Names have been chosen! And updates

We finally figured out names for the feral mother and her kittens.    Mama's name is "Nightingale".   It's pretty and it suits her pretty self.  The biggest kitten is a female light grey tabby, we've named her Chickadee.  The smaller middle grey tabby is a female and we have named her "Sparrow".  The darkest tabby is a male, and we have named him "Merlin".  The orange tabby is a male named "Robin", and last, but hardly least, the little black runt is named "Raven". 

Kittens happily eating while mom is hand-fed.

We've had Nightingale for several weeks now.  It's been a slow process getting her to accept us and not be terrified at the first indication of human activity, but I'm pleased to report, we have PROGRESS!   Hubby was actually the first one to make a breakthrough, touching her and her babies without any reaction other than a mild hiss, which stopped when he scratched her chin.  She lifted her chin to accommodate him, that's usually a cat's way of saying "Sure, I'll take some more of that, if you can do it right HERE".    He's done a great job making buddies with her, and that definitely paved the way for more progress for me.

Raven loves to be the center of attention.

I feed mama her wet food by hand daily, holding the plate while she cleans it up, making the food-association and ideally, reducing her threat level of human smell gradually until it's not a trigger anymore.  I've also started giving her EXTRA special treats by hand (leftover fillet mignon, sausage, all kinds of things that smell really good and taste good too), and she's got no problems now with my fingers near her face.  I didn't want to touch her though and make backwards progress, but once Joel informed me he touched her, I reached out last night and touched her myself.  She trembled a little at first, but I gingerly moved my scritching-finger around and under her chin, and sure enough, she allowed me to scratch.  By the time I was done, she was leaning against the side of the kitten box, eyes closed in pleasure, and definitely not having any issues with my contact.  Of course, when I was done, she had to give me a cursory hiss, just so she could make sure I knew that she was still in charge.   Silly girl. 

Raven - being heartbreakingly adorable!

Dawn and Dusk I had to move out of the bedroom into a kitty-only room.  They have taken to marking ME, when I'm sleeping.  Standing right on me and PEEING on me.  Claiming ownership, trying to show who's boss, who knows, but it will be easier to deal with them when not having to get up at 3 am and change the bedding.  They are still making progress though, and our house-guest, Precious, is helping to show them the way.

Wind is off getting spayed.  I'll be picking her up tonight on the way home.  She's come from being a terrified cat who hid and hissed, to a loving, DEMANDING kitty who adores pets, loves cuddling, and doesn't even mind being picked up.  As soon as she's healed, she'll be going out to a store to find her forever home.