Try not to separate the mother and her kittens
Please check and make sure the mother cat is really not around before touching the kittens. Kittens who are still at nursing age need the colostrum in their mother’s milk to survive — if you remove a kitten from its mother, chances of its survival are much slimmer. Many a well-meaning person has picked up a kitten, only to find that the kitten does not survive. Furthermore, once you’ve touched it, your scent is on the kitten. The mother cat may feel threatened and abandon her litter.
It is common for the mother to leave her kittens for up to 3 hours to hunt for food. If you are standing in front of the kitten, the mother cat is not going to make an appearance. The best thing you can do is to walk off and check back periodically. If the kitten is still there and in distress, then you might consider taking the kitten in.
Bring the kitten to a vet clinic for a check-up, especially if you are not experienced in handling them. The vet will be able to provide good advice on how and what to feed the kitten. Please do not feed it cow’s milk. A special kitten formula is available in pet stores.
Save both mother and kittens if necessary
It is recommended to leave the mother and kitten alone until they are older and more independent before rescuing the kitten. If they are in an unsafe location, you may want to engage a professional cat trapper to trap the whole brood.
Sterilise the mother and other cats in the area to stop the endless cycle
Sighting of kittens also means that there are unsterilised cats in your neighbourhood. Please consider sterilising them to nip the problem in the bud. The truth is that there will never be enough homes for all the kittens we find if the breeding doesn’t stop.
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