| What if I come across abandoned kittens? What if I know where some homeless kittens live and I want to help them? | If you've found a cat, kitten, or a litter of kittens,
and you've already decided to take action to help them, then you might
be wondering what to do next. You have a couple of choices:
a) notify local animal rescue to come and trap them if they're feral or you can't catch them, b) you could catch them yourself and take them home (your local animal shelter should have traps you could use), or c) you could take them to the local animal shelter and "night drop" them. Night dropping them means placing them in a cage, usually located outside or on the side of the animal shelter itself, kissing them goodbye and walking away. In some cases, there might be minimal paperwork to fill out. |
| Should I catch the mother too? Where should I take them? | If the kittens are quite young, try to catch the mother to take with them. If you can't catch the mother, tell animal rescue to come get them as a group. Young kittens shouldn't be separated from their mother if possible. Also make sure that you go to the shelter that's close to where the kittens live, as most shelters frown on taking kittens from outside their service area. Shelters get overloaded fast, and that's why there are rules about designated areas of service. As to what happens to them after you've released them to the shelter depends on the shelter's individual policy. I work through a shelter with an animal rescue organisation that routes young, sick, or untame animals through to foster care until they're ready for placement. Some shelters don't have this luxury though, and might be forced to "destroy" or euthanise animals that have waited to be adopted in the shelter after a period of time, which the shelter designates. |
| What if I don't want to take them to a shelter? How do I "foster" a kitten? | If you've decided to house the kittens and find homes for them yourself, then your halo is in place. There's no contest that a home with lots of loving care and attention is better than a shelter. You might also check with local agencies for spay/neuter discounts, if you're willing to take steps to actively prevent unwanted animals. Once they're in your home, make sure they have food and water at all times (dry kitten or cat food is best), and a safe, warm area to snuggle in. And don't forget a litter box! A large room or house will be overwhelming, so try to keep them in a small space until they're used to where you live. That way they won't get lost and they'll be sure to find the litter box (keep it in the same room always--so decide beforehand!). It's good to scoop the box once a day at least. And the best part is that kittens need no training. Their instinct is to bury their feces to prevent predators from tracking them, so the litter box is the natural next step after mom. If you have additional questions for your circumstances, call your vet or the animal shelter and they should be able to give some advice. Or, check out what's up with bottle-feeding kittens or what to do if your cat has kittens. |
NOTE: Some kittens, after surviving on whatever comes around, have very touchy stomachs. Kitten food might be too rich for their systems. If they throw up or start having diarrhea, switch to cat food (canned or dry) and mix a little rice cereal in with the mixture. This should settle their stomachs a bit and get them used to a good diet. If you think they migth be sick, call your vet or go here for a quick look at various ailments.
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