When you come face to face in the street with a kitten or several kittens huddled together, it is hard to know what to do!

A small investigation

The first thing to do is to make a mini- investigation into whether the kitten is  truly abandoned and an orphan by observing and listening. Several indicators should help you: is it lean, dirty, stirred, disoriented? If this is the case, there is a good chance that the kitten is abandoned. Then it is important to act quickly: collect it quickly and take it to a veterinarian. In the opposite case, the mother is probably hunting. Leave them alone and come to see from time to time as the situation evolves.

What if I cannot immediately bring the kitten to a veterinarian?

If you can't find a veterinarian, take the kitten back home and put it near a heat source in a quiet room with food and water. You can then place an ad on our Missing Pets service.

Priority: heat

It is very important to reproduce the warm and cozy environment of its mother by placing it in blankets or sheets, if possible near a heater or a hot water bottle. Until 3 weeks old, a kitten is unable to regulate their own temperature. The average temperature of a kitten at birth is 35.5 ° C while an adult cat is 38.5 ° C. Below 35 ° C, the kitten's life is at stake! Put them in a room around 26 ° C.

What precautions to take when the kitten is less than 4 weeks old?

Give the kitten water from a baby bottle. In fact, if you give them a bowl / cup , they can fall in and drown rapidly.

Give them infant formula which you can find among veterinarians. Other types of milk (cow, goat or cat brands in supermarkets) are forbidden!

Pay attention to cleanliness, helping them to relieve itself, which is vital. Normally, the mother licks the anus to help the kitten urinate and defecate. You will therefore, after each feeding, rub the lower abdomen (sex and anus) with a gauze or cloth moistened with warm water. This will cause the output of urine and droppings. It's automatic!

Learn to turn ask the right people and make the right decisions

Only the vet will be able to ascertain the age of the kitten. They will then prescribe the best care, appropriate to its age.

Obviously, taking care of a kitten takes time and some involvement. If you have decided to keep it, you must keep this in mind, especially if it is young. In addition, if a young kitten is abandoned, it will be less likely to survive... However, this should not discourage you! By doing a good deed and this challenge  you also become the savior and protector of a companion who will be grateful all their life!

However, if you are not able to take care of the kitten, do not leave it at the vet! These are not shelters. Please ask an association or a shelter near you to take care of it.

I hope that this article has enlightened you on what to do when seeing with a small abandoned feline. And do not forget to go to a vet quickly!

Have you ever faced this kind of situation?

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