Where to I find kittens?

gray13372

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Hi,

I really want to care for kittens. I've volunteered a few times to temporarily care for my neighbor's adult cats while they're away, but after watching many Robin Seplut videos, I just want kittens. Not to bring them inside, but just pet and feed them, since I'm allergic to cats in the long-term. The problem is, while I do see a few adult cats occasionally crossing by, I have literally never seen a stray/feral kitten.

Can anyone tell me where mother cats typically hide their kittens outdoors or in my backyard?

Thanks.
 

Jcatbird

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I am very grateful you want to hel the kitties. The thing is, you’ll need to get them spayed or neutered if you’re feeding them. Otherwise the population of feral cats will grow and it becomes hard for large colonies to survive outside. They become susceptible to predators, illness, traffic and humans. Can you work with a rescue group to get TNR accomplished? Since you are allergic, many of our members are, working with a group would provide you with the opportunity to pet and love kittens without the exposure. I certainly could have used your help! I needed other humans to come pet kittens to help socialize the ferals! If you specifically want to hel the ones in your area, a rescue group will be very helpful to you since they could assist. Mother ferals are going to hide their kittens unless they trust you themselves.
Another option would be if there is a cat shelter near you. They also need people to pet kittens to help socialize and just give the kitties some company and play time. Any chance of antihistamines helping with the allergy?
 

moxiewild

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Like jcatbird mentioned, it’s not as simple as just feeding and petting when it comes to homeless kittens!

First hurdle is, as mentioned, finding them!

But you need to spay and neuter them too. This is nonnegotiable!

And you may need to socialize them first to even be able to pet them.

Kittens also eat A LOT in their first year! Make sure you can afford their unique dietary needs!

And those kittens will soon become adults.

By feeding them, you are making them become dependent on you for food. Even adults forget how to hunt after a while, but a kitten whose never had to hunt for survival won’t suddenly know how to once it becomes older if you stop feeding it.

The truth is, feeding an outdoor cat needs to be done humanely and responsibly.

That means you care for that cat for the duration of its life. You take it with you when you move. You take it to the vet when it needs care. You provide adequate shelter and fresh food and water daily. You ensure they’re spayed/neutered before they reach reproductive age, and keep them up to date on vaccinations.

You can’t skirt the commitment of caring for an animal just because they’re “outside only”. By making them dependent on you for survival, you are making a very real lifetime commitment.

That said, have you considered fostering instead?

If your allergies aren’t severe, being a kitten foster is probably a great option for you! You could foster for just 3-6 weeks at a time, and take breaks in between as needed. Food, litter, vet care, etc would be provided to you by the shelter or rescue you foster for.

If your allergies act up, OTC meds will likely help control it, and your doctor can also provide you with other options. (Kittens don’t tend to trigger allergies as much as adults either, and some people are only actually allergic to certain cats or breeds!).

I am assuming your allergies aren’t too severe since you said you’re allergic “in the long term” - which makes fostering perfect!

And kitten fosters are always desperately needed, especially this time of year!!! It’s a great way to get your kitten fix while helping to save lives!
 
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gray13372

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I am very grateful you want to hel the kitties. The thing is, you’ll need to get them spayed or neutered if you’re feeding them. Otherwise the population of feral cats will grow and it becomes hard for large colonies to survive outside. They become susceptible to predators, illness, traffic and humans. Can you work with a rescue group to get TNR accomplished? Since you are allergic, many of our members are, working with a group would provide you with the opportunity to pet and love kittens without the exposure. I certainly could have used your help! I needed other humans to come pet kittens to help socialize the ferals! If you specifically want to hel the ones in your area, a rescue group will be very helpful to you since they could assist. Mother ferals are going to hide their kittens unless they trust you themselves.
Another option would be if there is a cat shelter near you. They also need people to pet kittens to help socialize and just give the kitties some company and play time. Any chance of antihistamines helping with the allergy?
Unfortunately, feral/stray cats are not appreciated here in my region. There are barely any animal shelters or rescue groups here. This is why I want to find them myself, care for them and get them castrated.
 
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gray13372

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Like jcatbird mentioned, it’s not as simple as just feeding and petting when it comes to homeless kittens!

First hurdle is, as mentioned, finding them!

But you need to spay and neuter them too. This is nonnegotiable!

And you may need to socialize them first to even be able to pet them.

Kittens also eat A LOT in their first year! Make sure you can afford their unique dietary needs!

And those kittens will soon become adults.

By feeding them, you are making them become dependent on you for food. Even adults forget how to hunt after a while, but a kitten whose never had to hunt for survival won’t suddenly know how to once it becomes older if you stop feeding it.

The truth is, feeding an outdoor cat needs to be done humanely and responsibly.

That means you care for that cat for the duration of its life. You take it with you when you move. You take it to the vet when it needs care. You provide adequate shelter and fresh food and water daily. You ensure they’re spayed/neutered before they reach reproductive age, and keep them up to date on vaccinations.

You can’t skirt the commitment of caring for an animal just because they’re “outside only”. By making them dependent on you for survival, you are making a very real lifetime commitment.

That said, have you considered fostering instead?

If your allergies aren’t severe, being a kitten foster is probably a great option for you! You could foster for just 3-6 weeks at a time, and take breaks in between as needed. Food, litter, vet care, etc would be provided to you by the shelter or rescue you foster for.

If your allergies act up, OTC meds will likely help control it, and your doctor can also provide you with other options. (Kittens don’t tend to trigger allergies as much as adults either, and some people are only actually allergic to certain cats or breeds!).

I am assuming your allergies aren’t too severe since you said you’re allergic “in the long term” - which makes fostering perfect!

And kitten fosters are always desperately needed, especially this time of year!!! It’s a great way to get your kitten fix while helping to save lives!
Thank you for the tips? But the biggest question is where do I find them when there aren't any animal shelters or rescue groups nearby?
 

Willowy

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If there are stray cats in your area, there will be plenty of stray kittens running around very soon.

Are you feeding any strays currently? That would help attract them to your yard.
 

Jcatbird

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Are you in the United States or elsewhere? If elsewhere, we have members in many countries and maybe they can help you find a rescue or shelter near you . Depending on the weather where you live, cats may be sheltering right now. Unless you develop a trusting relationship with them, the mothers will hide the kittens. We would need to know more in order to give an answer. It’s great that you want to help them.
 
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gray13372

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If there are stray cats in your area, there will be plenty of stray kittens running around very soon.

Are you feeding any strays currently? That would help attract them to your yard.
I thought the same thing. In my old place, there were so many feral cats around which I kept on feeding. I named and knew a lot of them, but the weird thing is I didn't spot one single kitten amongst them at all. That could probably mean that the cats are hiding their kittens somewhere. The question is just where. In my new place there aren't that many feral cats, so I assume it's gonna be much harder to find kittens than in my old place.
 
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gray13372

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Are you in the United States or elsewhere? If elsewhere, we have members in many countries and maybe they can help you find a rescue or shelter near you . Depending on the weather where you live, cats may be sheltering right now. Unless you develop a trusting relationship with them, the mothers will hide the kittens. We would need to know more in order to give an answer. It’s great that you want to help them.
I checked Google Maps. There are a few that are out of town. I could go there, but I can't adopt a kitten to foster at home (due to my long-term allergy). I also think I developed of a trustworthy relationship with a lot of them because they would come running when they hear the food. I know I shouldn't have been feeding them like that while they're not castrated, but I was doing it anyways because I never saw kittens with them.
 
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