How many times does this scene play out in your community, especially during kitten season? A finder stumbles on a litter of kittens in the neighborhood: cue sad violin music. The fluff, the paws, the mews—these kittens have been abandoned and need help, the finder thinks, and I must get them to the shelter ASAP!
What we want the finder to think: A kitten’s best chance for survival is with her mother; I should look for signs that mom is around.
How do we turn all-too-common scenario A into scenario B? First, we can and should recognize and validate finders’ desire to help—it’s an admirable impulse. But we can do this while also reminding them (and maybe sometimes even ourselves) that in most cases, kittens aren’t orphans. They’re not abandoned: mom’s got it covered. There are better ways to help your local litters and, unless the kittens are visibly sick, injured, or malnourished, they don’t involve a trip to the shelter before it’s time to be spayed/neutered.
Ensure that well-meaning kitten crusaders don’t turn into kitnappers by offering crystal clear, consistent messaging on your website and social media channels, so that they know what to do before they settle the kittens into the car and show up at your door. You might distribute flyers where kittens tend to turn up or send a stack with field officers. Download the editable PDFs below and customize them with your own logo and contact information, or reach out to us; we’re happy to help! Print them, post them, share them on repeat.
We know the best way to help the most vulnerable animals is to empower the people in our community to be heroes too—we just need to guide them along the way.
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