How I Tamed a Feral Kitten - Step by Step!

What to do when you have an adorable kitten who's completely terrified of you? Without human interaction in the first weeks and months of their lives, cats will become feral, meaning they won't want to have much to do with you. Socializing a kitten is always easier when they are under two months old, but even older kittens can learn to trust people...it just might take a little longer. In this video, you will meet 3-month-old Lilith, who was brought to the shelter hissing and terrified. She bit one of the shelter staff and had to be put on "bite quarantine" for a week, then she was released to me for fostering.

Step by step, I will walk you through the methods I used to take Lilith from hissing to cuddling and kissing. From time spent acclimating to the house from her "social box", to leash and harness training, and lots of love, patience, and treats in between, you will learn the simple ways to socialize a scared and frightened kitty in your own home.

I'm Caroline, and I have been fostering cats and kittens from my home in central Florida for 15 years. It's my goal to help people who love cats have the information and encouragement to make the world better for all our felines - because they make our lives so happy! This is just one of several videos I have on socializing scared kittens, I have linked to others throughout this video. My Kitten School channel has over 100 videos on *everything* cats and kittens - from health issues to feeding, and even teaching a cat to walk on a leash - so please subscribe!

Enjoy the video and please leave a comment or question! I always love hearing from all my fellow cat lovers around the world.

Kitten School is a foster home for cats and kittens who need a safe place to stay while they grow, heal or learn to love. Saving cats is not always easy, but there's plenty to learn with every foster who stays at Kitten School...be it a week-old orphan kitten or an elderly cat abandoned at the shelter. We also have a TON of fun! Watching a Kitten School video is guaranteed to make you smile and to feel a little better about the world. Subscribe now and join the Kitten School family...a place for cat lovers of all ages and nationalities!

[babyseal]

“The Social Box” is what I’m going to call any party that my friends drag me to from now on.

[billmalone]

This woman is a feral kitten whisperer with a proven successful method of socialization.

[guardiankeys]

i was expecting a priest to walk in on a foggy night... "hello Lilith, I am Father Merrin"

[JamieM]

I've always thought of crates as cages, because people tend to stick their pets in there while they're asleep, at work, or just don't want to deal with them. But the Social Box method is the best use of a crate I've ever seen! That is so smart! I am amazed. This is wonderful information. Thank you!

[Itsjustme-Justme]

I guess a big part of the success is that the kitty in the box witnesses from the start how relaxed the other cats are around humans. Nobody's fighting, everybody is happy, relaxed and playful. This shows her that there is no danger.

[LadyGreyBlack]

Lilith is such a pretty girl. Thank you for helping her find her inner snuggle bug!

[twsx]

"Lilith is very jumpy, but the cheese gets her attention." - Extremely relatable tbh

[douggoins]

Its nice to see people like you that are helping feral or scared cats learn to trust humans and be friendly. It definitely gives them a leg up for adoption. Ive got 8 fur babies myself. Love the little buggers

[powell]

My recently adopted feral kitten loves watching your video and kissed the phone

[averyoods]

With this social box method, my boyfriend and I have rehabilitated a 4 month old stray kitten and he now has such a wonderful life. Thank you so much!

[gordontheengineswifedr.nirmal]

Bless all of these sacred precious cottony miracles of love

[Crash-mios]

LOOK AT THAT BACKYARD !!!! absolutely gorgeous. your cats are nice too

[jameschristiansson]

Maybe not this year, but that 100K play button is going to happen. This episode is a gem.

[adbcf]

Awww. She did the one eye blink she loves you and isn’t going anywhere.

[gabster]

This is very helpful. My boyfriend and I just today adopted 2 feral kittens that are bonded. No one really wanted them because of how shy they are so we wanted to give them a chance. I've been looking online as to how to help them become more comfortable and social. This video will help!

[sigma]

I had lots of feral cats and kittens.

It almost boils to down to the "Two F's". Food, and Fun to socialize a cat.

Never force a cat to interact with you, other humans or other cats.They usually work it at their own pace.

[cali_love]

That’s such a wonderful way to get kittens to homes rather than the shelter. We found a 8 week old kitten and it took us one week of feeding him outside before he climbed on our legs. He never hissed once; only ran. It’s been two weeks inside the room with us. And between those 3 weeks, we have spent endless hours giving the kitten to feel comfortable safe, used to the home and not hiding. It’s a lot more work and time than I would have e ever expected. But the result is a wonderful special kitten we love.

[Bellthorian]

I adopted two scared kittens from the Humane Society and brought them home where I have two 12 year old kitties. They had their own room with a screen door so they could see the house and interact with the older kitties safely. After about four hours both kittens were walking around like they owned the place, tails strait up and very confident. I never thought that would happen so fast.

[limited]

So nice to see you're back making videos! I've been told the ideal time to socialize a kitten is 4-8 weeks. After that it gets harder, but not impossible. I've seen other people who foster cats take in kittens this age and spend as much as 3 months getting them socialized, but it always works out.

[CherylBerryl]

Thank you, Caroline. You have proven once again that with a heart full of love, a gentle touch, and the proper techniques, a scared kitty can be turned around into a wonderful family pet. God bless you for all the lives you have saved, & will continue to save. 🌺🌼🤗🌸🌻