I've found a mother and her kittens on my property. What to do?

The shelter is not the right place for healthy kittens that are too young for adoption. Shelters like ours can’t function effectively, humanely, and within our capacity for care when taking on the job of raising found kittens for an extended period of time before coming of age. With less homes looking to adopt, it is important to help when needed, and leave kittens that are thriving alone.

 

  • The right place for kittens:
    • Kittens and mothers are better together until weaning.
    • Social cats are better off raising kittens in homes rather than in cages.
    • Unsocial (feral) cats are often better being supported near where they already are until they move on.
    • The shelter should be saved for medical emergencies, foster, spay/neuter, adoption education and support services.

To determine the best pathway for kittens note kitten condition, health and location; whether the kittens are weaned or un-weaned; whether they are safe where they are; and whether the kittens are social or unsocial.  We offer a variety of kitten care training links and other helpful resources down below. Bend the curve by investing in cat sterilization when possible through our TNVR Program (must be 6 months of age) if you don't mind keeping the mother around but would like to avoid future litters.

In some cases, the mother can be sterilized prior to weaning! A cat who is spayed while she is nursing will continue to produce adequate milk for her kittens. This is best when the kittens are 5-6 weeks old. Some veterinarians prefer to wait until a cat has weaned her kittens before doing the surgery because the mammary gland (breast) development present during nursing can make the surgery slightly more difficult and to avoid infections.

Healthy Free-Roaming Cats

Impounding healthy free-roaming cats has been shown to reduce the likelihood of reuniting lost cats with their families and potentially increase outdoor cat populations, and it fails to resolve the underlying factors of nuisance situations. If you come across a healthy, friendly free roaming cat, it is likely not far from it's home. Check the collar for information if it has one or leave them be to find their way back. Lost cats are 10-50 times more likely to be reunited with their owners if they stay in the neighborhood than if they are brought to an animal shelter. In fact, the most successful reunification method for cats is the cat returning home on its own. By working with the community to sterilize cats and get them back where they came from, shelters can help stabilize the human-animal bond, improve cat health, and reserve shelter resources for cats that really need them.