It’s kitten season
Written by Carmen Dunn, former president of the Feral and Abandoned Cat Society, April 6, 2016
Springtime is kitten season and that means lots of furry bundles of cuteness. This spring though, let’s hope for less unplanned and unwanted litters. Sadly, many kittens are born outdoors without enough homes. This can be stressful for the kittens and their mothers, as well as the people who discover them and feel compelled to help.
If you find yourself in this situation, there are a few things you need to know. If you discover kittens outdoors without their mother present, it is best to resist the urge to immediately touch them or move them unless they are in danger. There is a good chance that momma cat is not far away. She may just be out looking for food. If she comes back and sees you with her kittens, she could get spooked and stay away longer. If she smells your scent on her kittens, she might reject them.
Try to keep an eye on the litter from a distance and give the momma cat time to return. If after several hours she does not show up, then she may have abandoned them.
A momma cat is generally best equipped to care for her own offspring. If you want to help, you will need to take time to observe if the mother is friendly or feral and afraid of humans. If she is friendly, you might consider temporarily fostering momma and her offspring indoors.
Once the kittens reach eight weeks old, the mother and kittens can all be adopted. If the mother appears to be feral, you can help by providing a warm, dry shelter nearby and ensuring that she has daily access to food and water.
Feral kittens can be removed from their mother’s care as young as four and a half to five weeks old, then fostered and socialized until they are ready for adoption. In either case, as long as the kittens seem healthy, they should be handled as little as possible during their first four weeks of life.
If you find young kittens that have been abandoned, they will need human intervention to survive. Assessing a kitten’s age is critical to determining the type and frequency of feedings required.
Neonatal kittens, four weeks and younger, require constant around-the-clock care with formula bottle feedings. Once they reach four to five weeks of age, kittens can begin to lap up formula, consume wet food, and use a litter box.
If you plan to take in abandoned kittens, ask for advice from your veterinarian and an experienced foster organization. If you are not in a position to foster or find homes for them yourself, try contacting the Friends of Cape Breton’s Homeless Animals and the local SPCA shelter for assistance; both have active foster and adoption programs.
Whether you help out a friendly or feral cat and her offspring or an abandoned litter of kittens, ensuring that each one will be spayed or neutered is a crucial step in your journey with them.
For cats or kittens leaving your care into the homes of others, ask the new caretakers for a firm commitment to fix their new pet. For feral, stray and otherwise homeless cats, contact the Feral and Abandoned Cat Society to assist with humanely trapping and fixing them.
Together, with kindness and care, we can end the cycle of homelessness for cats and kittens.
