Kitten Sitters

In most cases, younger kittens you might find in your community are being cared for by a mother cat. If they are alone, the mother cat might be hunting or looking

 for a new nest. Humans can startle a mother cat who may leave and not come back until they feel safe. Signs a kitten is being cared for could include a full belly, being well-groomed, a clean nest, or a relaxed posture. If the kittens are dirty, are in an unsafe location, appear sick, vocalizing, cold to the touch, or do not react to your presence, they likely need your help.

Older cats are far more independent than kittens. If you see a cat roaming around your neighborhood, check with local shelters and online sites to see if the cat is lost. If the cat has a small ear tip, like seen in the picture to the left, they have already been spayed or neutered and vaccinated. They also might belong to a cat colony where they could be getting fed and checked on by a caregiver. If the cat is friendly and if you are willing to welcome the cat into your home, the Kitten Sitter program can provide low-cost medical services, supplies, and more.

Intaking kittens or cats to FieldHaven is done on a case-by-case basis. Since 2020, there have been an increased number of cats and dogs being born putting a strain on animal welfare organizations. The goal of the Kitten Sitter program is to keep cats out of shelters and in homes where they can learn important skills to integrate into a family.

A healthy and safe environment for the kittens, transportation to and from veterinary services, in some instances, transportation and boarding can be arranged, socialization, and cuddle time to help teach the kittens about positive family and pet relationships. We recommend introducing new foods, noises, And other environmental factors slowly since it can be difficult to know how comfortable a kitten or cat will be with this type of stimuli. If you have a nursing mom in your home they will need appropriate nutrient and caloric food to support the kittens and the mom while she is nursing.

This depends, some people in the Kitten Sitter program who find kittens and cats choose to keep the cats while others try and get them adopted to forever homes. Once a kitten weighs 900 grams or 2 pounds they can be spayed or neutered. With the Kitten Sitter program, when you find kittens or cats we can offer low-cost medical services, a veterinary exam, spay and neuter services, and more. At FieldHaven, we have a program that can help with rehoming cats called Meow & Forever and the Kitten Sitter program can help you with adoptions. You can also feature the cats on social media sites such as Facebook and Nextdoor, we recommend asking for adoption fees to help weed out non-serious inquiries. Take plenty of pictures and write a short biography about the cats to help them stand apart.

Here is an example:

Biography: Inamorata is a girl with a unique and cute charm. Born in May of 2023, Inamorata is sweet, playful, loves attention, and would like nothing more than to curl up in your lap. She has great litter box manners, is spayed, vaccinated, and microchipped. She would do fine with other cats, children, and would do well with a calm dog. One look from her and you can almost hear her proclaiming, “pick me!”

If you think your home would be a good fit for Inamorata, consider adopting her today.

We recommend isolating new animals for at least a week to reduce any instances of illness introduction and allow any new animals to become comfortable. Make sure that your personal pets are up to date on all their vaccines prior to any introduction.

It may be difficult to part with your kittens but there will always be a need for Kitten Sitters or foster parents at local shelters or animal welfare organizations. You will be playing a crucial role in saving lives.