Home    |    Request Assistance    |    Knowledge Base    |    Search    |    Organizations    |    Volunteer    |    Contact Us    

Stray Kitten

 
Thank you for caring.

Please put food and water out for the mom cat and kittens.
Dry kitten food, any brand, and fresh water every day.   Adult cat food would be a good alternative.  Dog food is not nutritious for kittens or cats and must not be used. If you cannot afford food, please send in a REQUEST on this website.  Many volunteer groups can assist by providing food for a short time.

All rescue groups and shelters are packed with kittens from June through September.  Therefore, it is likely that you will have to care of the kittens until space becomes available.  If you cannot care for the kittens, submit a REQUEST to be placed on the waiting list of rescue groups, or take the kittens to your city’s animal control office (they will most likely be euthanized).  Click HERE to see where the animal control office is for your address.

 Are the kittens eating cat/kitten food?

- No, mom still feeds them.  If you can handle mom and have a spare bedoom or bathroom, bring mom and kittens inside and supply them with a litter box and blankets as well as water and food.  Do not let them interact with your other pets, for the health of the kittens as well as your pets.  Otherwise, keep putting out food and water outside in a safe place.  Handle the kittens as much as possible.  When the kittens are eating cat food, see below.  Dry kitten food is OK for kittens and mom.  Canned food would be better for newly weaned kittens.

- No, and mom is not around. The kittens are too young to eat and require bottle feeding.  Immediate care and feeding is needed for the kittens to survive.  Click BELOW for detailed information on caring for orphaned kittens.

Guide to Raising Orphan Kittens (Koret/UC Davis)

- Yes, and kittens are over 3 months old and not friendly. Please continue to feed mom and kittens in a safe place. The kittens are feral and can live a long and healthy life outside.  To prevent these kittens from having kittens (4-month-old kittens can have babies), they should be trapped, neutered, and returned to the area.  See the TNR information page for more details.

- Yes, and kittens are around 3 months old or less. Please continue to feed mom and kittens in a safe place.  Handle each kitten every day.  Bring kittens inside if you can, in a spare bedroom or bathroom, or a kitten kennel. Do not let them interact with your other pets, for the health of the kittens as well as your pets.   Apply Advantage flea control product.  You can help by keeping them healthy until they are spayed/neutered.  When they are 8 weeks AND at least 2 pounds, they can be spayed/neutered, disease tested, then prepared for adoption.  Some vets may have different weight requirements so check when you make the appointment.  Detailed information can be found here:

General Guide to Raising Kittens (Koret/UC Davis)

 Once they are spayed/neutered and disease tested, submit a REQUEST.  Many volunteer groups will reserve space for you at their adoption fairs where the kittens can be adopted. 

If you cannot afford to have them spayed/neutered using the low cost options below, submit a REQUEST.

Kitten illness warning signs:
Emergencies requiring immediate veterinary attention

  • Continuous diarrhea
  • Continuous vomiting
  • Bleeding of any kind nose, urine, stool
  • Any trauma: hit by a car, dropped, limping, stepped on, unconscious.
  • Difficulty breathing.
  • A kitten that does not respond or that hasn't eaten for more than a day.

 

 Area 24 hour vets:   LINK

 

Vet appointment needed
Abnormal signs to watch for in a kitten
:

  • Runny discharge from the eyes or nose.
  • Lack of appetite
  • Lethargy (lack of energy)
  • Diarrhea lasting more than 3 or 4 feedings
  • Vomiting
  • Weight loss
  • coughing and sneezing.

The mom cat will need spayed to prevent another litter in a couple of months. See the TNR information page for more details.
 

LOW COST kitten spayed/neuter clinics (and please have them tested for FELV at the same spay/neuter appointment):