hello. sameen sent me the link to this post, seemingly because i have 4 cats (i have had as many as 6 at one time!) - they seem to regularly arrive at my back door.
give the little kitties time. i do not know how young they are, but they need time to acclimate to being indoors, in a new space, with new creatures (you). remember that noises will be foreign to them, so do not try to approach them (in the beginning) with the television or the stereo blaring. try approaching them by sitting on the floor late at night or early in the morning. entice them to play with you with a small piece of string or a thin stick with ribbon tied to the end. if they associate you with play, they will warm up to you much faster than by your grabbing them and trying to hold them (which is a foreign concept to a wild animal). so, too, if they are young they should be quite enamoured with milk - so put a small amount in a saucer and slide it under the sofa where they can smell it - and then pull it back so it is close to you. at a young age, they should find this irresistible. when they come out to drink the milk do not grab them, instead stroking their heads gently with one or two fingers, the way a mother cat might lick their heads as they nurse. this will foster the association between you and the cats as one where you are providing nourishment - and once that happens, you are home-free because nourishment = trust, for them. kittens think on three planes - eat, play, sleep. get into their heads from that simple perspective, and they shall warm up to you quickly.
give the little kitties time. i do not know how young they are, but they need time to acclimate to being indoors, in a new space, with new creatures (you). remember that noises will be foreign to them, so do not try to approach them (in the beginning) with the television or the stereo blaring. try approaching them by sitting on the floor late at night or early in the morning. entice them to play with you with a small piece of string or a thin stick with ribbon tied to the end. if they associate you with play, they will warm up to you much faster than by your grabbing them and trying to hold them (which is a foreign concept to a wild animal). so, too, if they are young they should be quite enamoured with milk - so put a small amount in a saucer and slide it under the sofa where they can smell it - and then pull it back so it is close to you. at a young age, they should find this irresistible. when they come out to drink the milk do not grab them, instead stroking their heads gently with one or two fingers, the way a mother cat might lick their heads as they nurse. this will foster the association between you and the cats as one where you are providing nourishment - and once that happens, you are home-free because nourishment = trust, for them. kittens think on three planes - eat, play, sleep. get into their heads from that simple perspective, and they shall warm up to you quickly.
best of luck!
cheers,
moi.
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