How to Prepare for Kitten Season: A Guide for the Community

Spring is the season we all look forward to. It signifies the end of Winter. Flowers are blooming. Grass is turning green. Outdoor sports make their return. For shelters and those in animal welfare, Spring is the start of an annual phenomenon referred to as kitten season. This comes with a full set of challenges for animal shelters and the communities they serve. At Metro East Humane Society (MEHS), we strive to find loving homes for as many kittens as possible, but we rely on the help of those in our community to achieve that mission.

What is Kitten Season?

Kitten season refers to the time of year when a majority of cats give birth to litters of kittens. As the weather warms and daylight hours increase, female cats go into heat and breed. This begins the surge in kitten births that commonly occurs during the Spring and Summer months. Unspayed female cats can go into heat as often as every two to three weeks during kitten season, which leads to a dramatic increase in the cat population. This carries into animal shelters as it creates overcrowding, overburdened resources, and an overwhelming number of kittens in need of homes.

I Found a Kitten - What Now?

Oftentimes, leaving the kitten alone is best. If they are in a safe place, the only thing you should do is a quick assessment. Here’s how:

1. Assess the Condition of the Kitten

If the kitten is in good condition, it is being cared for by its mother. A kitten in good condition will be clean and alert, appear well-fed, and not in distress. While it might seem scary, mom is likely close by and will return to care for her baby. A kitten that is in need of rescue will be in poor condition - dirty, visibly underweight, and possibly in distress. In this case, you should intervene to help this kitten.

2. Estimate the Kitten’s Age

Determining a kitten’s age is the next step. Remember, as hard as it may be, if a kitten is in good condition and it is in a safe situation, don’t intervene. The best thing you can do for that kitten is leave it where it is until it is old enough to be away from mom. Kittens under five weeks of age should always be kept with mom. Kittens between five and 12 weeks are playful and able to eat food on their own. These kittens are within the window for socialization. This is the ideal window to consider fostering them indoors. Kittens over the age of 12 weeks are more difficult to socialize, and they may be a candidate for Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR).

3. Evaluate the Situation

Each situation is different, so you should use your judgment to determine the best option. If a mother cat is present, there is a caregiver, and the kitten has adequate shelter and food, it is considered a safe situation. In these situations, it is best to leave the kitten until it is old enough to be socialized. In an unsafe situation, where the kitten is in poor condition, there is no one caring for it, and it is exposed to weather or other hazards, it may be best to take the kitten.

4. Consider Your Abilities

Before making a decision to remove a kitten or kittens, you need to honestly assess your abilities and the resources available to you. This will allow for the best possible outcome for the kitten. Ask yourself if you are able to foster the kitten or spend the time to find it the help it needs. You should also arrange for TNR for the mom.

Where Do I Go For Help?

If you have completed your assessment (condition, age, situation, abilities) and the best decision is to take the kitten, there are several options you have for help. Remember, you made the decision to take the kitten from its current location, so shelters are depending on you to help them get the best possible outcome. 

1. Contact a Rescue Once you take in a kitten, you will need to find rescue placement. If the kitten is under five weeks of age, you should contact Snuggle Rescue. Babies that young are very fragile and require specialized care. This is why it’s best to leave kittens with mom if they are in good condition.  Keep in mind that rescues are only able to accept socialized kittens into their care. This means you must be able to handle the kitten (pick it up), pet the kitten, and it is not generally fearful. If the kittens are eating on their own and socialized, you can submit a request to surrender the litter to MEHS. Depending on the time of year, it may take time for your litter to be accepted into rescue. 
   

2. Offer to Foster The ability to intake the kittens you have found is dependent on a rescue having space for them. The best way you can help with that is to apply to be a foster. Fostering is easy! MEHS will provide you with all the supplies you need - litter box, litter, food, and even toys. Medical care will be provided by the vet team at the shelter. On average, kittens will stay in a foster home for 2 to 3 weeks.
   

The best way to prevent kittens is to ensure that all of your cats are spayed or neutered. MEHS offers surgery appointments at a low-cost as a service to the community. If you find yourself in the position of having an accidental litter of kittens, please schedule an appointment to have your cat spayed. You should wait until the kittens are weaned and eating on their own. If your litter is from a community cat colony that you care for, please plan to TNR any females as soon as possible. Female cats can go into heat and get pregnant again while they are nursing.

How You Can Help

Shelters, like MEHS, work tirelessly to care for the influx during kitten season. Their ability to help is directly related to the support they receive from the community. Here’s how you can help:

• Become a kitten foster: The shelter environment is no place for young, unvaccinated kittens. They need time to grow and learn social skills. Fostering provides them with a temporary home where they can receive the care they need. Apply to be a foster to care for kittens until they are ready to be adopted and move onto their forever home. 
  

• Donate: MEHS is a non-profit organization and we rely on the generosity of those in our community to help us provide food and veterinary care to animals while they await adoption. Donations of money, supplies, and pet food all help. MEHS has an Amazon wishlist that lists some of the most commonly needed items.
  

• Adopt: Consider adopting a kitten or two - kittens are always better in pairs. By choosing adoption, you can help give a kitten, or an adult cat, a happy and healthy life.
  

• Spay & Neuter Your Pets: The most effective way to reduce the strain on local shelters during kitten season is to spay and neuter your cats. Kitten season is a preventable problem, but it takes education and awareness. You can help start that cycle and encourage others to do the same. 
  

Where Can I Find More Information?

There are a plethora of resources available to help you with the steps that are outlined here. The Kitten Lady has a variety of resources to help educate and guide you as you assess what to do next, including conducting your CASA assessment that is outlined in this blog.

Best Friends Animal Society also has some helpful resources as you make your assessment. You can use their visual guide to help determine the age of your kitten. MEHS will provide all the supplies you need to foster your kittens, once they are accepted into the rescue. Until that time, it may be helpful for you to have some supplies on hand. You can find a helpful reference for supplies you may need to care for kittens along with some helpful tips to socialize them.

Make a Positive Impact

Kitten season can bring numerous challenges, but it also presents a unique opportunity for cat lovers and communities to come together in support of local shelters to make a positive impact. At MEHS, we want to do our part to help as many kittens as possible find their way into loving homes. You can help by spaying and neutering your pets, fostering, volunteering, and donating money or supplies.