Fresno Humane does NOT take in healthy, friendly cats, but we may be able to help through our Foster-Finder Program! While the shelter is NOT a safe or healthy environment for underage kittens, we do offer support for finders to foster kittens until they are ready for spay/neuter and adoption. For more information, please call or text (559) 600-7387 to schedule an appointment with our Cat Program Coordinator.
If you have found sick or injured kittens, please contact our office at (559) 600-7387 during business hours for assistance.
What to do if you’ve found kittens: Don’t be Kit-Napper!
IMPORTANT – MAKE SURE THAT THE KITTENS ARE TRULY ABANDONED! Removing young kittens from their mother’s care too soon reduces their chances of survival.
The mother may merely be out of sight and will likely return. Feral cats are very good at hiding (out of fear), so just because you do not see her doesn’t mean she is not close by waiting for you to leave.
Observe the site for several hours from a distance to be sure that the kittens are truly abandoned. In most cases mom will return to the kittens if they aren’t disturbed. If you have dogs, keep them away also to allow her time to move her kittens to a safe location. Do not move the kittens unless they are in immediate danger. Mom is more likely to return for them if they are exactly where SHE left them. You can gently examine them to see if they are warm and if they have full bellies. Kittens that are clean with full, round bellies are being cared for by their mother and do not need your help at this time. Unlike other creatures (like birds), cats WILL take their young back after being touched by a human.
Any adults not currently nursing should be fixed right away to avoid more unwanted kittens being born in the future. Spay / neuter of both male and female cats is equally important. The moment the kittens are removed from their mother, the female cat will go into heat again. They can have back-to-back litters. TNR is the only humane way to avoid unwanted kittens and limit the number of community cats in your area.
Why some kittens are abandoned:
Abandonment at birth: Moms tends to leave some kittens behind at birth if she feels she can not care for, protect or have enough milk for the entire litter. This is usually done within the first 24 hours.
Abandonment after the first week: If the mom has kicked just one out of the litter, there is probably something congenitally wrong with him/her and you will probably lose the kitten. Mom cats can sense if there is something wrong with a kitten.
Caught while moving them: If the mom is in the middle of moving her litter when you find 1-2 kittens, you have a choice. You can let her come back and retrieve her babies, or you can take them in and care for them yourself until they are adopted. For tips on the best way to care for baby kittens, check out the links at the bottom of this page.
Options when you find an Orphaned Kitten:
1. Original mom is best: Mom’s milk is the best for the kittens. They get immunities from mom’s milk. If the mother is still in the area – DO NOT DISTURB – there is a better chance the kittens will survive if they are not removed from the nest.
2. Surrogate mom: Kittens under 5-6 weeks should not be put on a nursing mom unless both the mother and the kittens have been tested for FeLV & FIV. Kittens can pass diseases to the nursing mom and the nursing mom can pass diseases to the kittens.3. Bottle feeding: When bottle-feeding kittens, use a different bottle for each litter if you have more than one litter. Also, change your clothes to prevent upper respiratory infections (URIs) and other diseases from passing from litter to litter.
4. Supplementing a litter of 6 kittens or more with a mom: If you have a mom with a litter of 6 or more kittens, watch them carefully around 3-4 weeks of age. Mom may not have enough milk for the entire litter and all the kittens will suffer. You may need to supplement the feedings with KMR (or equivalent).
Aging the Kittens:
1. Umbilical cord attached: They are 3 days or younger.
2. Eyes: They begin to open at 7-8 days and all eyes should be open by day 10. Their eyes generally change from blue to blue/gray then yellow/green between 6 1/2 to 7 weeks of age but can vary kitten-to-kitten and litter-to-litter. In one litter, kittens can be conceived 4-5 days apart. This also contributes to the different days the eyes open.
3. Ears: Their ears stand up at 3-1/2 weeks of age.
4. Teeth: Another way to age the kittens is by the teeth. The following is from the Cornell Book of Cats. The ages are when the teeth break the skin or ‘eruption of the teeth’ happens, or when they break the surface.
Baby teeth:
Center (4) Incisors (front teeth between
the canines) 2-3 weeks
Outer Incisors (still between the canines) 3-4 weeks
Canines 3-4 weeks
Upper molars (called a premolar) 2 months (8 weeks)
Lower molars (called a premolar) 4-5 weeks
Adult teeth:
Center (4) Incisors (front teeth between
the canines) 3-1/2 to 4 months (14-16 weeks)
Outer Incisors (still beaten the canines) 4 to 4-1/2 months (16-18
weeks)
Canines 5 months
Upper molars (called a premolar) 4-1/2 to 6 months (depending on
tooth)
Lower molars (called a premolar) 5-6 months for all
Upper molar in back, no baby tooth, just the molar at 4-5 months
5. Mobility: They are unstable on their feet until they are around 4 weeks of age and can run pretty well by 5 weeks. If you see kittens running around a yard, they are at least 5-6 weeks old.
6. Eating: They generally are eating on their own between 5 and 6 weeks of age. Some will eat as young as 4 weeks and some will take as long as 8 weeks to stop the bottle if you are bottle feeding. The older kittens who refuse to leave the bottle are generally needing the one-on-one affection they are receiving.
Here are a few helpful links on raising orphaned kittens. A quick search on Google for “kittens orphan rescue” will garner many more sites. Fresno Humane staff can also provide you with supplies and tips.
Fresno Humane La-Meowze Neonatal Kitten Care Training: CLICK HERE