You will need a dedicated room in your house or your property for the purpose of socialising a feral kitten. I recommend you organise a room according to the following criteria:
1. Window/s and doors – the windows need to allow in natural light and air. The window should be covered in fly screen/mesh to prevent the kitten from escaping, but please note that the kittens will climb up the mesh so it will need to be stretched tight and secure over the frame. Cats like to sit on window sills and watch the world go by, so that can be one of the considerations when you are choosing a room in your house as the cat room. As far as the doorway is concerned, make sure that the door can open and close securely and with ease in order to keep the kittens in and strangers (including other family pets) out until you are ready to introduce the kittens to your human and pet family.
2. Hide- or crawl-spaces – the room needs to contain a variety of different furniture with some crawl and hide spaces. I have a large carpeted rumpus room that contains three windows with views to the rest of the farm so that the kittens can watch human or animal traffic from the safety of their abode. The room also contains a single bed covered with an old bedspread, several stacked boxes of newspapers, a ping pong table, two old desks covered with material, a bookshelf covered with a tarp, and several filing cabinets. There are gaps between the furniture and the wall for the kittens to hide when they are first introduced into the room. This is VERY IMPORTANT for the socialisation process to go smoothly, as the first thing the kittens will do is dart for cover until hunger drives them out to look for food.
3. Feeding station – Lay old newspapers on the floor; the broadsheets such as the Sydney Morning Herald or the Australian (or similar if you are an overseas reader) are the best because you get better space coverage and they are also good for wrapping up rubbish. The space should be about two or three double sheets wide. On top of the newspaper place abowl for dry food, a second bowl for wet food and a container for water. Depending on the size and age of the kittens make sure the water container is something they can't fall and drown in. Place a second water container in another part of the room as a backup in case the first one is tipped over when you are not there. Allow some sitting room next to the feeding station, as part of the socialisation process will have you sit by the kittens while they eat.
4. Toilet station – lay down more newspaper for the toilet station close to (but not right next to) the feeding station. The kittens want to be able to spot the toilet station but being clean animals they don't like having to do their ablutions next to their dining area. The toilet station should contain one kitty litter tray per two kittens. The trays are available for around $8 to $10 in cheap shops. These will need to be cleaned morning and night – you will not need to remove all the kitty litter but just the droppings and the soiled clumps. I have trialled a number of kitty litters and the most economical one I have found that is also durable and low maintenance is the Woolworths Home Brand Cat Litter (large red and white bag) which sells for just under AU$4.50 for 15 litres. One bag lasts me about two weeks looking after four kittens serviced by two kitty litter trays. You will also need a kitty litter shovel, which costs around $2.50 in supermarkets or cheap shops.
5. Cat toys – best thing out are ping pong balls. You can also buy balls with bells in them, or rip up old rags into strips, or depending on how elaborate your set up is and how much you want to spend, get a scratching pole. What is important is for the kittens to keep themselves entertained. Cats are extremely curious and they love to play and be mentally stimulated.
This is your basic set up. I recommend you prepare the room prior to bringing your kitten in so that things can run smoothly and that you don't spook the kitten too much.
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