So you found kittens!

Animal welfare is a community wide mission that can always use the extra hands, however, sometimes, less is more. One of those examples would be neonatal kittens. We wanted to share some graphics to help community members with how to proceed if they find kittens. Despite common perception, a neonatal's best chances of survival is typically NOT the shelter. Just like human babies they are very dependent on mom for care. If you find some kittens, it is best to take a moment to observe before reacting.

Look for the following things:

• Do you see mom?

• If so let mom continue to care for them 

• If not, wait where you can keep an eye on them to see if mom returns

• How do the kittens look overall? Are they very sick? Do they have nice round bellies? 

• If they appear healthy and well-fed mom should be back soon if she isn't already

• How old do they seem to be?

• Babies who are still nursing have the best chance of survival if they can stay with mom as opposed to bottle feeding. Most shelters do not have 24hr staff and babies need to eat every 2hrs.

• If they are old enough to eat solid food, the shelter or rescue will be able to more easily care for them. 

What to do if mom doesn't come back or the kittens' safety is at risk?

• If you can foster, it will be one of the most rewarding experiences! We want to avoid young, immune compromised kittens coming to a physical shelter. Your municipal shelter can give you lots of great contacts and resources to help you or someone else foster through one of your local rescues until they are ready for adoption. 

What about mom?

• We definitely do not want to neglect mom, who has worked so hard to keep these babies safe. If you notice mom around, once the kittens are weaned, reach out to your local shelter on how to get her spayed, vetted and returned to the property! Adult cats can have anywhere from 1-3 litters per year.

If you do see the need to foster the kittens here is a guide to bottle feeding. Bottle Feeding Guidelines

Additional Helpful Links:

KittenOutdoors

Kitten-Progression-FINAL