What to do When You Find a Litter of Kittens

What to do When You Find a Litter of Kittens

It’s kitten season in Las Vegas, meaning it’s the time of year when unspayed cats give birth. Local rescue groups and shelters can become overrun with litters of unwanted kittens around this time. A lot of times they don’t have enough people to foster them. Do you need to know what to do when you find a litter of kittens? For starters, it depends on how and where you found them, whether their mother is around, and how old they are.

 

Assess The Situation

First, assess if the mother cat is around. Newborn kittens need to nurse every couple of hours. So keep an eye out to see if she comes back to nurse them. There is no need to take them in if the mom is caring for them. The safest place for kittens to be is with their mothers. If you notice after a few hours the mom hasn’t come back for them, then take next steps. For example, if the kittens are clean and quiet, the mother is most likely coming back. However, if they are dirty and crying, the mother may not return.

 

 

Get To Feeding!

If you haven’t seen mom come back for a few hours, it may be time to take them in. Most shelters and shelter employees are not equipped to provide round-the-clock care for these babies. So, it is not recommended taking kittens under 4 weeks of age to a shelter. So, it’s time to get to bottle feeding! Visit the Kitten Lady website for aging charts, feeding instructions, and the best way to make sure the kittens stay warm and comfortable. If you feel like you need additional resources, you can always reach out to local rescues and shelters for help with supplies and possibly even hands-on training on how to properly care for newborn kittens!

 

 

 

Get Them All Fixed

Once the kittens are weaned and old enough, you can take them to a local shelter or rescue so they can be spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and adopted out to a good home! The last step is to make sure to get the mother cat fixed so she doesn’t have anymore kittens! There are multiple organizations in Las Vegas that participate in a popular method of population control called trap, neuter and return (TNR). This means feral cats are humanely trapped, sent to a veterinary clinic, and spayed or neutered. The cats are then returned to the community where they were found. More information on local TNR organizations can be found here.

 

So now you know what to do when you find a litter of kittens! Remember, if this happens to you, don’t hesitate to reach out to local animal organizations – they will be able to give you even more advice and support!

 

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