What to do if you find kittens:
Are the kittens visibly sick or injured?
YES: Contact an animal welfare organization or shelter that can help you assess whether the kittens need intervention. If that is not possible, take the kittens to a veterinarian immediately.
NO: Estimate the kittens’ ages by how the look
- Taking newborn kittens to your local shelter should be a last resort.
- Many animal shelters cannot provide the kind of around-the-clock care that kittens need. In fact, within a few hours of arriving at many shelters, young kittens are at risk of being killed.
- The best way to help most kittens is to leave them with their mother, and then when they are more than eight weeks old, contact Spay Arkansas for spay / neuter resources.
What to do if you find an adult cat:
Before you grab that cat
The cat may be someone’s pet
59% of people’s cats return home on their own
30% of people find their cat by searching their neighborhood
ONLY 2% of people found their lost cat at the shelter
The cat may be a community cat
- Community cats are unowned cats who live outdoors
- There are 30-40 million community cats in the US
- Community cats thrive in their outdoor homes
- Community cats should NOT be taken to shelters. 70% of cats in shelters are killed.
- According to Alley Cat Allies, that rises to nearly 100% for community cats.
If you have found that:
- The cat seems unwell
- The cat is in distress
- The kittens’ mom is not there
- If it’s just one kitten all alone
These organizations may be able to help: