Found a very young kitten: what to do first

Most kittens found alone are not abandoned. The mother is often out looking for food. Watch from a distance first, and move the kittens only if they are in danger or sick. If the mother does not return, a kitten under about four weeks of age needs warmth, urgent expert help and a feeding plan from a vet or rescue. Call them before you start feeding.

Feeding a newborn kitten is a skilled job, and a mistake can send milk into the lungs. This guide covers the first hours. It does not teach feeding techniques or amounts, and it names no formulas. A vet or an experienced rescue carer should show you those.

Step 1: stop and watch

Look at the kittens without touching them. Are they clean, quiet and plump? Are they in a safe, dry place? If so, leave them alone and watch from a distance for several hours, out of sight and downwind. A mother cat will not come back while you stand near the nest. Keep dogs and children away.

Advice on how long to wait differs by organisation, from a few hours to most of a day. Weather and risk change the answer. Cold, rain, heat, traffic, predators, an injured kitten or a body nearby all mean you should act sooner.

Signs that the mother is around include kittens that are clean and fat, a quiet nest and a cat coming and going. Signs that she is not include loud, continuous crying, thin or dirty kittens, kittens that have been moved around, cold bodies and a nest in a place no cat would pick.

If the kittens are in danger, move them a short distance to a safe spot nearby, such as a box in a sheltered place, so she can find them. If she has not come back after a sensible wait, treat the kittens as orphaned.

Step 2: check for emergencies

Pick up a kitten only after you have washed your hands, or while wearing gloves. Look for these signs and go straight to a vet or emergency clinic if you see them:

• The kitten is cold to the touch, limp or hard to rouse.
• It is gasping, wheezing or breathing with an open mouth.
• It has an injury, bleeding, a swollen belly or an obvious wound.
• It is covered in fleas or maggots.
• It has thick discharge from the eyes or nose, or diarrhoea.
• It has pale gums or seems very thin and weak.

A very young kitten cannot control its own temperature. A cold kitten that is fed may not be able to digest the food. Warming it gently is the first priority. Wrap it in a soft cloth, place it in a box, and place a warm (not hot) source such as a warm water bottle wrapped in a towel on one side so the kitten can move away. Check that it is never too hot. Do not use a hot water bottle straight against the skin or a heating pad that has no thermostat. Contact a vet or rescue immediately. Do not try to warm a very weak kitten fast.

Step 3: estimate the age

Age affects what help is needed. These are rough clues, and a vet can give a better answer.

• Eyes closed, ears folded flat, umbilical stump attached: a newborn, under about one week. This kitten needs round-the-clock care and urgent expert help.
• Eyes open and blue, wobbly walking, small ears erect: roughly two to three weeks. Still fully dependent on milk, including night feeds.
• Walking and playing, first teeth visible, beginning to try soft food: about four to five weeks. This is the stage when weaning begins.
• Eating on its own, running and climbing, adult eye colour developing: six to eight weeks or older.

Kittens over about eight weeks that run away from you may be feral kittens. Do not assume they are lost. A rescue group or a trap-neuter-return programme in your area can advise.

Step 4: get help early

Phone a vet, an animal shelter, a cat rescue group or a wildlife rescue that takes cats. Explain how old you think the kitten is, whether the mother is around and what condition the kitten is in. Ask:

• Can they take the kitten, or do they have a foster carer who can?
• If you must care for it for a while, what should you feed, and how?
• When should it see a vet?

Do not give cow's milk, as many cats cannot digest it, and do not give food made for adult animals, or human baby formula, without veterinary advice. Do not give water by syringe or force-feed a weak kitten. A kitten that is not alert can inhale fluid. These are decisions for a vet or an experienced carer.

A kitten that has been around fleas can become anaemic quickly. Do not use flea products made for dogs or adult cats. Ask a vet what is safe for a kitten of that age and weight.

Some places have rules about found animals. You may have to report a found cat to a shelter or animal control, hold it for a set time or scan it for a microchip. Check what applies where you live.

Step 5: keep the kitten safe while you wait

While you arrange help:

• Keep the kitten in a quiet, warm, draught-free box in a closed room.
• Keep it away from your own pets, especially other cats, until a vet has examined it.
• Wash your hands before and after handling it.
• Handle it as little as possible.
• Do not hold it by the scruff to carry it. Support its body with both hands.
• Note when it last fed, passed urine or stool and how it looks.

A tiny kitten usually cannot pass urine or stool without its mother or a carer stimulating it. If the kitten is not passing either, tell the vet or rescue promptly and ask what to do.

Common mistakes

• Taking kittens too soon. Removing healthy kittens from a mother who is nearby is a common cause of orphaning.
• Feeding before warming. A cold kitten cannot digest food.
• Giving the wrong milk. Cow's milk can cause diarrhoea and fast dehydration.
• Feeding on the back. A kitten on its back can inhale milk.
• Trying to raise the kitten alone with no guidance. Newborns die quickly without correct care.
• Delaying a vet visit. A found kitten needs an exam, parasite control and a feeding plan.

When to call a vet

Call a vet at once for any of the emergency signs above, and in any case the same day for a kitten you have taken in. Ask how often it should feed, what to do about worms and flea control and when it needs vaccines.

Summary

• Watch first. The mother is often close.
• Move the kittens only if they are in danger or sick.
• Warm a cold kitten slowly, then call a vet or rescue.
• Estimate age by eyes, ears, teeth and movement.
• Do not feed, force-feed or medicate without expert advice.
• Check local law on found animals.