Take a look at the feral foster kittens I have below. Feral feline mothers rarely abandon their litter out of pure fear. It’s more accurate to say that they stay close by, but remain hidden from sight due to their strong maternal instincts. The kittens need to feed frequently, and the mother must search for food often to maintain her milk supply. However, she doesn’t stay away for long.

Feral cats, like raccoons or rabbits, are wild and cannot be approached easily.

During kitten season in New Jersey, which spans from March to about October, our shelter receives hundreds of feral kittens ranging from newborns to around 4 weeks old (at this age, they become more elusive and harder to catch).

What many kind-hearted individuals don’t realize is that when they come across a litter of tiny, helpless kittens under a woodpile or inside an old shed, they aren’t abandoned. The mother cat needs to feed herself regularly to produce milk, and she may have fled due to your presence.

The positive aspect is that these kittens will eventually become adoptable pets and will be spayed or neutered. Last year, I had three litters of “abandoned” kittens. I took in two separate litters when they were about 2 weeks old, and I also had a mother give birth at the shelter. I brought her home when her babies were only 3 hours old. All of them had successful outcomes!

Here are some snapshots of their journey:

Two days old

One week old

Ready for adoption

The entire litter, along with their mother, found loving homes!

This is the second litter of bottle-fed babies. They were successfully weaned at 2.5 weeks old, and all four of them were adopted!

The third litter was also successfully weaned, and all three kittens found their forever homes!

Being a surrogate mother to these helpless babies is what I believe my purpose is on this earth, and I will continue doing it every single year, responding to every phone call. The feeding schedule is akin to that of a newborn baby—tedious but incredibly rewarding.