Meet Snowball, Socks, and Leo

After a ten-month hiatus, I am three days into what is so far the easiest foster experience I have had to date (jinx alert on). Snowball, Socks, and Leo are three supposedly feral kittens somewhere between 8-12 weeks old. It is clear, however, that they have benefited greatly from some prior socialization, at the shelter or otherwise. They were a bit shy at first, but all three are warming up quickly.

They have also learned their litterbox habits well. Not one accident so far that I can tell, despite them being used to having free reign to go anywhere they pleased when they lived on the streets. So, it looks like I'll get to skip all the messy, poop-everywhere stages, and go straight to the fun part where they like to play, snuggle, and pose for cute pictures. I'm told they are definitely all three from the same litter, despite having one oddball Siamese/Snowshoe with two tabbies.

Snowball is by far the bravest and most social of the bunch. Perhaps her gorgeous appearance has gotten her some extra attention. She figured out early on that being petted is fun, and will now make these soft little mews to get my attention if it's anywhere other than on her. At this point, she seems like a pretty normal kitten, at least around me.

Leo is pretty much a classic brown tabby in appearance. Like Snowball, he's figured out that being petted is enjoyable, but it takes him a few minutes to get the confidence to come close enough to be reached. He seems to be making rapid progress, though, so hopefully he'll be marching right up to me like Snowball does before long.

Socks is adorably cute with her partially white face and feet, but she's the most timid of the three. As of this evening, she's stopped running to hide when I come in the room, but she still keeps a safe distance, watching with those sad little eyes while the other two are being petted and played with. Like most shy kittens, engaging her with a wand toy that puts some distance between her and my hand, seems to be the best way to get her to relax. Eventually, I switch to a smaller toy that puts my hand in reach, and before she knows it, she's being petted and loving it.

The most obvious sign of their feral background is their weight. Snowball seems to be pretty well fed, but Socks and Leo are very thin. They all seem to be eating well, though, so hopefully they will put on some weight soon.