by Piper Hoffman
March 1, 2015
5:30 pm
Editor’s note: This post is a Care2 favorite. It was originally published on June 29, 2013. Enjoy!It’s kitten season! For cat lovers this means pictures of friends’ newly adopted bundles of joy on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and whatever hip new social media sites I haven’t even heard of. But it also means stray fur babies who need help.
What should you do if you come upon kittens outdoors?
1. Assess the situation.
First investigate whether the young ‘uns are on their own. Their mother may be away temporarily to hunt for food, she may be hiding because you are there, or she may be moving the family, one by one, to cushier digs. Back a ways off, stay still, and watch. Give her some time — at least a few hours. If no mom appears, move on to #2 below.
If the mother shows up your action plan depends on whether she is a stray (a pet who has lost her home) or feral (a wild animal who wants nothing to do with you). It’s easy to tell the difference: try to pet her. If she won’t let you close enough for petting, try bribing her with food to get her within arms’ reach. To catch a stray mom, see #5 below.
If she is feral you’re looking at a TNR (trap-neuter-return) situation. Alley Cat Allies has a helpful guide to performing TNR. Keep in mind that kittens younger than eight weeks (here are some tips on determining a kitten’s age) should stay with their mother if at all possible; if they are in a safe location, they are best off remaining there with her. Bring them food, water and shelter (click here for a ton of shelter options).
If the kittens are more than four months old, don’t scoop them up and carry them off — they probably won’t take kindly to it. Treat them like feral cats (meaning they need TNR and not adoption) unless and until they prove otherwise.
Linkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=79594.0