{"id":5337,"date":"2020-05-21T13:05:54","date_gmt":"2020-05-21T20:05:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/napahumane.org\/?p=5337"},"modified":"2020-05-21T13:05:57","modified_gmt":"2020-05-21T20:05:57","slug":"found-kittens-know-when-and-when-not-to-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/napahumane.org\/found-kittens-know-when-and-when-not-to-help\/","title":{"rendered":"Found Kittens? Know When (and When NOT) to Help"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3106\" src=\"https:\/\/napahumane.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Kittens-white-background.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"455\" height=\"294\" srcset=\"https:\/\/napahumane.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Kittens-white-background.jpg 455w, https:\/\/napahumane.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Kittens-white-background-300x194.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 455px) 85vw, 455px\" \/>Most people assume that unattended kittens need help, but often, their diligent mother is just momentarily out of sight. She might be hunting nearby, taking a bathroom break, moving her kittens from one location to another \u2013 or just waiting in the shadows for you to leave! Since a mama cat\u2019s milk and care give young kittens (up to four weeks old) their best chance at survival, it\u2019s important to recognize when and when not to \u201crescue\u201d kittens found in the wild.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Are the kittens DIRTY?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Mama cats keep their babies fluffy, clean and dry with frequent grooming. If you find kittens that are wet or crusted with dirt, urine or feces, or their gential areas are inflamed (from urine scalding), they likely need your help.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Are the kittens THIN?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Kittens nurse regularly when their mother is around, so their bellies should have a full, rounded look. If you find kitties with shrunken bellies, visible bones, and pale skin, they may have lost their mama.<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-4663 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/napahumane.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/purrito-e1571254319214-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/napahumane.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/purrito-e1571254319214-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/napahumane.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/purrito-e1571254319214.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 85vw, 225px\" \/>Are the kittens SICK or HURT?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sick kittens often have visible discharge from their eyes and noses. If you see crusted discharge or wounds on their bodies, they may need assistance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Are the kittens NOISY?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Kittens cry when they\u2019re hungry, but it\u2019s also normal for them to get hungry before their mother gets home to nurse. If you find crying kittens that don\u2019t also meet the other criteria above, leave them alone for 2-4 hours and come back to check. If they\u2019re still crying, they may have been orphaned or abandoned. If they\u2019re quiet, their mama\u2019s still on the job and you should leave her to it!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Are the kittens COLD?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Young kittens can\u2019t regulate their body temperature well, and rely on their mother, their nest, and each other to stay warm. They will naturally tend to lose heat while their mother is away \u2013 so unless they\u2019re <em>also <\/em>dirty, thin, or visibly sick or hurt, you should leave cold kittens alone and check them again in 2-4 hours to see if their mother comes back. If they\u2019re still cold and alone, though, they may need human help.<\/p>\n<p><strong>REMEMBER: Taking very young kittens away from their mother greatly reduces their chances of survival, even if you provide round-the-clock care! <\/strong>So don\u2019t rush to conclusions. Take the time to observe these key details before getting involved . . . leaving them alone might actually save their lives.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4187\" src=\"https:\/\/napahumane.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Kittens-cropped.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"295\" srcset=\"https:\/\/napahumane.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Kittens-cropped.jpg 800w, https:\/\/napahumane.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Kittens-cropped-300x111.jpg 300w, https:\/\/napahumane.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Kittens-cropped-768x283.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Most people assume that unattended kittens need help, but often, their diligent mother is just momentarily out of sight. She might be hunting nearby, taking a bathroom break, moving her kittens from one location to another \u2013 or just waiting in the shadows for you to leave! Since a mama cat\u2019s milk and care give<a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/napahumane.org\/found-kittens-know-when-and-when-not-to-help\/\">Keep Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[140,141,139,143,142,138,134],"class_list":["post-5337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cats","tag-community-cats","tag-feral-cats","tag-foster-kittens","tag-found-kitten","tag-injured-kitten","tag-kittens","tag-orphan-kittens"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Found Kittens? 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Since a mama cat\u2019s milk and care giveKeep Reading\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/napahumane.org\/found-kittens-know-when-and-when-not-to-help\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Napa Humane\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NapaHumane\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-05-21T20:05:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-05-21T20:05:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/napahumane.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Kittens-white-background.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lisa Alexander\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@napahumane\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@napahumane\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lisa Alexander\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/napahumane.org\/found-kittens-know-when-and-when-not-to-help\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/napahumane.org\/found-kittens-know-when-and-when-not-to-help\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lisa Alexander\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/napahumane.org\/#\/schema\/person\/de4977fe8a0fb1d2c8c5ad5bfba15943\"},\"headline\":\"Found Kittens? 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