Here, Have A Kitten!
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I Found a Kitten! Now What?
If you found kitten(s) outside, bringing them inside and contacting a rescue should NOT be your first step. If the kitten(s) are healthy, you MUST wait to see if mom is coming back.
Please read If You Found Kittens Outside below before you proceed.
If the kitten(s) are alone, or too sick/young for TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return), try contacting local rescues to see if they have room. Rescues are often at capacity, so if you are able to foster, rescues will pay for and provide you with everything you need.
Found Kittens: Questions & Answers
Q: I found kittens outside! Now what?
A: Observe first! Do the kittens look sick? (scroll down for pictures) If yes, go to next question. If the kittens look healthy, do not move them. Mama cat offers the best chance for the kittens’ survival and is likely out hunting and will return. Monitor the kittens for 8 to 12 hours to see if mom comes back. If mom doesn’t come back, go to next question. If mom comes back, let mom care for the kittens until they are 8 weeks old. Then contact local rescues to see if you can find placement for the whole family.
Q: I found an orphaned, sick, or injured kitten.
A: If mom doesn’t come back for 8-12 hours or if the kittens are sick/hurt, it’s time for intervention. Consider fostering the kitten until it can find a forever home. In Los Angeles, 90% of the nearly 34,000 kittens entering our shelters each year come in March through October, called “kitten season.” Even if you can just foster your orphaned baby until after kitten season, your new friend will have a much better chance of finding a home. You can try contacting local rescues after kitten season to find placement, and you can also look for adopters on your own via facebook groups like Southern California Cat and Kitten Rescue Network 2.0.
Q: I can't find a rescue that has room for the kitten or adult cat.
If you cannot find any rescues that have room, once the kittens are old enough you will need to TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) the whole family. It’s hard to return kittens to the street, but they will suffer a far worse fate at shelters (never take animals to the South LA, Baldwin Park, Carson/Gardena, Downey, North Central, or East Valley shelters). Remember, iIf the kittens are 8 weeks old and mom is feral, you can separate them and take the kittens to a rescue and TNR mom.
IT IS CRITICAL THAT YOU TNR MOM (AND DAD IF YOU CAN FIND HIM), OR YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF BACK IN THIS SAME POSITION IN 4 MONTHS WHEN MOM IS PREGNANT AGAIN.
