Finding Kittens Outdoors: Factors to Consider Before Intervening

Summary

Kittens’ best chance of survival is being with their mother through their weaning process, and it’s best to leave them in place with their mother whenever possible. So, before removing kittens you encounter outdoors, it’s important to consider five factors to help you determine how to provide the best outcome for the kittens.

Finding Kittens Outdoors: Factors to Consider Before Intervening

If you come upon kittens, especially young kittens who appear to be on their own, you may be tempted to remove them from their nest. However, that may not be in their best interest. Kittens’ best chance of survival is being with their mother through their weaning process and it’s best to leave them in place with their mother whenever possible. So, before removing kittens you encounter outdoors, it’s important to consider the following factors to help you determine how to provide the best outcome for them.

Factors to consider when deciding whether to intervene with found kittens

1. Kittens’ health condition
2. Presence or absence of the mother cat
3. Kittens’ age
4. Quality and safety of the location and environmental conditions where the kittens are
5. Availability of resources for kitten care (individual caregiver or Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR) organization, animal shelter or rescue organization)

1. Determine Kitten Health Condition

Start with a quick assessment of the kittens’ health and general condition to see if kittens need to be immediately removed and provided with care.

Kittens who probably have a mother cat present and can generally be left in place until weaned
These kittens will be:

• Plump with a full abdomen
• Clean
• Warm
• Quiet, unless disturbedbvgb

Kittens who probably do not have a mother cat present or the mother is unable to care for them adequately
These kittens need your intervention and should be taken to a veterinarian, or an animal shelter or rescue organization that can take and care for them as soon as possible. Conditions to look for in kittens to determine if they are not being cared for by the mother cat include:

• Thin with sunken abdomen and possibly visible ribs and backbone
• Crying
• Pale skin
• Wet or cold
• Dirty, presence of dried feces or crusted urine, fly eggs, maggots
• Discharge from eyes and/or nose, eyes crusted shut
• Injured (open wounds or broken bones)
• Unresponsive to touch

2. Determine the Presence or Absence of a Mother Cat and Nest

If you do not see a mother cat and the kittens are warm, sleeping, and in a safe area, leave them alone and watch the nest for several hours or up to a full day to determine if their mother is present.
A mother cat does not continually stay near the nest and leaves to seek food, take a break from the kittens or as a defensive strategy. She will return regularly to feed and care for the kittens. She also moves her kittens, one by one, to a new nesting location, and this mother cat may be in the middle of that process.

If the mother cat senses your presence, she will probably stay hidden as a protective measure or out of fear, so it’s essential for you to keep out of sight and watch the kittens from a distance as you monitor the nest.

Tip: If you cannot arrange for continuous monitoring of the nest to see if the mother cat returns, pour a ring of flour, baking soda or sand around the nest. If the mother cat enters the nest, her pawprints will be evident there.

The Mother Cat Is Present

• If the mother cat is present and her kittens are about six weeks old or under and healthy, leave them in place, as being with their mother offers them the best chance for survival and provides them with the best outcome. Once the kittens are weaned at about 6 weeks, the mother and kittens can be trapped for spay/neuter. The kittens can be socialized and adopted. If the mother is unsocialized, it’s best to return her to her outdoor home after she is spayed.
  Tip: If you want to help the mother cat until the kittens reach 6 weeks, determine if she has an owner or caregiver and if not, provide her with high-quality kitten food and water daily and a hidden shelter bedded with straw. Do not place the shelter adjacent to the food and water to avoid attracting other animals to the shelter and jeopardizing the kittens. Be sure to remove uneaten food as well.
  Continue to monitor the mother and kittens from a distance.
• If the kittens are over six weeks old, they can be removed for socialization and adoption, but be sure also to make arrangements for the mother cat to be spayed.
• If you find that the mother cat is completely socialized and does not have an owner or caregiver, an alternative to leaving the family in place is removing both mother and kittens to a foster situation so she can raise her kittens in an indoor environment and potentially be adopted after the kittens are weaned. Removing an unsocialized mother and kittens to an indoor environment causes unacceptable stress to the mother cat and can result in her not adequately caring for her kittens.

Tip: If you decide to leave the kittens with their mother, a wildlife camera is a great way to monitor their progress and movements while you wait until it’s time to remove them and have their mother spayed.

The Mother Cat Is Not Present

• If the mother cat doesn’t return, the kittens need your help. The level of care and time commitment kittens require depends on their age, weaning status and health condition.
• If you need help in caring for the kittens, contact a local trap-neuter-return (TNR) organization, animal shelter or rescue organization, but understand that not all have the resources or programs in place to be able to care for unweaned kittens or may be overwhelmed with kittens. However, they may be able to assist you with advice, supplies (e.g., a humane trap), vaccines and spay/neuter services if you foster a socialized mother cat. Your commitment may be until the kittens are old enough to be adopted at eight weeks of age and at least two pounds in weight. If you don’t have the capacity to care for the kittens, try reaching out to family and friends for help.
• Unsocialized kittens over 8 weeks of age can be spayed or neutered and returned to their original site when in a safe location with available food and shelter.

3. Estimate Kitten Age

Your age estimation doesn’t need to be exact; you only need to determine whether kittens are in an age group that needs to stay with their mother or if they can be removed. See Kitten Age Chart.

Kittens 0–5 Weeks. These kittens should be left with their mother if possible. They are completely dependent on her and should not be removed unless the mother cat can be taken along with the kittens, the mother cat is not present, or the kittens are undernourished, sick, injured or in imminent danger.

• The umbilical cord may be present in the first week
• Eyes closed or open, depending on age, and blue in color
• Ears are rounded and may be folded close to the kitten’s head or upright depending on age
• Kittens may be walking, depending on age, but their movement is uncoordinated

Kittens Over 5 Weeks.
These kittens can be removed for socialization and adoption or spayed/neutered and returned (depending on age) when you find them.

Kittens 5–10 Weeks.
These kittens can be removed to complete the weaning process, socialization, and adoption. They are generally within the age group of two to seven weeks that is most easily socialized.

• Eye color is in the process of changing to the adult color
• Ears are upright and pointed
• Kittens are more independent of their mother and are weaning or completely weaned
• Kittens are very active, and they have coordinated movement

Kittens Beyond 10 Weeks.
These kittens can be removed for adoption if they are socialized. If they do not show social behavior, it’s generally better to spay/neuter the kittens and return them to their safe outside home. It becomes increasingly challenging to socialize kittens beyond seven weeks of age. However, it’s definitely possible to socialize kittens older than ten weeks for adoption. Your decision to take these kittens in may depend on your ability to commit the time for a longer socialization process, to find a friend who would like to do it or to locate an animal shelter or rescue or TNR organization with a foster program that includes socializing kittens.

• Kittens are completely weaned and independent of mother cat
• Eyes have changed to the adult color
• Kittens are physically proportioned more like adult cats

4. Assess the Location and Environment

Every situation is different, and there’s a spectrum of conditions from ideal to dangerous. You’ll need to use your best judgment in evaluating factors such as the safety and appropriateness of the location and weather conditions to determine if the best decision is to intervene.
Ideally, the mother cat is present, adequate shelter is available in a safe location, and there’s a reliable food source. Still, less-than-ideal situations can be acceptable for leaving kittens in place with their mother if they are all doing well.

If kittens are in a dangerous location, move them to a safer spot that’s close enough so the mother cat can easily find them. However, situations such as demolition zones, construction sites, highways, the presence of dangerous people or animals or imminent, severe weather will make intervention a better option.

5. Determine Available Resources for Kitten Care and Support

The decision to intervene may depend on:

• Your capacity and means for providing the necessary care for the kittens or locating a person or organization that is able and willing to care for the kittens
• The availability of support from animal shelter(s), rescue and TNR organizations in your area and your access to veterinary and spay/neuter services.