<p>Some cat experts advise having a safe room for newly-introduced cats and kittens even when there are no resident animals. “Safe” here is not that the kittens will be safe-- they’d be safe anywhere in the house, I presume. “Safe” is for them to feel safe, which they are more likely to do in a smaller environment.</p>
<p>This happened to my mom earlier in the summer. She adopted 2 adult cats (siblings). Once she got them home, she only caught glimpses of them for the first 3-4 days! But within a week they were happily settled in and sleeping with my parents 
Try not to worry.</p>
<p>I agree with everyone else who posted that your kitties will be fine, they’re just a little freaked out with the change in environment and need a couple of days to acclimate. Try taking their food away at night a make a ritual of bringing it in to the room in the morning. They’ll be hungry and happy to see you. If they venture out from the corner to eat, stay there and see if they’ll let you pet them. Once they’ve had breakfast and groomed themselves a little, they might be more interested in playing.</p>
<p>I adopted two 2-year-old ferals from a shelter and put them in a large enclosed dog crate to acclimate to my yard. They huddled together at the back of the crate and didn’t eat, drink or use the litter box for nearly 5 days. I was very worried, but eventually they ventured out to the front of the crate where the food & water was. They’re completely anchored to my yard now and are happy, normal (feral) cats.</p>
<p>Hand feeding. Sit in the room, very quiet, with a bowl of kitty kibble. (Water should always be freely available.) Toss a piece of kibble to the kittens, near them. Gradually move them closer, without being threatening. </p>
<p>I am assuming that these kittens got inadequate human contact in the shelter. I wouldn’t try to get near them or move toward them or pet them; I would just feed them, a little bit at a time, until they know that all good things come from you. </p>
<p>While it is probable that they will get used to you quickly, every day that they spend hiding from you is a day you could be spending socializing them to humans.</p>
<p>One of my shelter kitties was a feral kitty and she spent the first two weeks under the bed, coming out only when people weren’t around to eat and use the litter box in the room.</p>
<p>I spent a lot of time on the floor next to the bed, slowly enticing her to chase a toy on a string out for a moment at a time. I never reached for her under the bed.</p>
<p>One trick, with all animals, is to extend a curled forefinger and let them come and sniff your hand, the way they would sniff the nose of another animal. It’s much less threatening than reaching to pet them.</p>
<p>My little feral kitty has come a long way. Still not a lap kitty, but she follows me around and curls up to sleep next to me, just out of arms reach…</p>
<p>It can take about 3 days for a cat to acclimate well enough to come out of hiding. I haven’t had experience with kittens as young as yours, but I know that I would run into that issue over the years when moving with new cats. We’d move, select a “cat room” – put the cats in there, and the cats would hide. Varied depending on cat personality, but 2-3 days was fairly typical. And those were cats who knew us – it was the change of location that freaked them out. </p>
<p>I think that it’s good that you are going into the room to allow the cats to get used to you, but I think that you also need to give them more time to explore the space on their own – your presence may be counter-productive if it is part of what is intimidating them. I’d suggest that you put some cat toys in the room – don’t forget cat favorites like an empty cardboard box! I think most cats can also have a lot of fun with a roll of toilet paper-- and you’ll have clear evidence later on if they have been playing with that when you weren’t watching. </p>
<p>Give them some time to get comfortable in the space.</p>
<p>When we moved from California to Minneapolis, our three cats (grown) found a way to get into the basement ceiling, and they stayed there for several days. I wasn’t even sure they were still in the house! Eventually, we spotted them, and then put them back in the laundry room (where they can’t get into the ceiling). We also sprayed the laundry room with some cat pheromones. Have no idea if that helped, but the vet recommended them to us to calm them. After the initial hiding period, they would come out, and then whenever they felt insecure, they would disappear back into the ceiling. I have heard that it takes at least a month for cats to really get used to a new environment and consider it home. I think that is about right. </p>
<p>One of the cats ran away after we had been here for about a month. He was gone for 5 weeks before we found him. He had been outside for brief periods, then, I think got a little to far away from the house and got confused. They are all fine now, though. Hardly ever hide in the ceiling anymore.</p>
<p>I think I read that rubbing them with a towel, then rubbing some things in the room with it spreads their scent around, and is a comfort to them.</p>
<p>Some progress is being made. The more skittish one to start with has become the bolder one and played chase the string with my daughter for quite a while. I saw the other come out to eat. Both still skedaddle when I go in the room. I can hear one of them playing with a cat toy right now. Fingers crossed that progress continues.</p>
<p>Progress will continue. I have tamed feral kittens. The advice about toys, particularly those fishing rods with elastic lines, is right on. They’ll play even if they won’t let you near. And they’ll take turns.</p>
<p>I am more aggressive. I keep them in a room and catch one and put it inside my bath robe where it will fall asleep because it’s warm in there. When it wakes up, it will want to get away so I put it down. They learn very quickly and get used to your smell and your hand.</p>
<p>This is common. It has happened with three of the four kittens my family has adopted and it even happened for a long time with a couple of the kittens my cat gave birth to a couple months ago. Once they figure out that you are caring for them they will start to be more sociable. For now, let them do what they want. Remember what people say- dogs have owners, cats have staff. It’s harder for them to become part of the family, especially if they didn’t see you at all before you adopted them.</p>
<p>Oh yeah, and playing with them with string and stuff helps too.</p>
<p>How are the kittens today?</p>
<p>mine hid under the sofa for awhile, only coming out to eat when we weren’t in the room. Eventually, they got used to their new home. </p>
<p>Whenever I could hold them, I would sit quietly and softly stroke them to calm them down. </p>
<p>The one who was the most terrified (and I still have scratch scars!) is the most lap-cat ever now.</p>
<p>How nice of you to ask! They like to play with each other and with us. They allow, even welcome, petting and stroking. They purr long and loud. But they dont want to be picked up and will struggle to get out of your grasp. We made a cat castle out of cardboard boxes and they are all over that. Im working on getting them used to their names, or at least to recognize here kitty kitty so I can find them once theyre out of their safe room. I hope they are going to be affectionate catsthey sure havent started out that way. They are pretty cute all curled up together in their little bed. Im thinking about leaving the door of their room open today so they can venture out if they feel like it. I dont know if I can corral them again, though.</p>
<p>So glad to hear they are doing better! I bought dog water bowls, because even using heavy soup mugs, they tipped the water over. </p>
<p>I bought at Wal Mart, a wand toy with a string and squeaking mouse at the end. The bolder one went nuts on it. His brother watches from a distance.</p>
<p>Their safe room opens to a foyer, which I can close off from the other bedroom, where my old lady sleeps with me. I have allowed them to venture out into that area, and the door to the top of the stairs is in that room, so they are sticking their paws out to make their presence known to my downstairs cats.</p>
<p>The bolder one is also trying to establish himself as the alpha male. He arches his back, turns his head to the side and guttural meows, what I call the Mexican standoff, something I’ve seen outside toms do.</p>
<p>They have their booster shots for their FeLeuk vaccine next week, and I will unfortunately have to use a trap to catch them for that, as I don’t think I’ll be able to pick them up and put them in a carrier. After a few days from that, I will release them into the general population. I’ll try to bring them in a trap/carrier, to the downstairs litter box, so they’ll know where it is. My son’s room upstairs will no longer be their room, so they’ll need to get acclimated to a new litter box. But they’ve been great with the litter, so I’m not worried. Just have to change the general population boxes even more often and probably add a couple more to the room, just to be on the safe side to prevent accidents.</p>
<p>I have already weaned them off the Fancy Feast and now have them on dry Kitten Food, which they’ll continue on downstairs with the other cats.</p>
<p>Be sure to gradually introduce new food, because an abrupt change will cause explosive diarrhea, no fun.</p>
<p>Funny thing, my other cats seem scared of them, and we were worried about them being bullied. I think they will be running the household within a month!</p>
<p>So glad the kitties are doing so well. And thank you so much again for taking them in!</p>
<p>My feral kitty will sit on the back (or arm) of my desk chair or the sofa to get petted and will gingerly walk across my lap, but will NOT put up for being held at all. It’s a challenge to get that one into a cat carrier for a trip to the vet. I’ve had to call and reschedule more than once because I can’t get her. </p>
<p>Best technique is to lure her into the carrier with a trail of cat treats and then VERY decisively push her in, upend the carrier and shut the door. If I miss on the first attempt, that’s it. I won’t get another shot that day. I think she must have been trapped outdoors as a tiny kitty.</p>
<p>Wellspring, so glad to hear that the kittens are opening up. Your two were raised by humans, so they shouldn’t need as much socialization training as Montegut’s two ferals.</p>
<p>I opened the saferoom door today and they ventured out. The shyer one decided to hide in the back my closet and the more outgoing one tried to persuade her to come out and play but then gave up and joined her in the back of the closet. I guess they’ll come out when they’re hungry.</p>
<p>This is normal. Give them time.</p>
<p>I’m working on getting them used to their names, or at least to recognize “here kitty kitty”</p>
<p>Good idea. </p>
<p>I would open some wet food (which kitties love) and say, “Princess, Mittens, eat eat”…and they soon learned to come running. :)</p>
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<p>One of my cats hates hates hates to be put in the carrier. She is generally quite affectionate, and she’s okay with being in the carrier once she’s there, but she does not want to be put in it. The second trip to the vet I gave her a sedative about 30 -45 minutes before the vet appointment. It did not knock her out right away, but it did sedate her some, so catching her was a little easier. And by the time we got to the vet and it was her turn to be examined, she was quite out of it. She just curled up and let me hold her during the examination. I do dislike the idea of drugging the poor thing, but on the other hand, I dislike chasing her around the house trying to catch her to put her in the carrier - and I cannot imagine that the vet visit would have gone well at all with her trying to run away (the first vet visit she was tiny and not as determined not to be put in the carrier).</p>
<p>Wellspring - glad your kittens are settling in. I had never had cats before the two we have now, and I am a little surprised how attached I have become to them.</p>