameness when they are first rescued. This often changes during the course of adjustment; the shyest often overtakes the others and becomes the most affectionate. It is hard to say whether this is the result of the extra attention that it inevitably receives or inherited temperament and disposition that only manifests itself when the kitten has calmed down. 
THE AGE OF A KITTEN AT THE TIME OF RESCUE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR 
If rescued newborn or up to 4 weeks of age feral kittens are practically as tame as their domestic born relatives. Both may spit faintly at anything unfamiliar but they can be easily held and handled. After that an undetected kitten may grow “wild” fast (even a 4-week-old can already back away from a rescuing hand or disappear into foliage or through holes in fences etc., but it is not able to run faster than a human). 
A 5-week-old kitten can be quite elusive but if held closely, kept warm and cuddled intensively it usually calms down within a few days, provided it has not been chased during its rescue. Taming is made much more difficult when the kitten’s first impression of a human was a “monster” charging after it causing fear and panic which it will need time to forget. If a kitten does act aggressively it is very important to hold it as soon as possible. This is best done by picking it up from behind or lightly scruffing it and holding it close to your chest which usually calms the kitten down very quickly.
Unless they are found in an enclosed space in a safe corner where they can be instantly and swiftly picked up, feral kittens should be coaxed into a kitten trap baited with food rather than chased around. (If there is more than one animal to be trapped only a manual trap is safe, as one kitten eating can trigger an automatic trap door, which can hurt or even kill others on their way in). Kittens of around 6 to 7 weeks old grow big and wild fast and therefore need to be handled as soon and as intensively as possible. I have found it most useful with kittens of this age to try to hold and cuddle them the very night I bring them home if at all possible. At this stage they may still be acting passively because they are utterly surprised and I use this frozen attitude to handle them before they regain their determination and defend themselves. For extra comfort and to discourage it from struggling I wrap it loosely in some woollen material and hold it against my chest. Gentle stroking from behind with my thumb up the forehead and down between the ears is especially soothing and effective (possibly as it reminds the kitten of being woken and washed by its mother). One the kitten is totally relaxed in my arms it can start little investigative walks on my lap, extending to the surface of the settee or bed, while I keep stroking it with my hands to reassure it and also to control it should it suddenly leap out of reach. We still follow it closely in the same way as it takes its first steps on the ground so that it cannot disappear into corners. After each short excursion the kitten is returned to the pen. 
Kittens over 8 weeks of age are usually too fierce to be handled straight away and if they are 9 to 10 weeks or older a step-by-step taming programme will be required, unless previous feeders have gained their confidence on site by handling and stroking them. This is more likely when the mother cat is ex-domestic because she will bring them closer to humans and is more relaxed when she sees her kittens being approached. 
The taming course needs to start at the earliest opportunity and even if very young feral kittens are taken in and reared with their mother, they need to be separated from her for short periods of time to be handled once they are 3 to 4 weeks old.
CONFINEMENT
A playpen provides adequate living space for a litter of kittens
It is essential that newly rescued kittens be confined in a kitten pen. (see MDC, www.mdcexports.com) If a feral kitten is old enough to walk or crawl it will most certainly disappear behind or inside furniture. Frightened of humans it will squeeze itself into the most unsuitable tiny spaces where it will remain shivering with fear. People only familiar with the reactions of domestic cats may follow it around making comforting noises but this will only result in scaring the frightened creature even more. Even tiny kittens should be kept in a playpen, hospitalisation or queen’s cage, or just a spacious cat basket, so that the optimal regular feeding, warmth and litter training can be controlled. A very young kitten out of reach behind furniture can become dehydrated within hours and its life can be at stake. 
If allowed to hide away, the kitten will continue its feral lifestyle and will not settle. Contrary to the belief of some people who would rather let the kitten have its freedom (assuming it will eventually come to them as a tame pet), the kitten will not learn fast enough, will not get used to being handled and will grow into a semi-feral cat which to its owner’s disappointment will not act like a pet. 
STEP BY STEP TAMING
During its taming (or learning) process the kitten has to deal with three major problems
1. The new human environment with its smells, noises and activities –
Even an initially frantic kitten will soon recognise that its playpen is a safe zone from which it can observe all the activities in the room without being directly affected and will calm down quickly.
2. Humans approaching it –
If the cage is placed at floor level in a busy area of the room the kitten will get used to seeing humans at their full “threatening” height 
3. Being touched and held –
Within the safe confines of the playpen, with the kitten within easy reach, it is easier for the tamer to acclimatise the kitten to being touched and handled. Not being able to run away, the kitten will soon lose the impulse to do so.
Before we dive into step-by-step taming one important warning:
NEVER TEASE A CAT WITH YOUR HANDS! 
Some people think that we tame a cat by playing with it using our hands. They imitate the cat’s fast frisky movements in front of the cat’s face and feet, provoking the cat to lash out, scratch and bite, unaware that playing, for a cat, is also part of the process of learning to hunt and kill. A woman from Ealing came to choose two kittens and immediately started to tease them in this way and tap their faces playfully. Within seconds they retaliated and scratched and bit her fiercely – something that these two kittens had never done before. I rushed to stop her and explain why she must not tease a cat with her hands. Surprised she admitted she had always “played” with her previous cat in this manner, thinking it needed this type of “fun” and now wondered if she had in fact caused it to become an aggressive cat. 
HAND FEEDING IS THE KEY TO WINNING A KITTEN’S TRUST
If the kittens are badly under-nourished or frantically scared and flying around the cage, we give them a few days to recover before we start the real work. Do not be tempted to release the kitten thinking you are doing it a favour.
We may even decide to place the cage in a quiet corner or in a raised position initially, which is also easier for the fosterer to observe and attend to feeding, cleaning etc. 
From day one of our taming course, and for many more to come, the kitten will receive ALL its food from our fingers and only water is available between meals “for free”. We start by holding a large lump of food very still in front of the kitten, hoping it will smell it and start eating immediately. Instead, the kitten may be scared and back away or even lash out and hit the food out of our hand. In that case we make a small trail – one or two small pieces placed on the ground near the hungry kitten – leading to our hand resting flat and motionless on the ground. Usually kittens sniff their way along to the hand and eat from it within one or two minutes, otherwise we repeat. Soon we can hold the food lump in front of its face; other kittens in the pen will imitate the braver kitten and come to eat as well. In that case, use very large chunks otherwise your fingers may be eaten as well! When the kittens have lost interest we take all the food away until we start again later. The kittens very soon become used to our hands and start licking the fingers clean. After a few days they will come to the entrance of the cage to be fed and when their tails go up we know we are making progress. 
At this stage we can introduce the next step. We only start feeding the meal as usual from our fingers and as the kitten continues its meal from the plate we stroke it very briefly down its side with the outside of our “dirty” feeding fingers. The kitten will look round alarmed only to find the familiar hand, which it will sniff and recognise, and reassured it will continue eating from the plate. This action has to be repeated many times and whenever the kitten shows surprise we show it our fingers in the food offering position, always very slowly to give it time to sniff and think. The kitten may begin to purr at this stage, however, be warned – this does not mean that it is now tame like a domestic cat, where purring indicates affection and readiness to be picked up.
A feral kitten still has a long way to go, and purring may only indicate contentment, when its tummy fills up for instance. 
With or without food we use this gesture for many weeks or months to come whenever we approach the kitten in its cage, because it provokes a positive reflex in the kitten. Expecting food it raises its tail and is willing to be stroked and in time it may butt against the hand expecting to be touched, a sign of confidence in the feeder. Yet, even after many months, we still start every stroking session showing the “holding” fingers first, to keep this reflex alive and wisely teach this link to the new owner once the kitten goes to a home.
When the kitten has become tame enough to be released in to the room, this gesture – especially when holding some Coley or other tasty tit-bit – will be indispensable when wanting to attract the kitten to the feeder.
LIFTING AND HOLDING THE KITTEN
Once the kitten enjoys being stroked we gradually teach it to be lifted up. This involves touching it under the stomach and chest, a sensation that the kitten has to learn to accept gradually. While eating distracts the kitten we can stroke it with one hand firmly over its back and rest the other underneath for as long as the kitten will tolerate it. If the kitten frets we stop and start again later being careful to avoid any gripping or tickling effect. 
The next step is to gently place a hand under the chest and lift it so the front feet slightly lose the feel of the ground. This needs to be repeated several times and gradually the height increased until the kitten is used to it. At that stage we place the other hand under its back legs and very briefly hold the kitten in both hands just a few inches high inside the pen. We always place it back on the ground on all fours and comfort it by stroking before its reaction of surprise turns to panic. Still inside the pen we gradually pick the kitten up higher during the next few days to get it used to feeling safe and still in our hands. Eventually we lift it out of the pen for a short moment and immediately rest it against our chest for warmth and comfort, stroking gently from behind over its head and back. The kitten’s head should be facing the open cage door so it can be put back at the slightest sign of nervousness. Trying to win over the kitten by holding onto it by force is not only bound to be unsuccessful, and possibly harmful, but totally against the spirit of our teaching which aims at gaining the kitten’s understanding and confidence – the basis of all bonding. 
RELEASING THE KITTEN INTO THE ROOM   
When the kitten has become tame and handleable it can finally be let out of the cage. This can be done in stages and initially when the kitten is hungry!
At first it should be kept in one room to overcome any initial nervousness. Make sure all the doors and windows are firmly shut (a kitten can squeeze through an inch gap and it can tamper with levers and prise windows open).
This must be the same room that the kitten has seen from its playpen. In order to maintain the bond between kitten and feeder we only allow the kitten to be loose in the room for limited periods of time. We can begin by feeding the kitten on the open cage door while we are stroking it as usual and then putting the food just in front of the cage. It is most important that we do not follow the kitten around or chase it as it explores the room, as this will only make it run away from us. Instead we tempt it to come to us with treats and toys; tasty food held out with the familiar feeding gesture or a toy trailed past us or onto our laps. It can be helpful to keep a small plate of attractively smelling food next to your knees to encourage the kitten to approach you. We only try to touch the kitten from the side or from behind unless it approaches us with its tail up expecting to be cuddled. During these sessions we keep a dish of food in the open playpen to entice it back inside later for another handling session. 
IN ITS NEW HOME 
Unless the kitten has been rescued very young and has become as tame as any domestic born kitten we take it to its new home with its playpen, its own little house where it feels safe and can be handled immediately. We teach the new owner all the tricks of the trade, including a short period of hand feeding to settle the kitten in fast. We encourage the owner to say the kitten’s name when feeding to get it used to being called, which is helpful later when the kitten is released into the room and also very much later when it goes outside. 
Intelligent people understand the benefits of this approach and enjoy the challenge and the sense of achievement when the kitten has bonded with them.  
The end result! 
THE TIME FACTOR 
Taming feral kittens is a race against time because people want to adopt kittens as young as possible. They prefer a nervous seven-week-old to a tame four month old. If the kitten is not rescued until it is ten to twelve weeks old the taming can take several weeks, if not months. Only two months later it will need neutering and if a home is not found soon after it is not regarded as a kitten any longer. There is only a slim possibility of finding homes for these youngsters and this is especially hard during the summer, with an abundance of even younger kittens, so we wait for the chance during the winter months, hoping for those rare, unselfish animal lovers to come and choose a kitten that needs special love and patience….people who seem to be like gold dust. 
REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT ! 
It is not only important that each stage which leads to handling the kitten is repeated countless times before the next one can be attempted, but also much later, when the kitten has become practically tame, the sequence: SNIFF – TOUCH – STROKE – LIFT – HOLD should be repeated whenever you approach the cage as the basis of every interaction because it gives the kitten a sense of security and establishes a positive attitude to us humans. 
©Elke de Vries 2002 – CAT 77 Fieldwork Advisor

I have written this article to give basic advice to people unexpectedly faced with tiny motherless, frail kittens with no idea of how to deal with the situation. I have lost count of the number of people in the past who have rung me in despair, either because they did not know what to do, or because they had improvised and things had gone tragically wrong: “…had we only known all this…”. One so quickly grows fond of these little creatures, and it is traumatic to lose them after all one’s efforts. However, handrearing is really quite simple, once you know how.
A newborn kitten is entirely dependent on its mother. The queen provides three vital requirements:
1. Warmth;
2. Food;
3. Stimulation of the bowel and bladder, and general hygiene.
The human substitute has to provide all of these to enable the kittens to survive. I will cover each in turn.
1) WARMTH
I’ll illustrate this with the procedure followed in a typical rescue case. Five two-day-old kittens were found in a puddle on a building site. Three were already dead, but the others, though very cold, wet and seemingly lifeless, were still breathing. Their umbilical cords were still attached and therefore a warm bath was out of the question (in any case, bathing is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS for kittens, and must be avoided under any circumstances). The priority was to get the two survivors dry and warm, so they were first rubbed thoroughly with a rough towel to stimulate the circulation. Next, a hot water bottle was prepared, wrapped in a thick layer of newspaper, placed inside an old woollen sweater and the whole laid in a box. This arrangement will maintain a suitable temperature for 2-4 hours. The kittens, now dry, were placed on top and covered with a loosely-crocheted blanket to create a perfect warm capsule, with about 2″ of the box left uncovered.
Simply putting kittens “by the fire”, as many well-meaning people do, is not good enough: the warmth has to be skin-close to imitate the mother’s body, which is normally folded right round the kittens. A queen will never deliberately leave her young kittens for more than a few moments. If you are worried that the kittens might overheat, add a further layer of newspaper over the hot water bottle, and place a folded towel in the box beside the covered hot-water bottle. Even very young kittens will instinctively crawl to an area with the right temperature.
Cold kittens are too weak to suckle and swallow, and they are unable to digest properly, so only when the kittens have started to warm up do I prepare their food.
2) FOOD
If you are taken by surprise with no pet shop or vet nearby, an eye dropper, or a cotton bud covered with muslin or cotton lawn from which the kitten can suck, will do to give a little improvised liquid food. Evaporated milk diluted with three parts of boiled, cooled water is suitable in emergency; even glucose water (1 teaspoon of glucose powder per cup of boiled water) will serve, but only as the first feed and if the kitten is desperately hungry (however, for a very weak kitten, this is the best mixture to use for the first feed). Cat food manufacturers advise us that the lactose-reduced “cat milk” sold in cartons is NOT SUITABLE for bottle-feeding kittens.
The prepared feed should be slightly below blood temperature: a drop placed on the back of the hand should feel neither warm nor cold.
The first sips should be given drop by drop to be sure everything is swallowed – you may need to stimulate swallowing by gently stroking the throat after each drop. After the first few drops a kitten will usually get an appetite and start suckling actively, but failing that you should continue with the drop method. It is essential to take things slowly and carefully, as if any food – even the smallest amount – gets into the lungs, infection and death will inevitably follow.
As soon as you can, get a proper feeder and teats, and a scientifically formulated milk substitute.
Which drinking bottle is the best?
The CATAC Standard Feeder is safe, but it is not easy for people with narrow fingers to use: I find it better to use a syringe fitted with a CATAC teat (designed especially for kittens). Start with a 1 ml syringe, using bigger ones as the kitten grows and is able to suckle harder. The hole in the teat should be just big enough to allow drops of milk to appear slowly at the end of the teat without added pressure. Ideally the kitten should suck so that the plunger moves down the barrel of the syringe without any pressure from your hand, but you may occasionally need to use the GENTLEST POSSIBLE pressure until the kitten gets the idea. Replace the syringe as soon as the plunger starts to stick – this may be necessary daily. If milk appears at the sides of the kitten’s mouth or – even worse – bubbles from the nose, then the flow is far too fast and the kitten is in serious trouble. Stop instantly, hold the kitten with the head slightly below the rest of the body, and tap its back gently with two fingers to stop it choking. Occasionally a very hungry kitten will “fight” the bottle in its anxiety and desperation: in this case gently steady its head with your fingers and guide the teat into the mouth.
Choice of food and time- table
CIMICAT is a milk powder specially formulated for kittens, and available from vets and some pet shops. It may be necessary to use a baby whisk to get a smooth mixture when making up the feed. Although CIMICAT is usually ideal and produces strong, healthy kittens, it may be too rich for some and cause diarrhoea. If this happens, switch to Lactol, which is less rich. If the kitten gets diarrhoea, the next two feeds should be rice water (drained from well-cooked white rice) to soothe the stomach, followed by a third feed of a mixture of equal quantities of Lactol and rice water, before going back to a pure milk feed to which one drop per day of Abidec Baby Vitamins may be added. This simple remedy, adapted from a method used for human babies, has effected miraculous cures, even with tiny kittens.
Patience and discipline are needed to handrear a kitten successfully, and this includes keeping the bedding and feeding equipment meticulously clean to avoid infection.
As with human babies, food must be given at short, regular intervals. The following guide has proved successful.
Days 1-21 For the first 7 days, pure milk feeds every 2-21/2 hours, day and night, intervals increasing to 21/2-3 hours (day and night) for days 7-21. Newborn kittens may take as little as 1 ml per feed, but the appetite increases rapidly. The amount taken at each feed depends entirely on the kitten’s appetite: stop feeding when the kitten stops suckling actively, and NEVER force it to take food. CIMICAT comes complete with instructions and a feeding chart, but in my experience the suggested quantities per feed are a minimum. Use the chart as a rough guide only and feed according to appetite.
Days 21-28 Feeds every 3 hours: an occasional interval of 31/2 hours is possible when enriched feeds are given – this longer interval may be most convenient in the middle of the night, to allow the nurse a little more sleep. (NOTE: it is important during the first 3 weeks that kittens are not left for too long an interval, not only because they need food, but also because a kitten may wet itself, get cold and become ill). In preparation for weaning, three of the milk feeds daily can now be enriched with approximately 1 level teaspoon per kitten of powdered baby rice stirred into the warm milk (for kittens over 31/2 weeks chicken flavoured powdered food, for babies from 3 months, may be added instead): enriched feeds should be alternated with pure milk feeds. If the kitten rejects pure milk feeds after having sampled the tastier mixture, a small amount of cereal can be added to every bottle. Some kittens just under 3 weeks old may no longer be satisfied with pure milk and will still be hungry after a milk feed. If this happens, put a small amount of cereal in future feeds.
Day 28 onwards at about age 4 weeks you can start teaching the kittens to eat. This is very easy using a scientifically formulated, tinned weaning food (available from vets and some pet shops, but not sold in supermarkets). Initially this should be liquidised with plenty of the enriched feed and given using a teaspoon. Wetting the little mouth with a small amount on the finger always does the trick: as a reflex action the kitten will lick its lips and will readily continue lapping from the spoon held against its mouth. Gradually lower the spoon to the plate until the kitten is eating directly from the plate. NEVER “dip its nose in”: how would you like to start dinner by having your face pushed into the soup and inhaling it through your nose? If the kitten is not ready to start weaning (it will turn its face away or shake its head when offered the weaning food), wait one or 2 days before trying again.
The 3 enriched daytime meals should now consist of this mixture, alternating with milk feeds. Some kittens like to continue to bottle-feed for a considerable time: you should allow this, but also encourage them to eat by themselves by leaving small bowls of food, boiled water and milk feed in the pen at all times, with a larger meal prepared last thing at night. The kittens will usually be eating within 2 or 3 days, allowing their by now exhausted human nurse a longer break at night. By 6 weeks of age the weaning food can be mixed with or replaced by tinned kitten food, together with liquidised or very finely chopped chicken breast. All food should be nicely moist and mushy, and palatable vitamin tablets (obtained from your vet) should be added.
Food should be available at all times and 5 times each 24 hours anything left uneaten should be replaced with a freshly prepared meal.
At 8 weeks offer 4 freshly prepared meals daily (including the night meal); at 12 weeks 3 meals. Up to 12 weeks I include at least one meal daily of freshly cooked chicken or fish, and when asked whether that is not rather extravagant, point out that even using every trick in the book and all possible care we can never take the place of a mother cat. We should at least try our very best: after all, a good start can save a lot of trouble later. 
3) TOILET FUNCTION
A mother cat washes her kittens’ bottoms before and after each feed. Her tongue stimulates the bowel and bladder to evacuate. This action of the mother must be mimicked by gentle stroking of the area using cotton wool dampened with warm, previously boiled water. KITTENS THAT ARE NOT STIMULATED TO DEFECATE WEANED WILL DIE.When the kittens start eating solid food at about 4 weeks, they happily take to using a litter tray, which should be left in the pen near the kittens from now onwards and kept scrupulously clean. Natural grey fuller’s earth litter should be used, which is harmless if the kittens nibble it. Cats are naturally clean, and no further “training” is necessary.
Complications
Even a very experienced kitten nurse will encounter situations when a vet is needed. As well as serious diseases like cat ‘flu (“gungy” eyes and/or sneezing and coughing), complications as simple as worms MUST be treated by a vet and NOT with “over the counter” products available from shops.
Roundworms
Kittens can be born with these. The larvae of the roundworm pass through the mother’s uterus and into the liver of the unborn kitten: from there they migrate into the lungs and wriggle up the windpipe to the back of the throat, where they are swallowed and pass into the kitten’s stomach. A kitten as young as one day old may have symptoms indicating roundworms: listlessness, loss of appetite (food may be refused), slimy, runny motions (sometimes containing blood), and a bloated stomach. Generally, it will be obviously unwell, often whimpering and moving around in discomfort. A vet must be consulted and the kitten treated IMMEDIATELY.
Tapeworms
Tapeworm segments look like cucumber pips or rice grains and may be found hanging from the anus: they may sometimes be in chains. Tapeworms fasten themselves onto the intestine and can kill – undiagnosed kittens as young as 5 weeks have died from them. IF THE KITTEN SEEMS UNWELL, EVEN IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN EVIDENCE OF WORMS, CONSULT A VET IMMEDIATELY. The vet can treat the kitten with an injection, but infestation may recur if the kitten is not kept free from fleas.
Fleas
These must be combed from the fur using a very fine-toothed comb (a “nit-comb”, available from pharmacists); combing must be done regularly and repeatedly. NO CHEMICALS (FLEA-SPRAYS, POWDERS, DROPS ETC) SHOULD BE USED ON KITTENS WITHOUT VETERINARY ADVICE – THEY COULD BE FATAL. Fleas eat tapeworm larvae and can re-infest the kitten.
Lice
These look like “walking dandruff”. The tiny white eggs are just visible and are firmly attached to the tips of the hairs. Lice can make a cat anaemic to the point of death, and must be dealt with immediately. Your vet will advise you on treatment. Because the eggs of lice are waterproof, a bath WILL NOT have any effect: in any case bathing a kitten is VERY DANGEROUS, and it may die of shock or contract pneumonia.
Care of the umbilical cord
The umbilical cord must be allowed to dry up and drop off naturally, and under no circumstances should it be removed. However, if the cord is very long it can become wound round a limb, cutting off the circulation: one kitten lost a paw this way. A kitten may also step on a very long cord, causing a hernia or even opening the stomach at the navel, which would be fatal.  If the cord is still wet and very long you can carefully cut it yourself with very clean scissors,  leaving it about 1″ long.  Do not pull on the cord because the stomach must not open. If necessary the sore end of the cord can then be squeezed shut  with two fingers for  a few minutes to stop bleeding.  If you notice seeping around the navel area seek veterinary help IMMEDIATELY: if there is a delay before you can get to the surgery, as an emergency measure soak a cotton wool ball in boiled salt water, squeeze it almost dry and hold it GENTLY over the navel until the bleeding stops. Do NOT rub or wash the area, and see the vet as soon as possible.
Perfect pets
When bottle-feeding rescued feral kittens I have often been asked “Are they going to be wild?”. Quite the contrary: because of the continuous close physical contact with humans from an early age, handreared kittens turn out especially loving and affectionate. REMEMBER: feral and domestic cats are the same breed, and it is only the absence of contact with humans that destines a kitten to become a feral cat.
© Elke de Vries, CAT 1977 Fieldwork Adviser, 1999
(If you are handrearing kittens and need specific advice or reassurance, please email us and our fieldwork advisor will do her best to help you).

Ear-tipping involves removing about 1 cm of tissue from the left ear of feral cats at the time of neutering.
Done under the anaesthetic the process is painless. The procedure means that a neutered cat can be spotted from a distance. Thus a cat can be spared the trauma of a second trapping for neutering, as well as the risk of unnecessary anaesthetic.
Anaesthetic risk is higher in an unfit or very frightened cat: one cannot check heart or lung functions or open the mouth to check for anaemia before anaesthetising a feral cat, so fewer anaesthetics justifies ear-tipping. 
In a female cat we cannot tell at all whether neutering has been carried out once the fur has regrown, so an ear tip prevents the need to open the abdomen and stitch up muscle and skin layers for a second time. 
It can require a larger incision to find a small stump of uterus to prove, beyond doubt, that a cat has spayed than to spay initially, when the uterus can be found without difficulty in most cases.
Ear-tipping does not count as an unnecessary mutilation, in my view, because it prevents more suffering than it causes, and aesthetically the affected ear is no less attractive than a lot of the shredded ears that have been damaged by cats themselves in fights.  
© Katie Whitcomb, BVSc, MRCVS Veterinary Surgeon

When a new cat appears in the garden, some cat-lovers immediately offer it some food; but is this always the right thing to do? If the cat is lost or abandoned it may be a lifesaver, but otherwise it may only cause problems for the cat and its real owner.
The cat might be on a specially medicated diet and ordinary cat food (and even more the popular dish of milk, which is bad for most cats) can compromise its health. The cat might be greedy and receiving extra meals may cause obesity. If the cat is new to the area and exploring its new neighbourhood, whilst not totally familiar with the outside of its new home, food offers may stop it from returning home altogether and we are then dealing with a lost cat. This can also happen to “holiday cats”, which are in the care of a friendly neighbour with keys to the house. The cat misses the usual attention of its owners, gets bored and seeking human company it may venture further than usual with potentially disastrous circumstances. The cat, having found a feeder elsewhere does not go home anymore and the neighbour finds the food untouched and stops feeding – a pet has become homeless. Every year, particularly during the summer holidays we receive requests from people to “collect a stray” which they have started feeding, unaware that they may have caused the problem in the first place. I suggest they reduce the feeding to only one meal to encourage the cat to go home. Meanwhile the cat should be scanned for a microchip, the number of which is stored on a central national register containing the cat’s home address. Failing that the neighbourhood should be informed about this cat in notes on trees and through letter boxes, at least until the holidays are over.
A very sad story twenty years ago warned me against removing new cats. A man and his two children came to me to choose a new kitten. All three, and soon all four of us, were in floods of tears. Their nine-month-old beautiful and affectionate neutered tomcat had been left in the care of a neighbour for two weeks. He had soon disappeared and when the family made enquiries on their return they found out that Tom had ventured only ten houses away where he had previously never been seen. Two elderly people assumed he was lost and started feeding him. A few days later they realised they had acquired a cat and unwilling to adopt him, they had him collected by a charity which was not opposed to killing for expediency. Because he wore a collar he was kept for a few days, in case the owner turned up, then he was put down.
Who was to blame for this tragedy? Practically everybody involved; the cat should have had an address attached to his collar, the neighbour should have advertised when he went missing (or looked for him), the ladies should not have fed him or at least asked around for his owners and finally the charity should have left notices realising that such a well groomed, well fed cat was not really a stray.
How can you tell if a cat is lost or not? Lost cats are usually desperate and hungry and will eat anything; to test them I offer some food of moderate quality, which will be ignored by a spoilt cat, which has had its meal at home. If a cat hangs about I use a scanner, if it is a kitten I take it in instantly for safety reasons and make extensive enquiries in the area. Young kittens do not survive for long without regular feeding and cannot be left to fend for themselves.
Then, there are feral cats. They look less fat and less shiny, unless they are adopted, and they usually behave in a shy and furtive manner and show fast reflexes when scared; unless they are used to the feeder they shoot off when a door opens, although they are hoping for a meal. To suggest, “do not feed them and they will go away” is cruel and neither helps the cats nor the people. It is a myth that feral cats are self-reliant. They are natural hunters but there is not enough wildlife to sustain them in our towns and cities (and who would want them to kill our songbirds out of necessity? – it is bad enough we lose so many to Magpies). Feral cats need at least one meal a day in order to remain healthy, this includes “working” cats in factories, hospitals etc. Most cats have one or two regular feeders and may also receive scraps from people who prefer to put out their leftovers for them rather than waste it. Provided this food it not spicy and has no bones which can cause injury (and death) it can add to a good and varied diet. Fresh water must always be available. For us animal workers it is important that feral cats are “attached” to certain gardens so that we know them all and have every single one neutered.
© Elke de Vries – CAT 77 Fieldwork Advisor

It happened only through chance that Buttercup and Marigold were saved through a mishap which turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
I went to a back garden in Southall intending to trap the three last cats of a colony yet to be neutered. As if under a spell, the cats kept a considerable distance from the trap. After three hours of waiting in vain, the kind, elderly lady who cherished these cats admitted that she had not kept her promise to stop feeding but had given them “only a little” that morning. The situation was so absurd that I came to the conclusion there must be a deeper purpose for this failure. Maybe some other cats needed my attention instead today.
Was there an industrial site near here? Indeed there was, the gate only fifty yards away. 
I went and enquired about cats. Yes, there was a mother cat with kittens “down there”. Two laughing workmen pointed out an inch wide gap in the asphalt of a driving ramp. I thought they must be joking but when they pulled a steel roller away a cat jumped out, a beautiful tortoiseshell and white (or rather tortoiseshell and grime!). Below, in a tiny, filthy space only just within reach, were her four ginger kittens, two days old I was told. Mother kept an eye on us at a safe distance. One workman helped me fetch the trap, the other kept vigil at the ramp. Mother was caught within minutes with the help of cooked chicken. But when I reached down to lift up a kitten I made an horrific discovery: all four kittens were strung together by their umbilical cords. Two were obviously dead because they were cold, stiff and very dusty. They must have suffocated underneath their mother, being unable to move. Careful not to pull on the navels, I cut the dried umbilical cords of all four kittens at an inch length. The two surviving kittens were covered with dust and grime and their little faces with black crusts. The little pink mouths were wide open crying in distress. Their navels appeared severely infected and I rushed them to the vet for antibiotic treatment which needed to be continued. 
WHAT IS WRONG WITH HELPING A CAT?
Two tantalising weeks followed. Their stomachs could have opened any time being bloodshot and sore; stitching up would have been impossible because the skin was too delicate. Unbearable, the thought of losing them, especially after the workmen told me had I only come yesterday when they were all still alive! If only someone had contacted us about this cat in the first place! I learned that ‘tortie’ (now known as Tiger Lily) had had many litters before, some of them born in a place worse than this: in a deep, dusty hole underneath a building. Nobody knew what had happened to any of the kittens. Did they ever emerge alive? Did any survive? Nobody was interested. Oh yes, they quite liked the cat, yet nobody had put a stop to this chain of disasters by at least having her spayed or taking her home. This time she had tried to force her way into the office and had been rejected. What is wrong with helping a cat? 
Once at home with me, Tiger Lily relaxed immediately. Why is she not on the photo? Tiger Lily cannot be allowed to move freely outside the playpen because she has a ferocious attitude towards other cats in defence of her kittens. Having had this little family for two months, I think we have been very lucky to survive and lucky will be the people who will adopt these beautiful cats. 
And the cats indirectly responsible for all this in the garden in Southall? I decided to leave a dummy trap and gave instructions to put all the food inside for the next two weeks. When I came back to trap I was assured that the cats were really hungry. Yet they did not go near the trap until they thought I had gone. I discreetly joined the little lady watching television, with the magic string at the ready through the kitchen curtains. One cat was caught during “Blockbusters”, one during “Countdown”, and the third waited for the 6 o’clock news. ©Elke de Vries – CAT 77 Fieldwork Advisor, 1999

You would think that your back garden is a natural and secure place for your cats to enjoy, but unfortunately this is not always so. The most obvious dangers in the garden are poisonous plants but because the cat’s metabolism is different from humans, plants that are poisonous to people are not always poisonous to cats and vice versa. 
Some of the garden plants poisonous to cats are: 

Ivies (Hedera spp), Cherry Laurel (Prunus Laurocerasus), Mistletoe, Rhododendron, Azaleas, Euphorbias, Oleander. 
This list is not exhaustive, but one must also apply a sense of proportion. Even if you uproot all possible harmful plants in your garden a cat could still wander into a neighbour’s garden and find them growing there. Some plants smell and taste repulsive to cats and most cats retain many of their wild instincts, therefore they know which plants are edible. However, when a cat leads a more enclosed life and does not have the choice of plants to eat it is less likely to differentiate between good and bad ones. 
Therefore caution should be taken in cat runs and gardens that are fenced in. Extra care should be taken with kittens who, like all small creatures, are inquisitive and playfully have a nibble at anything. Also, because of their smaller body weight they are more susceptible to poisons.  
Similarly care should be taken inside the house especially with kittens and housebound cats. Dieffenbachia (also known as the Dumb Cane plant, commonly speckled with white) is an extremely poisonous plant.
The most popular indoor plants that are poisonous to cats are: 
Poinsettias, Lilies, Oleanders, Philodendron, Solanum Capiscastrum (false Jerusalem Cherry), Elephant Ears (Caladium spp), and Parlour Palms. 
It is best to keep all houseplants out of reach of your cats or in a room they do not have access to, until you are sure they will not be tempted. Try to keep a pot of “cat grass” available for cats that cannot go outside; you can buy kits and seeds in pet shops. 
Another danger to animals in the garden are garden chemicals; slug pellets and creosote are particularly harmful to cats and all wildlife. Always read instructions on packets and try to use chemicals that state they are non-toxic to pets, or better still garden organically! 
People have been told to check bonfires for hibernating hedgehogs, but it is not unknown for our workers to find feral kittens inside bonfires too. So make sure you check that no animal has set up home by lifting the whole pile off the ground immediately before lighting that match. Ponds (and, if you are lucky swimming pools) with sheer sides can be dangerous to cats and other animals as once that are in they cannot climb back out. This can be overcome by placing a plank of wood at the edge so an animal can use it as a ramp. An artificial island made from big stones in the middle of the water would also enable the cat to jump out. Another idea is to submerge a large planted pot, filled with gravel near to the edge of the pond, as recommended by the late Geoff Hamilton, the TV gardener. 
It goes without saying that if one of your animals shows signs of poisoning take them to a vet immediately. If you know the possible cause take the chemical packaging or some of the plant with you. Try to make your garden a safe haven for all its four legged and two winged inhabitants and visitors. For more detailed lists of dangerous plants see: Plants and Your Cat 
© Annette Freema

Moving house is supposed to be one of life’s great traumatic experiences. So, what’s it like for a cat?
Cats are known to be home loving with a strong sense for warmth, physical comfort and territorial security. Don’t forget, your cat is a domesticated version of an originally wild species. That says it all, your cat will just be another member of your family likely to be confused an upset.
The strenuous job of packing? No problem. He will enjoy helping you with the china… lots of paper to play with and boxes to sit in. It is important that your cat is kept in the night before and confined in his basket in an already emptied room before the actual move begins. Many a cat has disappeared with the arrival of the removal van. Better still, board your cat overnight at a cattery or local Vet. Once the actual move starts your cat may turn into a bundle of misery, howling in his travelling basket. Pay no attention; confinement is absolutely necessary. The AA in their leaflet About Driving and Animals say: “During a journey a cat should be confined in a proper carrying cage or basket – a cardboard box is not suitable”. I was told of one extremely friendly and relaxed cat, which was used to travelling loose in a vehicle, until one day, for no obvious reason he went literally wild and flew around the car. The driver lost control and had to stop abruptly. Unthinkable if it had happened on a motorway. In a similar case a cat went berserk and flew into the drivers face, forcing him to open the car and let the cat out to save his own skin.
I learned this lesson many years ago through soppy Sammy my landlady’s cat, the first ever cat in my care. I carried Sammy on my shoulder to the car. Since he practically lived on my shoulder, I assumed he would feel safe up there. The very moment we crossed the pavement the only horse in Fulham came trotting past the house and sent Sammy flying up a nearby tree. This was the day I discovered a cat in panic is stronger and quicker than your hands. Even cats on harnesses have been known to struggle free never to return – including some with lead and harness attached!
Back to the furniture van with a howling cat (in a basket) inside. We arrive at the new house and start offloading. This is the moment when the most common mistake is made; the cat’s protests have become unbearable and we want to release him as soon as possible. This must not happen until it has been decided which is the most suitable room for the cat to live in at first. Preferably it will be an upstairs room that can be furnished beforehand so the door and windows can be kept closed. It must not have any open floorboards and any chimney must be blocked using a black refuse bag stuffed with crushed newspaper forced up the flue. Any removal men must be instructed NOT to enter this room. If there is a lock use it!
After a litter tray has been established and still with the door and windows firmly closed the cat can be allowed out of the basket and start living in this room. When he is relaxed, the moving is finished and any building or decorating completed he can be allowed to investigate the rest of the house.
During this time of confinement to the house the litter tray is indispensable. Even later, when the cat has started going outside the tray must be kept until it is not used anymore. Some cats take weeks to become confident enough about the outside to use the garden for the toilet. After all, other cats already own it. Removing the indoor tray abruptly does NOT encourage the cat; it only makes it unhappy and confused and can cause the start of a dirty habit. Placing a little of the cat’s own dirty litter on a flowerbed can offer some encouragement.
Cats that are let outside too soon after the move are prone to disappear. It is wrong to assume that a cat thinks and acts like a human. Reflexes, not reflections, largely rule a cat’s behaviour. No matter how loving and affectionate your cat is normally, starting life in a new place creates a crisis situation and the cat may be reduced to employing its instincts of survival and disappear. Therefore, the first step into the outside world should be delayed until the cat is totally confident about the whole house and sees it as its home.
When that day arrives, the cat should be allowed to go out voluntarily and in its own time. You should check that the fences around the garden are intact. If there are any gaps repairs should be made before the cat is let out. The back door should be wide open so he can fly back in to safety should the local Tom show his face over the garden wall. Every inch of the new garden will have to be sniffed and analysed until all the four-legged visitors to the garden have been registered. The use of a cat door should be delayed for many weeks, especially if there wasn’t one in the old house. The magnetic cat doors can be very complicated and the magnets can often drop off leaving the cat locked out. Identifying your cat as being owned is very important since new cats to a neighbourhood can often be mistaken for strays. If your cat tolerates a collar, a tag with your address and phone number is a good idea. In any case it is advisable to have your cat micro-chipped, (remember to update the details on the database if you do move). 
What if the worst happens and your cat disappears despite all precautions?
FIRST THING: Check and DOUBLE CHECK the house. If you know what door was responsible open it wide and call form the inside.
2. Put food out, both at the front and back of the house. Replace it if other cats eat it.
3. Put notices up as soon as possible, starting near the house then spreading to streets further away. Put notes through letterboxes asking people to open up sheds, garages, coalbunkers etc. If you cat is micro-chipped specify this on the notices so someone knows to take the cat straight to a Vet if found.
4. Ring local vets and animal clinics in case your cat has been brought in injured. Contact local cat rescue organisations.
5. Put one of your old shoes outside the house. The cat will recognise your smell, (sorry – nothing personal).
6. Go out and search. Where to start? In panic a dog runs miles but a cat usually stays close and hides. A lost cat is usually nearby and in trouble. Two cats of mine got nailed under floorboards for 17 days. The builders unaware and insisting angrily there were no cats in the building. Out of fear the cats did not make a sound.
Very late at night stop and call. If you listen carefully and it is dead silent you may hear a faint miaow.
A USEFUL TRICK…………………
Record a familiar noise such as activities in the kitchen at dinnertime like opening cans, cutting meat, rattling biscuits and your voices. Record the voices of any other cats you own. If you do this when they are hungry and begging for food they are more likely to “speak” at this time. You can play the tape from your car stereo late at night. A very low volume will not disturb your neighbours but a cat will still hear it. A carrying basket and a plate of food should be with you at all times.
7. Local Vets may know of kind people in the area who feed stray cats and it is worthwhile contacting them. Your cat may have joined their buffet.
8. Investigate if anyone in the neighbourhood has recently gone on holiday or moved out. Have an empty house opened up and search for your cat yourself. A stranger might cause it to stay hidden.
Unfortunately, sometimes people give up looking for their cat too soon. Many times I get calls from people asking for a new kitten only days after their cat went missing. “He must be miles away” or “Somebody must have taken him” or “He’ll be alright, he’s a survivor”. These comments show the unwillingness of the owner to persevere and a lack of concern and loyalty. More loving people often ask, “Do you think I will ever get him back?” The answer is quite simply yes, if you never give up. If you stop looking then your cat really will be lost and might end up a stray, probably leading a short and miserable life. If you persevere you will get your cat back or at least a valid explanation for its disappearance. 
For good advice on travelling by car with your cat please see:
http://www.petplan.co.uk/my-petplan/travel-travelling-with-cats.asp 
 © Elke de Vries 2001 – CAT 77 Fieldwork Advisor

Acquire two polystyrene salmon boxes from the fishmarket: 2 pieces are needed for an IGLOO with roof, as pictured below. Scrub with soap, rinse and let dry. 
The made up IGLOO will measure 30 inches long by 15 inches deep by 16 inches high. Use a sharp kitchen knife for cutting.   
1. Cut all round edges off the open rim of both pieces, so that they can be fitted as top and bottom.
2. Cut round holes where you want them, top and bottom matching. A hole on the side is advisable as an additional escape route for areas with foxes.
3.Tie the two pieces together tightly at all four corners, using the present airholes. Use plastic or garden string which does not rot or stretch.
4.Cut suitable size slices from from left over pieces to force into the holes at all 8 corners.
5.If available, reinforce with waterproof tape around the middle, an additional help to stop the pieces from moving apart. Sold by packaging firms (not essential).
6.The IGLOO has one shortcoming: it is very light and blows around unless it is weighted down with bricks; window boxes, flowerpots with earth, etc are also useful. Wherever possible tie to fences, trees, shrubs and even tie up when used in a closed shed. Should it fall over forward the cat could be trapped inside. An additional hole in the short end helps prevent this happening.
7.Do not use any bedding, as it would only attract moisture and spoil the dry and warming effect of the polystyrene. Extra roof protection is not needed if the corner holes are blocked.
The IGLOO can be lifted off the ground on bricks or upturned plant pots.

These two rescued kittens and their four brothers and sisters were born in a garden in early Spring. Their mother, an abandonded domestic cat, was spayed by our charity and all found good homes. If left to breed, the mother could have had another two or more litters that year, a total of 12-18 kittens of her own; her female offspring would have started to breed themselves after they reached the age of six months.
Did you know that one unspayed abandoned cat can be responsible for a colony of 20-30 feral cats in one year? Let’s stop this from happening! 
CAT ACTION TRUST 1977 was founded to help feral cats and kittens. We are a Registered Charity run entirely by volunteers and opposed to killling for convenience. Our policy of homing kittens and tame cats, and neutering adult cats (which are often returned to their site) is successful because it is humane, and cost effective because it is long-lasting. [Caring for a feral mother cat and her kittens] 
Feral cats need humans who careIt is a myth that feral cats can take care of themselves. Although they are natural hunters, feral cats rely on humans to supply food, shelter and the neutering service, just like their domestic relatives. Cats which scrounge a meagre existence from hunting and scavenging will be undernourished and sickly, but they will still breed and, in spite of high kitten mortality, the colony will continue to grow. 
Food
Feral cats need at least one good meal every day in order to remain healthy. This also applies to the so called “working” cats kept on farms and in factories, hospitals etc to catch rats and mice. Most feral cats living in gardens have one or two committed feeders and may also receive scraps from people who prefer to put out their left-over food for them rather than waste it. Provided this food is not too spicy, it can add to a good and varied diet. Fresh water must always be available. 
Warning!
Bones – both fish and fowl – can get stuck in a cat’s mouth, throat or abdomen and can kill. We have had to catch feral cats just in order to carry out life-saving operations to remove these bones. All bones must be removed from food left out for cats. 
Shelter
Cats which huddle together in damp, draughty corners of garages and sheds are prone to colds, cat flu, eye and lung infections which may lead to blindness and death. CAT ACTION TRUST 1977 has a simple and effective solution to this problem. THE IGLOO is easily made up from two polystyrene salmon boxes and provides ideal cat shelter all year round – see leaflet. 
Neutering
If left unchecked a feral cat colony quickly grows out of all proportion to the resources available and this over-population means many cats die of starvation or disease, in fights or through accidents. Neutering is therefore of paramount importance to control the numbers of feral cats. Neutered females will be healthier because their bodies have stopped producing kittens, and neutered males will stop yowling, spraying, fighting and transmitting viral cat diseases through biting. For the same reasons we recommend that domestic pets are also neutered. 
Ear tipping
So that feral cats which have been neutered can be easily recognised, UFAW (the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare) recommend an ‘ear-tip’. This is the painless removal of a small section of the tip of the left ear and is performed under anaesthetic by a vet. [See our article – A veterinary view on ear-tipping] 
Please help us with our campaign
Irresponsible people are adding to the feral cat population when they fail to neuter their cats,and then cruelly abandon them. To improve the situation we need your help to spread the neutering message. Our leaflet ‘Why we have our cats neutered’, will help you to convince others.
If you know of a homeless or feral cat, please make sure it is neutered as soon as possible, and before it produces kittens. In either case charities like ours will help with trapping and costs.
If you hear of a litter of kittens please find help urgently. Some people watch kittens playing for several weeks before they approach us for help and by then the kittens are big and running wild, hard to tame and we are less likely to be able to take them in and find them permanent homes.
Our Charity, which is funded entirely by donations, subscriptions, legacies and bequests, urgently needs your help.