Every spring, the population of kittens explodes. A number of them will be born in the wild, in a garage, hidden under a balcony, etc.

Here are three things you can do when you find a litter of kittens outside:

1. Look for mom

If the mother is not present, she probably went hunting. Wait a few hours to see if she comes back to feed her kittens. Ideally, the kittens will stay with their mother. Do not wait more than eight hours, to avoid letting the kittens go hungry or become dehydrated.

2. If mom has not returned

Start looking for one or more families who can take care of the kittens by feeding them and giving them a safe place to grow up. The best thing for their education is to keep them together. If they are still too young to eat canned food, get advice from a veterinarian or a shelter. You might have to bottle-feed the younger ones. Once they reach the weight of two pounds, you can already think of having them neutered and getting them adopted by families.

3. If you are unable to keep the kittens until they are weaned

Contact your area’s animal service. Above all, do not leave them in the wild! This contributes to cat overpopulation and gives them little chance of survival.

Kittens younger than two months old are less likely to survive in shelters, especially without their mother with them. Their immune systems are very vulnerable, and they can very easily get sick. By keeping them at home for a few weeks and socializing them, you are greatly helping shelters by avoiding additional admissions of very vulnerable animals into an environment that will be very stressful for them. Watching kittens grow up at home is a great experience. Kittens only need a room, some food and lots of love!

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