Found a Kitten on the Street

You found kittens without their mother. Don't rush to take them right away. In most cases, the mother cat leaves her babies for a few hours to find food and then returns.

1. Assess the situation

Before intervening, answer a few questions.

Do the kittens look well cared for? • clean coat; • sleeping calmly; • lying together; • not crying constantly; • warm to the touch.

The mother is most likely nearby and will return soon.

Are there signs of danger? • the kittens are cold; • they are meowing loudly without stopping; • they are crawling off in different directions; • they are covered in flies; • they are lying near a road; • they are out in the rain; • there are injuries; • there is no safe shelter around.

In this kind of situation, help may be needed immediately.

2. Observe

If the location is safe: watch the kittens for 3-6 hours from a distance.

Important: • don't stand right next to them; • don't touch the kittens; • don't scare the mother away.

The mother cat may not approach while she sees a person.

3. When you can't wait

Kittens need to be rescued immediately if:

• the mother has died;
• the kittens are injured;
• they are lying near a road;
• there are dogs nearby;
• the kittens are severely chilled;
• they are wet;
• there is a construction site nearby;
• the kittens are in water or another dangerous place;
• the kittens were found in a bag or box.

4. If you had to take the kittens

Pick the kittens up with gloves or through a cloth. If a kitten bites or scratches you so that it bleeds, wash the wound with soap and water and see a doctor.

First rule: warming up matters more than feeding. A chilled kitten cannot properly digest food.

Use: • a warm blanket; • a heating pad wrapped in a towel; • a bottle of warm water.

The heat source must not be hot. Kittens cannot crawl away or tell you they're too hot, so overheating is just as dangerous as hypothermia.

How to use it correctly: always wrap the heating pad in a towel or blanket; the heating pad should cover about half of the box so the kittens can move away from it if they get too warm; never place kittens directly on the heating pad; regularly check the temperature with your hand — it should feel pleasantly warm, not hot.

5. Don't feed them cow's milk

It is poorly digested by kittens and can cause severe diarrhea. Use only kitten milk replacer.

If you don't have any on hand right now, first warm the kittens up and contact a veterinary clinic or shelter as soon as possible.

6. Estimate the approximate age

Under 1 week: eyes closed; ears folded down; barely able to crawl. They need to be fed every 2-3 hours, including through the night (this is critically important!).

1-2 weeks: eyes starting to open; crawling more actively. Feeding every 3 hours.

3-4 weeks: starting to walk; baby teeth appearing. You can gradually start introducing wet kitten food.

Over a month old: walking confidently; playing; eating on their own. Still need a veterinary checkup.

7. After every feeding

In kittens younger than 3-4 weeks, the bowel and bladder are not yet able to work fully on their own.

After every feeding, you need to gently stimulate the area under the tail with a warm, damp cotton pad or soft cloth, mimicking the mother's licking. This helps the kitten urinate and have a bowel movement. So prepare a puppy pad or cloth in advance.

8. How to house the kittens

Prepare: a box; a soft towel; a warm shelter; freedom from drafts; quiet.

The ideal temperature depends on age: 0-1 week: about 30-32°C; 2-3 weeks: about 27-29°C; 4 weeks and older: about 24-26°C.

Make sure the kittens can move away from the heat source if they get too warm.

9. Be sure to have a vet examine them

Even if the kittens look healthy. This should include: determining age; assessing weight; checking for dehydration; examining the eyes; checking for parasites; drawing up a feeding plan; determining deworming timing; setting up a vaccination schedule.

Go to the clinic urgently, don't delay a visit, if: the kittens are cold and won't warm up; they won't nurse; they cry constantly; they aren't moving; they are breathing heavily; there is blood; there is pronounced diarrhea; there is severe abdominal bloating; there is pus from the eyes or nose; there are seizures.

Important

If the kittens are in a safe place, look well fed and warm, and are sleeping peacefully, it's best to observe from a distance first. In many cases, the mother cat returns within a few hours. Kittens should be taken only when their lives are genuinely in danger or you are certain the mother will not return. This improves the babies' chances of healthy development and reduces the risk of complications associated with hand-rearing.