found 2 kittens under porch - too scared to touch?

I found two kittens under a porch in rural Ohio and they are already pretty skittish. They let me get within a foot but bolt when I try to touch them.

I don't want to hurt them, but I need to get them to a safe place before I can start looking for a foster or adoption home. How do I get these semi-feral kittens to trust me? I've read that you just have to be patient, but I'm not sure how to start that process without them running away completely.

Oh no, poor things! 🥺 I think the first step is just to not chase them. If you move toward them, they'll run. Try sitting still on the ground near the porch and just talking softly. Maybe leave some food out? I found this thread about feeding a feral kitten really helpful when I tried to catch a stray last year. It says to use strong-smelling food like wet tuna or mackerel. 🐟

sharon62 you are not going to get them to trust you by sitting and talking if they are this scared. they are in survival mode. you need to get them into a carrier or box. i used a towel to scoop up my first foster when she was a feral cat. just wrap them up tight in a towel or blanket. it stops them from running and you can hold them without them scratching. check out this thread i wrote about safest way to hold a feral cat for the technique. it is much easier than trying to win their hearts first.

I completely agree with vhoward! You have to get them contained first. My Coco was a bit shy when we got her, but we had to move her into a quiet room immediately. It is so important to keep the environment calm. I found this thread about calming a scared cat that gave me some great tips on using dim lighting and quiet spaces. Once they are in a box or carrier, you can start the trust building process. But you can't do that if they are running around under the porch!

Thank you both. I think I will try the towel method vhoward suggested. I was worried about getting scratched, but I guess it's better than them running into the woods. I will keep them in a quiet room as beth_b96 suggested. I'm still not sure how to get them to eat, though. Do you think the strong-smelling food will work if I just leave it out, or do I need to force feed them? I found this thread about best spot for a new stressed cat that said to keep them in a small space at first. That makes sense.