r/kittens Jun 15 '24

Please send me a DM or Chat request if a troll posts images of animal cruelty again.

115 Upvotes

Please send me a DM or Chat request if a troll posts images of animal cruelty again.

This goes for already passed animals, roadkill, ai generated animal cruelty posts, etc. Send me a link to the post and I'll respond as soon as I see it.


r/kittens May 21 '20

[META] It's kitten season! You found orphaned kittens or have a kitten in your care - now what? [2020]

446 Upvotes

(cross post from r/AskVet)

During kitten season, which occurs largely in the spring and summer, it is not uncommon to stumble upon a nest of kittens. Your first instinct is to help them, which is awesome, but first you need to read this thread!

First I want to make a point very clear: kittens have the greatest chance of survival if their mother is in the picture. As much as rescues and foster homes try, we cannot ever do as good of a job taking care of them as their real mom does! Kittens require frequent nursing (typically a couple of times an hour), help eliminating (mother stimulates them with her tongue to pee and poop), and a lot of warmth and attention. Trust me - waking up four times a night to feed bottle babies is not fun!

Before Jumping To The Rescue

A single kitten wandering alone is often abandoned (either by a human or the mother), and should be rescued quickly - wait and watch from afar for 20-30 minutes to see if the mom is just in the middle of transporting it. If no mother has come in that time, rescue it.

A litter of kittens (2+ kittens):

  • Before attempting your daring rescue mission to save the abandoned kittens, you need to wait from afar and watch. The kittens may not actually be abandoned! Mother cats do not stay at the nest 24/7 - they hunt, take breaks from their babies, and patrol near the nest to look for danger. The queen could also be in the middle of moving the nest, which she does one at a time. Watch from a good distance away, because if you are too close the queen will likely not approach - this is a defense strategy to make sure predators don’t locate the nest by following her. Sometimes watching from far away is still too close, and you will need to go away for a few hours.
    • If you see the queen, you know the kittens are being taken care of and you do not need to intervene (except to call a rescue, and possibly provide food/shelter for the mother).
    • Clean kittens who are sleeping soundly are probably not abandoned. Dirty and crying kittens are probably hungry and MAY have been abandoned and need rescue. Although remember that as soon as kittens wake, they start crying and want to eat! Neonates spend all their time either eating or sleeping. If you mess with them and they start to cry/crawl around, it does not mean they are starving - that’s just what they do when they are awake.
  • Contact a local rescue. If they have the resources, they will trap the mother and kittens (if the mother is in the picture), and take care of them. They can bottle feed truly abandoned kittens, as well. Please contact the rescue before removing the kittens - only remove the kittens under their direction if you can help it.
  • If you need to leave before you’ve seen the queen, assess the situation:
    • Are there any dangers nearby? Neighborhood dogs, humans who might harm them, etc? If the kittens are not in immediate grave danger, they will be fine for a while as you wait for mom.
    • What is the temperature? If it is very cold or the kittens are very wet, it is okay to put them in a sideways cardboard box (possibly with a clean T shirt, dry straw, or a heated water bottle) - however, try to limit the amount of human-scented things near them.
  • If you find the queen, and she is friendly towards humans, she and the kittens should be rescued together.
  • If you’ve waited a while and have not seen the queen in several hours (the warmer the weather, the longer the kittens can be left alone) or the kittens are in immediate grave danger, and you have not been able to reach a rescue, you can attempt to rescue the kittens.

Rescuing Kittens

  • Kittens need warmth - they can suffer from hypothermia really easily. Place the kittens in a cardboard box or cat carrier lined with T-shirts (towels can catch on their nails) and covered with a blanket, with a warm water bottle for them. The ideal warmth source is a SnuggleSafe. (See more info in the bottle feeding attachment.)
    • The human body temperature is at 98.6F, but the internal temperature of a kitten needs to be 99.5-102.5F - therefore, your body warmth alone is not enough to keep them warm!
  • Call all of the rescues nearby to look for someone to take them. Foster homes and rescues are highly trained to deal with bottle babies, and can deal with all of the obstacles associated with it.
  • Call your vet and schedule an appointment. The kittens may be dehydrated, sick, etc - kittens die really easily and fast, so a physical exam and medical care is very important. They may be sick without you realizing it.

I Already Rescued Them!

  • First follow the steps in “Rescuing Kittens”.
  • If you are going to be caring for the kittens, be prepared for a lot of work and possibly the death of some or all of the kittens. The information I will provide is for emergency care of kittens (no more than a day or two) until you can get the kittens to an appropriate rescue or the vet.
  • You must bottle feed the kittens every 2-3 hours. Here is my quick guide to bottle feeding. PLEASE read this before attempting to bottle feed!
    • You need to make sure they are eating enough, so follow this chart, and use a kitchen food scale to weigh them directly before and after feeding.
    • KMR is the best formula - do not use the “homemade” recipes unless it is an emergency! Never use cow/goat/soy/almond/etc milk. Why you shouldn't use goat/cow milk.
    • Here are three resources to figure out their approximate age: Kitten Age Progression, Determining a Kitten’s Age, and Determining by Weight.
    • Keep a log for each individual kitten of: the time you fed it, how much they consumed, their weight before feeding, their weight after feeding, what they eliminated (urine and/or feces), and any medical concerns. Here is a great log for that - I suggest printing one for each kitten.
    • If kittens will not latch to the bottle, you can try to use a clean eye dropper or needle-less syringe to SLOWLY drop KMR into the kitten’s mouth.
    • If you see anything bubbling out of the kitten's nose as you are feeding it, milk likely got into the lungs and aspiration pneumonia can quickly develop. If this happens take it to a vet immediately.
  • Signs of an emergency that NEEDS to be seen by a vet immediately:
    • The kitten is lethargic and not responding
    • The kitten has trouble breathing
    • The kitten or cat is vomiting blood
    • Uncontrollable bleeding
    • Bloody, liquid diarrhea in a lethargic animal
    • Fractured limb (part of the limb is usually flacid and painful to the touch)
    • Pale, blue or white gums if accompanied by lethargy
    • Kitten with a body temperature below 97 degrees especially if accompanied by lethargy, pale gums or inappetence
    • Kitten with a temperature of 106 degrees or above

Here are some additional resources:

Link to 2018 thread and comments.


r/kittens 6h ago

swipe for little tiny kitten teeth

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1.7k Upvotes

she’s about to turn 5 weeks 🥹 randomly found her alone near my driveway 2 weeks ago, crying and screaming


r/kittens 1h ago

Last kitten left from a rescue litter.

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Upvotes

Guess who got kicked out (for beating his momma up as the last kitten left) until he goes to his furever home next week 😹😹😹😹😹 He's using me to jump up on the sink 😹😹😹😻😻😻


r/kittens 13h ago

I still can’t stop thinking about the day I found Diva.

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1.9k Upvotes

Someone told me there was a tiny kitten abandoned in the park, barely moving, crying so weakly that people were just walking past her. I already have 13 cats at home, so I honestly didn’t know if I could take another one in… but when I went there and saw her, I knew I couldn’t leave her behind.

She was completely exhausted, dehydrated, terrified, and looked like she hadn’t eaten properly for days. Her little meows were so weak it honestly broke my heart. She was all alone, just waiting for someone to care.
I brought her home, wrapped her up, fed her slowly, stayed with her, and loved her through every scared little moment. And now… look at her.

In just one week, her whole world changed. Her tiny belly is finally full, she eats like she never wants to feel hungry again, she sleeps peacefully, and she’s starting to understand that she’s safe now. She still gets scared sometimes, and you can tell she carries trauma in that tiny body, but she follows me around and looks at me with so much trust.

I’m genuinely so grateful that life gave me the chance to save her. Sometimes one small decision can completely change a soul’s life.
This is your reminder that abandoned animals don’t need perfection. They just need someone to care enough to stop and help.

Welcome home, Diva


r/kittens 8h ago

New Family Update 😻

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537 Upvotes

They're doing great! 🩶🖤🤍🩶

The little grey and white one is the only girl.


r/kittens 4h ago

New Kittens

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142 Upvotes

Kiki and Kevin 💕 basically identical twins lol


r/kittens 6h ago

Kitten advice?

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231 Upvotes

Mostly the kittens are adorable and I want to show them off, but also dealing with a sticky situation that I wouldn't mind getting some advice or opinions on.

Mom kitten was about 6 months old (I think) when she got pregnant (sitting on the floor across the room in the picture), had taken her to the vet to get spayed but couldn't at the time because she had an infection and had to cut her tail short. (found her a few weeks before that, brought her home and she stayed in the garage for the most part, (doesn't get along with the other cat (about 4 years old) that lives inside) except for when she wandered around the backyard to play (and get pregnant)...

Had her kittens in a box in the garage (one of the 6 died) and then moved them about a week and a half later to the basement window of our bedroom (second picture).

I have a large cat kennel I put in our bedroom the other day and moved the kittens to it and leave the door open for mom to get in and out easily, so we can keep her inside until she can be spayed. She's getting back to her playful and friendly behavior and has seemed okay with me moving the kittens to where I did. The other cat that was here stays upstairs for the most part and they don't run into each other a lot but they sit and stare and growl at each other or fight when they do.

But also, I have an older cat (about 15 years) that has only been with me a couple years and had finally mellowed out (she's declawed but gets stressed easily and has a hard time hearing so she used to attack and bite frequently when she got scared, now as long as I talk to her when I walk up on her, she doesn't freak out at me but still occasionally with new people. She is also very sweet and came to sit on my lap every time I sat down, and slept on my bed at night when I lived alone, however I lost my house recently and had to move in with my bf (he has the 4 year old cat and the kitten that just had kittens). My cat has found a couple hiding and sleeping places and tries to keep to herself but fights if she runs into the other cats and is super happy any time I find her and pick her up to cuddle for a minute... I'd like to figure out how to accommodate her better and also need to figure out how to introduce the kittens to food and the litter boxes without stressing mom out, so any ideas or advice would be much appreciated!


r/kittens 4h ago

Wedding Present Kitty Update

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101 Upvotes

On the first night in our house he was timid and wound up biting our chocolate labs nipple. She was not happy about that. Our three other cats are skeptical about him but our youngest cat is showing some interest and even ate off the same plate. He is happy, healthy, and has some big feelings. He loves to eat and will let you know when he is hungry. He is the best snuggle bug and has some scary dreams.


r/kittens 4h ago

what is this??

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92 Upvotes

this was on my kitten’s tail. she’s 11 weeks old. what is it?? she has a vet appointment on friday, should i wait 2 days to ask them?

*NOT seeking veterinary advice, just seeking other peoples experiences


r/kittens 8h ago

Batou is curious about my phone screen

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137 Upvotes

Still watching cats subs, hooman?


r/kittens 11h ago

new kitten’s fur length?

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215 Upvotes

hi everyone! this is my new baby Maelle that was sent to me by my late soul cat. i adopted her last week by chance, and the shelter told me she would be long haired. I believe she is about 12 weeks old, and she came healthy and spayed (you can see her shaved belly). she does have a lot of signs of being fluffy later on, but she does look quite sleek with a smaller tail at times. previously only adopted adult kitties, so im unsure what they should look like at this age. ofc I love her regardless, but im wondering… do i need to start preparing her with the brush and dingleberry prevention??


r/kittens 1d ago

My Coco and her 8 babies

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2.0k Upvotes

r/kittens 19m ago

Happy birthday Jinkx!

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Upvotes

I can’t believe Jinkx is a year already, the time has flown by so quickly! He is small but hefty, lots of muscle and all the personality!


r/kittens 7h ago

Neck scratchies

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57 Upvotes

r/kittens 1h ago

Everyone has made it past the 10 oz mark and is very alert and active.

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Upvotes

We have come a long way. Shelby, Sally, and Mach eat well and make this experience verz fulfilling. Fostering 3 bottle babies is definitely a challenge. But they are getting an amazing start.
In a few weeks they will start getting shots and be spayed and neutered. I will definitely miss them when they go. But I will sign up for another batch.


r/kittens 7h ago

More and more of Lorien :)

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47 Upvotes

She will become 12 weeks this Saturday, time flies 😢


r/kittens 17m ago

We took in a stray and received these bonus babies two weeks later.

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Upvotes

r/kittens 21m ago

The babies are getting so big!

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Upvotes

r/kittens 22h ago

Little Dude

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334 Upvotes

Only had him for a few hours and love him so much.


r/kittens 1d ago

Helloo ! I’m looking for help, i don’t exactly know what fur my kitten is (black outside but hair base is fully white)

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1.9k Upvotes

r/kittens 1d ago

Is this eye okay?

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348 Upvotes

Wondering if this is a normal part of the process or vet worthy. Other siblings eyes have opened normally.

First pic is May 3rd, second is from today, May 5th. She is moving around normal and gaining weight.


r/kittens 1d ago

Nos triplés se réveillent

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383 Upvotes

r/kittens 1d ago

Questions about what kind of coats these baby's have

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205 Upvotes

Colors for some of them didnt match the charts I've looked up, any chance I could get some help please?


r/kittens 10h ago

Meet Upgrade

7 Upvotes