Kitten Season
Kitten season puts stress on shelters across the country, and many times, kittens are best off staying outdoors with their mom while they’re growing. If you’ve found kittens, you can follow our helpful tips below to find out what is the best scenario for these little felines and learn how you can help them.
Ways to Help During Kitten Season
What to do if you’ve found kittens outside.
If you’ve seen kittens outside, it’s more than likely that they are safe and their mom is nearby watching over them. Before you ‘kitnap’ these little felines, learn what’s best for their health. When you ‘kitnap’ and take kittens from their mother, it can put their fragile lives at risk because, despite all of our great human resources, their mom is best equipped to help them grow up.
Helpful tips to decide what to do next.
- If you suspect you have trapped a nursing female community cat, check the area for kittens. If kittens are found, release the cat. Do not attempt to handle or take the kittens. It’s vital to understand that young kittens have a better chance at survival when they remain with their mothers.
- If you have found kittens without the mother, we recommend monitoring the kittens for a couple of days from a safe distance to see if mom comes back. Wait no more than 3-4 hours for mom to return. If you are unable to wait around, create a thick ring of flour around the kittens. If paw prints disturb the ring of flour, you’ll know mom has come back. If you don’t physically see mom return, signs that she’s been around are that the kittens will be alive, clean, alert, and appear to be in healthy condition.
- If the kittens are in a dangerous location, place them out of harm’s way, ensuring they’re within 10 feet from where they were found.
- If they appear cold, dirty, lethargic, or emaciated, these are all signs that the kittens may be orphaned. Please contact the closest veterinarian available.
- If the mother does not return, it is time for you to grow a kitten! The Atlanta Humane Society is here to help.
- We have created Grow a Kitten kits that are filled with the essentials you will need to raise and care for your kittens. Kitten kits are tailored to each kitten’s unique situation. Depending on the age and status of the kitten(s), we will provide age-appropriate food, dishes, supplements, litter box, scoop, litter, crate, blanket, rice socks to ensure a safe and comfortable environment, grooming supplies, toys, and access to knowledgeable staff and volunteers regarding kitten care and concerns.
Help us work to combat the busy kitten season.
While we are helping those kittens in immediate need, we’re also working to help make kitten season less of a burden on our shelters and our communities. One of the ways we do this is through our Trap-Neuter-Return Program for community cats. This program gets to the root of the problem by sterilizing community cats and keeping them healthy. You can become a community cat caregiver who works with one of our TNR partners or being one of our Neighborhood Ambassadors to help cats throughout the year.
More About Kitten Season
