Have You Found a Kitten?

Spring is the time of year when the grass turns green, flowers sprout, leaves bud on the trees, robins return, the weather warms…and orphaned kittens, pregnant cats, and nursing felines and their offspring abound. While someone’s un-spayed house pet may have wandered stray, most cats having litters outdoors are feral. Feral cats are the offspring of lost or abandoned pet cats that are not accustomed to contact with people and are typically too fearful and wild to be handled. Females can reproduce two to three times a year, and their kittens, if they survive, will become feral without early contact with people. It is for this reason that it is very important that caring people intervene to help prevent additional breeding and the production of more feral cats.

If the mother cat is not visible, she may be hiding close by waiting for you to leave before returning to her kittens. If the kittens are in a relatively safe spot, initially observe them from a distance. If after a few hours there is still no sign of the mother cat, who may have suffered an ill fate, it is time to intercede. If you are feline-savvy and able, you may want to bring the kittens into your home to care for until they are old enough to be adopted into permanent homes (eight weeks). Keep in mind, though, they may be too young to eat solid food and would need to be bottle fed every couple hours - not a task for the inexperienced, to say the least!

Another option is to follow the stray procedure for your town by calling your local police department or animal control organization, or you can personally take the kittens to your local animal welfare organization. The Hinsdale Humane Society accepts animals by appointment and will place orphaned kittens into loving foster homes until they are of adoptable age. To schedule an appointment or for additional information regarding feral cats, orphaned kittens, or stray animals, please call 630-323- 5630.