Don't "Kit-Nap" Kittens!

Stay Indoors: Mother Knows Best

It's kitten season here in Palm Beach County, and that means an abundance of kittens are being born within the community.  Unfortunately, this kitten season is occurring during a pandemic. As a result, Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control is asking that residents stay home, and let the mother cat do her job.

When we find a litter of kittens, our good-hearted instincts tell us to jump in and help these fragile felines.  Thankfully, human intervention is typically not needed.  The best thing we can do as a community is leave the kittens alone, and this season, stay home! Mom is typically not far (often out searching for food or water), and will return to take care of her babies.  And don't worry, after the pandemic, Animal Care and Control will work even harder to trap and sterilize newly born kittens.

Important facts:

1. Moms stay close to their newborns during the first few days of life.  After that, they will venture out for short periods of time to get food and water before returning. Remember, if mom sees a person, she may stay away.
2. Do not intervene with the kittens or the space they are occupying. Do not attempt to touch or move the kittens. Intervening may stress the mom or scare her away.
3. Assistance can be provided by providing food and water for mom.  Place dishes far enough away from the nest so not to disturb her or the kittens.
4. If mom is determined to be friendly and approachable, the mom and kittens can be moved into an indoor area until the kittens are old enough to be on their own (8 weeks old) and spayed/neutered.
   

Do not bring kittens to the Animal Care and Control shelter.

During kitten season, shelters are overrun with kittens and don't have adequate resources to care for them.  With COVID-19 still on the rise, it is more important than ever to keep animals out of the shelter system to avoid unnecessary euthanasia.  Kittens taken from mom when they are too young, require round-the-clock care and feeding that shelters may not be able to provide at this time. 

For additional resources on how to properly care for orphaned kittens, please visit www.pbcgov.com/animal.  To schedule a time to pick up a Kitten Care Kit, email PBC-ACC-Rescue-Request@pbcgov.org.