Community
What to do when you find kittens
Kitten season is in full force and already the shelters are flooded with kittens of all ages. Many of these are orphans who are brought In without their mothers. These kittens may only be hours old and require round-the-clock care and bottle feeding to survive….and sadly, many shelters do not have the resources or available foster families to be able to do this.
The best chance a kitten has for survival is staying with its mother. Before you scoop up a litter of “abandoned” kittens, please be SURE the kittens are actually abandoned.
If you find a litter of kittens together in a nest:
The mother cat may be out looking for food, or may have been scared off by your presence and is hiding very close by waiting for you to leave. She will be VERY upset if you take her kittens, thinking they are abandoned! (Sadly, your effort to “save” them might actually be more harmful.)
If you do see a mother cat and the kittens seem to be healthy the best thing is to keep the kittens with her. If the mother cat is friendly toward you she and the kittens should be rescued together if possible. But if she is afraid of you and runs away, she might be feral (meaning she was born outside and has never been around humans) and should stay outside with her kittens. You should give her as much space as possible and not interfere with her. If the mother cat feels threatened by your presence, she will move the kittens elsewhere.
Kittens should stay with the mom until they are eating solid food, which is between 4 to 6 weeks of age.
Shelters are always in dire need of foster parents for “bottle babies” – it’s a very unique and rewarding experience. If you can’t foster, consider donating some kitten milk replacer, which is very expensive and kittens need a lot of it.
A Message from Animal Control regarding what to do when you find kittens
Perth Amboy Animal Shelter
597 Fayette Street
Perth Amboy, NJ 08861
732 324-3877
597 Fayette Street
Perth Amboy, NJ 08861
732 324-3877
What to do when you find kittens
Kitten season is in full force and already the shelters are flooded with kittens of all ages. Many of these are orphans who are brought In without their mothers. These kittens may only be hours old and require round-the-clock care and bottle feeding to survive….and sadly, many shelters do not have the resources or available foster families to be able to do this.
The best chance a kitten has for survival is staying with its mother. Before you scoop up a litter of “abandoned” kittens, please be SURE the kittens are actually abandoned.
If you find a litter of kittens together in a nest:
The mother cat may be out looking for food, or may have been scared off by your presence and is hiding very close by waiting for you to leave. She will be VERY upset if you take her kittens, thinking they are abandoned! (Sadly, your effort to “save” them might actually be more harmful.)
If you do see a mother cat and the kittens seem to be healthy the best thing is to keep the kittens with her. If the mother cat is friendly toward you she and the kittens should be rescued together if possible. But if she is afraid of you and runs away, she might be feral (meaning she was born outside and has never been around humans) and should stay outside with her kittens. You should give her as much space as possible and not interfere with her. If the mother cat feels threatened by your presence, she will move the kittens elsewhere.
Kittens should stay with the mom until they are eating solid food, which is between 4 to 6 weeks of age.
Shelters are always in dire need of foster parents for “bottle babies” – it’s a very unique and rewarding experience. If you can’t foster, consider donating some kitten milk replacer, which is very expensive and kittens need a lot of it.
Address/Location
Perth Amboy PD
365 New Brunswick Ave
Perth Amboy, NJ 08861
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 732-442-4400
Perth Amboy Police Department
Animal Control
[email protected]
732-324-3877
TEXT-A-TIP - Text TIP PERTHPD followed by your message, to 888777