Every Dollar Counts

PLEASE CONTACT A RESCUE BEFORE TAKING THE KITTENS FROM THEIR MOM!

The first step when discovering kittens in your yard is to leave the area unless they are in immediate danger. Observe the situation from a safe distance (such as inside your home) so the mom cat feels comfortable returning to care for them.

If you’ve been feeding the mom, continue to do so. If not, check with neighbors to see if anyone has been feeding her. Offer her nutritious food and clean water. Nursing moms need significantly more food than usual—imagine how hungry you’d be if you were eating for six!

Mother cats choose safe locations to give birth. First-time moms, however, might make hasty decisions, which is how kittens often end up in bushes, flower beds, window wells, or woodpiles. Moms frequently move their kittens to new locations as they grow, the weather changes, or people come near. Keep track of where the kittens are being moved and offer her a safer alternative, such as a cat house, a covered porch, or a storage tub.

PLEASE CONTACT A RESCUE BEFORE TAKING THE KITTENS FROM THEIR MOM!

The ideal age for kittens to be taken into rescue is around five weeks, which is typically when they begin wandering around. By this point, the mom has done most of the hard work, and the kittens are ready to be weaned.

Don’t wait! If you see the kittens, reach out to us immediately. After eight weeks, it becomes much harder to socialize feral-born kittens, and they will likely remain unsocialized and have to live outdoors. This gives us just a three-week window to catch and care for them. Three weeks goes by fast—don’t delay!

If you’ve already brought the kittens indoors, here’s what to do next:

1. Keep them warm: Use a heating pad (on low), a hot water bottle, or wrap them in a warm towel.
2. Do NOT feed cold kittens: Feeding cold kittens can be fatal. Warm them first.
3. Feed appropriately: The best food is KMR (Kitten Milk Replacement), available at pet stores, grocery stores, or Walmart. Many stores also sell pet nursing kits with small bottles.
   • Do not cut the hole in the nipple too large.
   • NEVER give kittens cow’s milk or human baby cereal. Goat’s milk is acceptable if KMR isn’t available.

4.   Contact a local rescue immediately: If the rescue cannot take the kittens right away, they may help you find placement or offer guidance on how to care for them until placement is arranged.

Feral Feline Project is a small organization, and while we cannot take every kitten found, we are here to help! If you’re willing to provide the foster home, we will provide everything else:

• Food
• Litter
• Toys
• Medical care
• Adoption assistance
• Training and support

Once the kittens are safe, work with your local TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) group to have the mom cat caught, spayed, and vaccinated. If you’re in Northwest Cook County, Feral Feline Project is your group. TNR costs $100 per cat.