Hi Mary,
First off, thank you for fostering : )
1) Either soak their mom's food in water until soft or grind up the dry food in a coffee grinder and then add water. You can mix in some of mom's wet food or kitten milk replacement (if you have it). Since they are 4 weeks old, they can start spending a little time away from their mom (and her sweet boobies). Try separating them for an hour or two which will do two things: allow them to get hungry enough to try the mush and give them time away from their not-so socialized mom.
2) It can be challenging and time consuming to socialize a fearful adult cat. I'd keep trying to gain her trust (I'm sure someone here can point you toward some good resources). If your time is limited, I would focus my energy on the kittens. They will learn to fear people from their mom BUT, the great news is that their temperaments are very flexible at this age. They should be gently handled and played with by as many different people as you can manage (like, 100). This does not mean you should give up on Mom but you will, almost definitely, have more luck with the kittens.
Good luck!
------------------------------
Diane Zahorodny
World Ready Pets
------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 08-30-2022 10:44 AM
From: Mary Davidson
Subject: New to foster: Mother cat & 3 kittens
Hi,
I'm new to being a foster home. I'm on my second assignment with a mother cat and 3 kittens, now one month old. We are in our third week. Babies are all gaining weight but I have lots of questions.
Here are just a couple questions I have
1) How do I introduce food to the kittens? They don't seem at all interested.
2) With both assignments the mom doesn't want to be held. I can pet her and scratch under her chin, she purrs, but she is clearly fearful and will not allow me to hold her. It seems like it would be best to work toward getting the mom more comfortable with being held so that she will be more marketable when ready for adoption. I don't know where to start. Are there resources that I should be checking out that would let me understand the best way to foster so that the mom and kittens are prepared to be adopted?
I live in Austin, Texas and I'm fostering for the Austin Humane Society
#Behavior,TrainingandEnrichment
#FosterPrograms
------------------------------
Mary Davidson
volunteer foster home
Austin Humane Society
------------------------------