Found a Stray Kitten? Here’s What to Do...

July 13, 2021

You may be reading this besides the rescued kitty baby. Or you may have come across one while walking down your street. Whichever is the case, you have done a great job! Yes, finding the needy kitty is the first part of the story, which is now done.

The spot and shape in which you find the kitten will be the main deciding factors of what should be done next. Sometimes, the kittens may carry some disease or be unhealthy which is why they are abandoned. Or their mommy cat just left for some time.

So firstly, find if the kitten(s) is orphaned or is left by her mommy by checking out the below things, time to time. So, do not move them and keep an eye on them for at least for a few hours.

Here are two plans for you: Plan A – When the mom cat returns and Plan B – When the mom cat doesn’t return.

PLAN - A

Find out if the kittens are in a safe, warm place. Then, they are probably taken care of.
See if the kitty is sleeping well, in that case, she is given the required healthy food by her mom, so her mom might return soon
Check if the count of kitties is reducing, this means their mommy is moving them

BONUS TRICK: To make sure that mommy cat is coming to her kitty kids, you can sprinkle some flour around the kitty/kitties and the cat paw marks will reveal the truth.

If the above plan works, then chill out, do not worry. The kittens are in the neonatal stage and are taken care of by their mom cat. But you can help the mom by finding her a shelter. But if the mom cat doesn’t come to see the kitten(s), choose the next option.

PLAN – B

If you have confirmed that the kitten(s) is abandoned, it is your call. If you cannot foster the little baby yourself, then you can inform the local animal society / Blue cross to give away her to a “No Kill” shelter.

But if the cat-parent in you wishes to home her, then the first thing to do is, take her to the vet ASAP. Although you may not find anything abnormal or some illness physically, you never know the underlying health issues.

Sometimes, delaying the doc visit can further increase any complication that she has. So, carry her to a vet. In case you cannot get an immediate vet appointment, here starts your herculean task - Bringing home a stray kitty!

Carrying a stray kitten home

You can keep a basket with cat food like catnip or dry canned food. This will automatically attract her into the basket in which you can carry her
Feed the kitten with some food like milk or dry cat food which you could probably get in any store
Be careful to not go near the kitten since it may get protective and scratch you, so feed her using rubber nipple bottles or a pet feeder, or a bowl
Make sure that you don’t touch her or make any physical contact to avoid the transmittance of any infectious diseases. It is also the other way around.
In case you have other pets, make sure to keep the kitty away so that they don’t mingle to communicate any illness, at least until you take her to the vet.