Dr. Beth: What to do when you “find” a litter of kittens

A number of cat advocates have approached me asking that I write an article addressing an issue that seems worse this year than usual.

Every year, from early spring to early winter, people “find” kittens in their garage, under their porch, or in a bush. Although they may look recently abandoned, the mother and father have probably been living there all along but – fearful of people – and only come out at night.  These are what we in the animal welfare world call “community cats.”

So what is the first thing uninformed people do when they find these supposedly abandoned kittens? They pick them up and either bring them into the shelter or call Animal Control. To be blunt: You have sentenced these kittens to almost certain death.

Since I have  been the director at the Animal Service Center of the Mesilla Valley — May 1, 2008, through May 1, 2016 — we have killed 2,720 unweaned kittens. We have killed 25 already this kitten season alone, and that is after ACTion Programs for Animals pulled all they were able to handle.  It takes unreal manpower hours to nurse kittens and get them to the point where they will survive.

So here is what needs to be done:

First, evaluate the situation. If the kittens are in a relatively safe spot, leave them where they are until you have a plan. Observe them from a distance, but don’t disturb the mother’s care of them.  If she senses you may approach, she’ll quickly hide them. If you find kittens without their mother, watch more intently. Yes, they may have gotten permanently separated, but much more likely – like 95 percent of the time – the mother is moving the litter one kitten at a time, or is out hunting for food and water. As long as it’s relatively warm out and the kittens are in a protected area, they are OK alone. If the situation doesn’t change, then you may need to intercede.

Second, you need to determine their age. The options open to kittens depend on their age. The ideal time to find them is between 4 and 8 weeks old, so that the socialization process with people can begin. If you find them younger than 6 weeks, keep them with their mother. If you are sure she is gone, then you need to find a caregiver who will be able to care for them.

Once you have determined their age and that they are old enough for adoption, you need to make sure it is a forever home, not just a home that “likes the cute kitten.” That home needs to provide medical care (vaccinations and alteration), proper food, water and housing – which means inside the home since it is illegal to have free-roaming cats anywhere in Doña Ana County – and the animal must be licensed.

If these cats are 6 to 8 weeks old, they need socialization, so it is best to get them into a foster home where they can receive love, attention and security while they learn to enjoy human companionship. It usually takes only a few weeks to socialize them. Don’t take them to an animal shelter, as they will most likely be euthanized because shelters don’t adopt out unsocialized kittens, especially since they usually have hundreds of socialized ones.

If they cannot be socialized, alter them and put them back in the community that they came from – where they can live as “community cats.”

If the kittens are over 8 weeks old and have not yet been socialized, they will be much more difficult to socialize and get them to enjoy human companionship – not impossible, just more difficult.

Dr. Beth Vesco-Mock is executive director of the Animal Service Center of the Mesilla Valley.