Each Spring, local animal shelters are filled to capacity with litters of kittens who have been brought to the shelter because the person who found them did not see the mother cat and believed the kittens were in need of being rescued. It is in our nature to want to help and protect these small and defenseless animals and without their mother, the thought that these kittens are in danger compels many people to scoop them up and bring the kittens to their local animal shelter.
In fact, most of time, these kittens DO NOT need rescuing. The mother cat is often nearby and will return to her kittens. She is the best chance her kittens have for success. Taking in kittens who do not need rescuing places additional burdens on the services and care that animal shelters can provide.
Instead of interfering or handling the kittens, leave them undisturbed. Observe them from a safe distance and if the mother cat has not returned to care for the kittens after an absence of a few hours, then please consider picking them up. While observing the kittens, please make sure they are safe and protected from the elements and other animals.
Neonatal kittens need special care and can be fragile. Providing the correct nutrients is very important.
At shelters, there are special fosters who specifically care for these types of kittens. However, during our kitten season, these fosters can get overwhelmed with the amount of babies that come through our doors.
You can help us save the lives of the newborns kittens that come to the shelter by keeping the kittens you've found out of the shelter. Never cared for newborn kittens before? Not sure how often your rescued litter needs to feed and what to feed them? Here are some resources to help:
The Kitten Lady
National Kitten Coalition
Maddie's Fund - Orphaned Kittens
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