WEST PALM BEACH, FL (September 15, 2021) – Animal welfare organizations throughout
Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach announced in April the tri-county launch of the second annual Don’t Kit-Nap the Kittens public awareness campaign. Every year shelters across the country brace themselves for “kitten season” in the spring and summer months. South Florida animal shelters partnered again to share one unified message, making a plea to the community and warning well intentioned good Samaritans, that picking up found litters of kittens may be hurting them more than helping them. In most cases, newborn litters of kittens do not need human intervention and, in fact, taking the kittens is inadvertently creating orphaned kittens. The best thing is to keep the mother and kittens together to ensure the kittens’ best chances of survival, until the kittens are eating on their own and can be safely removed to be socialized and find their forever family.
Peggy Adams is seeing an influx of neonatal kittens recently and wants to remind those in the community that although the first instinct when finding kittens outdoors without their mom is to bring them inside or rush them to an animal shelter- the research shows when kittens are separated from their mother, their chances of survival drop significantly.
What should you do when you find a litter of kittens?
1. Do not interfere with the kittens as it may cause stress to the mother. If you really want to help, you can provide some food and water for the mother, placed a good distance from the nest.
2. If you don’t see mom around, observe the kittens from a distance. The mother may be out looking for food, but she will most likely return.
3. If the kittens are in immediate danger, like under a car or in a flooded area, find a safe place nearby to move them, but make sure they are still close enough for their mother to find them.
4. If you have observed the kittens for 24 hours and are sure that the mother isn’t returning, you may pick them up and care for them. Newborn kittens need special care.
5. If the mother comes back and is friendly, wait until the kittens are 2 pounds or 2 months old before bringing them and their mom to a veterinarian or to the Animal Services’ Pet Adoption and Protection Center to be vaccinated and spayed or neutered.
What happens if newborn kittens are brought into the shelter without their mother?
Kittens under four weeks of age need round the clock care which most shelters are not equipped to provide. Shelters rely on volunteer foster programs to supplement the care and needs of these newborn kittens. Unfortunately, when babies are separated from their moms it threatens their ability to thrive and survive, which is more reason to leave kittens with their mom.
Orphaned kittens need to be bottle fed with special formula every two to three hours, then stimulated to eliminate, cleaned and kept warm because at such a young age they cannot regulate their body temperature. Most shelters will provide you with everything needed to care for the newborn kittens.
Once the foster kitten is old enough to transition to solid food and be spayed or neutered, that is at about 2-months-old or 2 pounds in weight, foster volunteers can bring the kittens back to the shelter so they can be placed for adoption and find their forever homes.
Foster volunteers provide temporary care for animals in need. Peggy Adams provides all the supplies; fosters supply a temporary, loving home so that all these animals will be saved. To learn more about fostering and to get started, please visit PeggyAdams.org
About Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League:
Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League saves more lives than any other rescue organization in
Palm Beach County and provides critical services to more than 30,000 animals each year.
The Mission of the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League is to provide shelter to lost, homeless, and unwanted animals, to provide spay and neuter and other medical services for companion animals, and to care for, protect, and find quality homes for homeless and neglected companion animals, to advocate animal welfare, community involvement, and education to further the bond between people and animals. Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League has a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity navigator, and is the first animal shelter in South Florida to become AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association) accredited. Peggy Adams is an independent nonprofit animal rescue organization operating continuously since 1925. For more information and to donate, please visit PeggyAdams.org
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Media Contact: Cara MacVane, Email; 561.685.2342
Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League Contact: Lauren Ellis, Email; (Office) 561.472.8845
