You found kittens! Now what? Follow this flowchart to determine the best next steps to take:
If you find a kitten or a litter of kittens, it’s natural to want to help them! We are so thankful to have a community of people who are passionate about saving animals in need. While it can understandably feel like we need to bring these kittens inside and try to care for them ourselves or immediately transport them to a local shelter, a kitten’s best chance of survival is to leave them with mom. Even if you don’t see her around, she may be off finding food or waiting for you to leave so she can get back to her babies. If you want to help this little family, here are the best steps to take:
- Monitor the family at a distance mama is comfortable with
- Make sure mom and babies have access to shelter, food (Purina kitten chow and pate wet food is recommended), and clean water
- Contact a local TNR group to have mom and kittens fixed once kittens reach 8 weeks old.
- Pro tip: if you’re not sure if mama has abandoned the kittens, leave some flour around the kittens and check back in a few hours to see if mama’s foot prints are visible!
If you believe the kittens or their mom may be sick or injured, please bring them to a nearby vet or to our Center for Pets to be assessed! If you know mama is nearby or with the kittens, please bring her with her babies. You can reach us at [email protected] to schedule an appointment!
Are you willing to take care of this family until the babies are old enough to be adopted? We would love to include you in our foster program! We provide all of the supplies, guidance, and medical care that they need while you soak in some sweet kitten snuggles and help us keep an eye on their health and growth. Click this link to learn more about our Foster Program and check out our Foster Portal for extra resources and information about fostering. You can also email us at [email protected] to let us know you’d like to foster the kitten(s) you found and we can talk you through next steps!
*Please note: Young kittens often need round the clock care. If kittens are brought to us and will require overnight care, we may not be able to take them in immediately. Since we do not have overnight staff, we are entirely dependent on the availability of our volunteer fosters. Kittens brought close to closing or when our fosters are at capacity may need your help caring for them overnight. But don’t worry! We will gladly provide you with the supplies and training needed, and can schedule a time the following day for us to take the kittens in!
If you find an injured lost pet after hours:
- City of Lynchburg, call Lynchburg Animal Control at 434-847-1602