What to do if you find kittens
If you find young kittens without their mom, it does not automatically mean they have been abandoned by their mother. The mother could be out looking for food, or finding a more suitable home for her kittens. If you find one or two kittens, their mother may be in the process of moving the family and is on her way back for the others. Wait and observe from a distance for an hour or two. Kittens have the best chance of survival with their mother. Ultimately, you have to use your own judgment, depending upon the kittens’ needs and your time and resources.
Please keep in mind that if you bring the cats inside you should keep them separate from your animals until evaluated by a veterinarian. For proper social development, kittens should be kept with their litter (and mother, if possible) until at least 8 weeks of age. Unweaned kittens in animal shelters Almost all animal shelters will immediately kill unweaned kittens, as they do not have the resources to feed the kittens around the clock. Kittens without a mother If the kittens aren’t weaned, and you take them in without a mother, they will require round-the-clock care and routine bottle feeding (every 2-3 hours, even overnight). Just google “how to care for unweaned kittens” and you will find a multitude of great resources to help you feed the kittens. Some helpful videos: Young kittens without their mother need to be kept warm and should not be bathed. If you, a friend, or neighbor cannot do this, you can try posting on facebook to find a foster. This has been really successful. There are people in the community who know how to care for un-weaned kittens and are willing to do so. Kittens with a friendly mother If the mother does return, and she is friendly, the best approach is to take her and the kittens indoors until the kittens are old enough to be weaned, sterilized, and adopted. Momma should then be spayed and either placed in an adoptive home or returned to her territory. Did you find a stray cat and have now realized that she is pregnant? Watch this video for help. Kittens with a feral mother If the mother is feral, the family should stay outdoors with shelter, food and water provided. When the kittens are weaned, they should move indoors for socialization, sterilization, and then be adopted out into forever homes. Momma should be trapped, spayed and returned. Kittens are old enough to be weaned around 5 weeks – when they really start to run around. For proper social development, feral kittens should be removed from their mother around 5 weeks of age, and brought indoors. Kittens from tame moms do not need to be moved from mom at 5 weeks. No kittens, but a pregnant mother
Check out this video for a list of supplies you will need when preparing for the birth of kittens. Information provided by Austin Pets Alive! and Best Friends Animal Society
|
Tips for judging a kitten’s age:
Finding homes for your kittens:
When kittens are at least 8 weeks old and have been fully socialized and sterilized, they (and momma, if she’s friendly) are ready to be adopted out. Please take a look at our resources for helping adopt out the cats. The younger the kitten, the easier it will be to find an adopter. Once the kittens reach 8 weeks old, it’s important to actively start advertising for a home before the kittens get bigger. Even if you cannot keep the cats until they are 8 weeks old and then find homes for them, keeping them until they are 6 weeks old before taking them to a shelter gives them the best chance of living. |
