If you have found kittens, or a mother and kittens, on your property, DO NOT post them anywhere on social media. This will only serve to have strangers coming around. The mother will move them elsewhere before they can be brought to safety. Consult reputable rescue organizations who have experience with cat families rather than the general public.

Please determine if kittens are actually orphaned. They have the best chance of survival with their mother. Observe the kittens without touching them and from as far away as possible. You don’t want to spook the mother, who may be nearby. If the kittens are sleeping comfortably, continue to wait and check on them every two hours. If the kittens are crying and no mom comes to tend to them, or if they’re dirty, wet or appear underweight or dehydrated, it’s time to intervene.

It is always best to leave kittens with their mother, if at all possible, as her milk is the perfect food for them. She also provides the right amount of warmth to ensure the kittens can nurse and she cleans them to help them eliminate waste. Most mothers are instinctual and know when danger is lurking, so she may decide to move them if someone seems to be interfering with, or hanging around, the nest. Observe the family from a safe distance.

Mothers don’t usually leave newly born kittens immediately after having them, however, she will eventually need to find food for herself. Should something happen to her during her search, she may not be able to return. Well-meaning people often scoop up cats not realizing they have kittens to tend to. You can help prevent her disappearance by providing food and water in a safe place in your yard so she doesn’t have to travel.

Newborn to three-week-old kittens cannot regulate their body temperature, nor can they eliminate waste on their own. If they’re not warm (hypothermic), they can’t eat. If they can’t eat, they will become hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) and dehydrated and if they can’t eliminate waste, they will become very sick. They are very fragile beings, so if you must pick them up because mom has disappeared, and not returned within a reasonable time frame, arrange to surrender them to an organization who has experts in neonatal kitten care. Very young kittens can be fine one minute and gone the next.

If you decide to care for newborn to 3 week-olds, keep them together, in a carrier, and provide them with a SnuggleSafe heated disc, or hot water bottle, wrapped with a soft blanket. Consult a vet, or rescue, about bottle-feeding and helping them eliminate waste. Orphaned kittens will require KMR milk replacer every 2 hours (DO NOT use cow’s milk or commercial “cat milk”) and stimulation to poop and pee. Those that are 4-5 weeks, and older, can start eating canned cat food, with assistance, supplemented by KMR milk replacer.

Please be aware that newborns often do not survive when hand-raised, even with the most aggressive, and expert, care

Four week old kittens will start coming out to play under mom’s watchful eye. They will also go searching for food if mom has gone missing and has been away too long. Kittens who are constantly crying, or wandering aimlessly through yards should be picked up (or trapped) as mom usually keeps them together in their hiding spot and doesn’t allow them to wander far from her. All kittens who have not been raised with humans will be feral and scared of people. Although it may be a “feed and provide shelter” scenario during the summer, it is critical to pick them up during the winter as they will not be able to make it on their own in our frigid climate. If you suspect there are kittens under a structure (stairs, deck, porch, shed), plan to get the kittens indoors where they will have a good chance of survival. If you can get mom indoors as well, you can keep the family together so she can continue to care for them. Five week old, and older, feral kittens are usually fast and may require trapping. The exception to this is during winter. Cold temperatures will slow kittens down and they may be able to just be picked up with gloves.

Older feral kittens may be easy to trap, but they will take longer to socialize. However, it is not impossible and all of these kittens eventually adjust to living with people. It is well worth saving them, if you can. During the winter, older kittens instinctually know to find warm shelter and often wind up under the hoods of cars or in crawlspaces or warm vents. They don’t always survive the places they choose to hide, so if you can’t get them indoors, providing them with a heated shelter is a great option until they can be TNRd in the spring.