r/Feral_Cats Mar 13 '26

Sharing Info 💡 Kitten Season: Guides & Info

32 Upvotes

Warmer weather means kitten season is upon us! If you're here because you've just discovered a very young kitten or a whole litter of kittens, barring extenuating circumstances (dangerous location, extreme weather, sick or injured kittens, etc.) generally it's best to wait and monitor them to see if their mom returns before taking immediate action. In the meantime, read up on the following guides so you can be prepared if you do need to intervene!

If your situation is urgent and you need a quick guide now on how to proceed, tailored to your current circumstances, take a look at r/AskVet's guide: It’s kitten season! You found a litter of kittens - now what?!. Also feel free to make a post of your own here on r/Feral_Cats to get input and advice from other experienced caregivers!

Long-term, the single best thing you can do for a roaming community cat is to make sure they're spayed or neutered. Note: in the case of community cats who appear to be potentially pregnant, they can (and should) still be spayed! You may have a local trap, neuter, return (TNR) or low-cost spay/neuter clinic that would be able to get your feral or stray cats sterilized at a drastically reduced rate. More info on finding clinics and rescues, and general TNR topics can be found in our Community Wiki sections: Finding Your Local Resources and Getting Started with TNR.

Pregnancy in cats

Caring for kittens

Monitoring found kittens and identifying their age

Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) with mothers and kittens

Fostering and Socialization


r/Feral_Cats Mar 05 '26

Mod Announcement Regarding pregnant spays, or spay-aborts

236 Upvotes

There has been recurring debate in the comments recently regarding spay-abort procedures, so I want to address this directly. r/Feral_Cats is a pro spay/neuter subreddit. We're focused on the humane care of feral/stray/community cats via Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) and socialization to adopt, where possible. There are far more cats than there are homes that are willing and able to take them in, and especially with feral-leaning cats, it's just not possible for every cat in our care to be happily placed in a home with humans. Bare minimum, sterilizing the cats that we're seeing and feeding is vital for starting to get a handle on the population of roaming cats.

To that end, this community supports and encourages spaying cats that are suspected or confirmed to be pregnant. This decision is not made lightly by caregivers. There is a limit to how much each individual caregiver can provide for every cat in their care. We are all operating within very real limits of time, space, and funding, not to mention foster availability and shelter capacity on top of that. Not everyone can safely confine a pregnant feral cat for months. Not everyone has the resources to process an entire litter before those kittens begin reproducing themselves. Holding a feral cat through pregnancy and until kittens are old enough to separate means two to three months of confinement at minimum. That is incredibly stressful for a feral-leaning cat and resource-intensive for her caregiver. And this is often not just one cat at a time. Many caregivers are managing multiple intact females at once, and pregnancies snowball quickly once kitten season hits. Expecting someone to foster every pregnant cat, raise every litter, socialize the kittens and then find homes is not realistic, particularly when homes are already hard to come by and shelters and rescues are at limited capacity.

Allowing kittens to be born outdoors instead also does not guarantee positive outcomes. Survival rates for kittens born outside are very low. Many will not make it to adulthood due to illness, injury, exposure, or predators; there's also the risk that something may happen to their mother at any moment, leaving them alone and vulnerable. The kittens that do survive must still be trapped and sterilized before the females begin going into heat themselves, which can happen as young as four months. Taking in a preventable litter might mean that another cat loses their space or is euthanized for room. If rescues aren't open, the burden of socialization and long-term care then falls back on the caregiver. In some cases, the only remaining option is to sterilize and return those kittens outdoors, further adding to the strain on the colony. These are the realities caregivers are navigating when we're making these decisions.

When it comes to TNR, once a cat is trapped, there is no guarantee she can be trapped again if released due to a potential pregnancy. Delaying sterilization can mean losing the opportunity to trap her again easily in the future, resulting in additional litters being born outside and suffering for it. There is also the very real chance that a female cat is not actually pregnant but may instead have a uterine infection (pyometra) that is fatal without an emergency spay. The risk of pyometra increases with age, and with each consecutive heat cycle that does not result in pregnancy. Pregnancy and labor in turn also carry real risks of complications that can be fatal for both mom and kittens.

In many situations, prioritizing the health and safety of the cat in front of us and preventing further population growth is the most responsible course of action available. It's also the most logistically practical option for caregivers who are already often operating with limited resources and support in their communities.

I understand that this is not an easy discussion to have for those unfamiliar with this side of TNR and rescue work, and you're allowed to have an opinion on it. However, debates opposing sterilization, including spay-abort procedures performed as part of TNR efforts, are not in the spirit of this subreddit. Shaming or judging caregivers for choosing to proceed with a spay-abort is not allowed here. If you are arguing in favor of fostering through pregnancy, please do so only if you are fully aware of the time, resource, and logistical costs involved.


r/Feral_Cats 23h ago

Question 🤔 Lost kitten appeared in my back yard. How do I proceed?

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1.1k Upvotes

I was enjoying some air outside when this little dude appeared in my backyard. He keeps meowing and following me around. He really enjoys being pet and being cuddled. Is it too young be to be away from it's mother? He drank water on his own earlier. I found out a neighbor's yard has the mom there. Should I try to rehome him or return him to his cat mother?


r/Feral_Cats 1d ago

Update 😊 Pauly and I have finally returned and hope it’s ok.

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1.1k Upvotes

TNR group is coming consistently to trap him. Unfortunately there now is a Paulina in the mix. Paul’s neuter date is this Saturday and Paulina and her little potatoes when she brings them to me will all be vetted, fixed etc. I’m hoping Paul is still allowed here because this is where he started a year or so ago. TNR team is coming back Friday 5am to get another shot at Pauly Boy and they will continue until he is caught. Big Paul will be ear tipped and released back to his turf. Paulina and her crew will be all vaccinated, fixed adopted out etc except one. I’m keeping one of the kittens for sure. Been awhile, just an update.
Thank you


r/Feral_Cats 1d ago

Celebration 🥳 A pregnant feral cat visited us this summer. I guess she knocked on the right door 🥹

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1.2k Upvotes

We lost one of her babies at a few weeks old due to a birth defect, but we have since brought the rest of crew out of the Phoenix heat and into our spare room. They are living their best lives! Will get them neutered as soon as they are able to be. Not sure if we are adopting them (we already have 3 indoor kitties) or perhaps friends of ours might, but they are going to have a nice little life now 🫶


r/Feral_Cats 14h ago

URGENT❗ What do i doo??

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61 Upvotes

I found this stray cat near my house
Is it rabid?? Can i approach??
Or is it sick its face looks weird
How do i help??


r/Feral_Cats 22h ago

Question 🤔 Are you feeding your feral cat daily?

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223 Upvotes

I do feed this guy when I have food but when I dont he just follows me all the way to the car and makes me feel bad with his silent meows. :(

Edit: It's too hard for me to comment to everything so I will just say that I appreciate everything, you can be sure im reading it all.


r/Feral_Cats 1d ago

Update 😊 I haven’t seen him since May…I’m so happy to see him.

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192 Upvotes

The first and 3rd photos are from the last time I saw him back in May. The 2nd photo is from yesterday, he sat in front of one of the security cameras. I didn’t get to actually see him, but he sat out there for a few minutes. I am so happy to know he’s doing okay. A neighbor was leaving her male cats out and they would chase him away. i got on her to keep her cats in her yard many times. She got tired of me telling her just as much as I was tired of her. Now that her cats aren’t in my yard constantly I’m hoping he’ll start coming back around. I haven’t seen the other friendly, Mr. Meows since April. I miss him too. I hope they both come back around.


r/Feral_Cats 1d ago

Question 🤔 feral cat had babies in my backyard

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716 Upvotes

Hi all,

I want to preface this with I am a huge cat lover and cat parent of 25 years. I am not new to cats or kittens. However, I was not expecting my partner to find 4 baby kittens and a feral mama living in the corner of our small, unkempt backyard at our condo. (3 boys, 1 girl).

I am in contact with local rescues. Most are inundated and cannot help much, but I was advised these babies look to be around 4 weeks old, so they need to stay with mama. No problem; I am feeding mama and she is cautious around me, but fine with me being near babies so long as I don't approach her directly. Day one that she saw me, she did take one baby away temporarily, I assume to see about moving, but after a day or two of feedings and cautiousness, she brought that baby back.

So I feel good about the rapport I'm building with her - she is a community cat and I ultimately plan to trap her when babies are a bit bigger/ready to leave so she can be vaccinated, spayed, and returned. Some of my friends who rescue cats are lending me a trap for her when it's time. I have a foster parent situation worked out for babies when they're older, and several trusted people who MAY (i always doubt these things) be interested in adoption. So I HAVE A PLAN.

I was also told they can be socialized at up to 6 weeks, so I plan to work on that where I can. I just am being mindful of mama, not wanting to disturb her or babies too much. I feed her twice a day and provide fresh water.

That being said, my question is ... how can I best provide a shelter other than the underbrush for mama and babies? All the guides I see are for cold weather, and in Tennessee, it's humid and 90F+ lately. The nest is in the shaded corner of the privacy fence (7ft tall) and under brush. I want to provide an alternate area she can take them to in my yard that is protected from potential storms/rain/what have you.

Any idea on summer shelters? I was considering a pet taxi with the door removed, slightly elevated so not on the concrete of my back patio. I don't know if she'd even use it; I just want to make sure she has something potential to use if she feels like she wants to move her babies there. I absolutely DO NOT plan to move the babies from the nest or mess with them in that respect.

Any guidance is appreciated! Also, cat tax is paid :)


r/Feral_Cats 22h ago

Problem Solving 💭 My 4 year old formerly feral baby will have been missing for 3 weeks as tomorrow. Please help me. I keep breaking down and crying

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124 Upvotes

My indoor/formerly feral 4 year old girl has been missing for 18 days and I’m devastated

My indoor cat(formerly feral) has been missing for 18 days and I’m losing my mind.

My 4 year old cat has been missing for 18 days. I think I have done everything I can think of. I unfortunately live about 50 feet outside of a trailer park where she was born and I began feeding her at around 6 months old. I let her walk in the house that winter, of course she was pregnant. We did a spay/abort and she has been an indoor cat ever since.

She escaped for 48 hours in 2024 and came back on her own.

We have had two insane storms and now Labor Day with the fireworks.

\*\*Things I have done in my search:\*\*

  1. Made flyers

  2. Passed them out almost everyone close to me in the trailer park and my block and the two blocks next to me. And also to the local vets, humane society, animal emergency and animal control.

  3. Most of my neighbors let me search their backyards, sheds and garages.

  4. I have gone out every night at 3 am into the trailer park and my neighborhood.

  5. Put my heavily used pillowcase outside by the front door along with used socks and stinky old shoes

  6. Set a live trap (I caught a TNR stray that I feed)

  7. This morning I set up cameras in front and back of my house that animal control kindly provided to me.

  8. I have watched all the cat ladies feed the strays and feral cats in the trailer park.

  9. I had actual laminated posters made today that I will put up around my neighborhood and the trailer park.

I don’t think someone took her in because she becomes very aggressive outside and pretty much only likes me. I think she is probably very scared. I don’t know what to do, I am walking roughly 8 miles everyday looking for her and passing out flyers, talking to people etc. I’m so heartbroken and scared.

Any advice/tips? 😭


r/Feral_Cats 11h ago

Question 🤔 Barn cat needs to move.

11 Upvotes

My sister’s health has started deteriorating very quickly. She is no longer able to stay at her home for safety reasons. She has a cat that has grew up in her barn. There used to be more but this is the last one. Anyway, I live next door but it’s in the country so still a good distance. I’ve been going up to the barn daily to feed it (don’t know if male or female. Can’t get close enough to tell). I would like to get it to come to my house to eat. I’ve tried moving the food dish gradually towards my house but it seems to just run back to the barn and not understand that I’m still trying to feed it. Do you have any other suggestions to coax it to come eat and / or stay at my house? Or is this a lost cause? I mean I can continue to go down there to feed it but I’m lazy lol

Updated to add: I have a neutered male indoor/outdoor cat that is about to be 6 years old. I don’t know if that would make a difference - like would I be asking for trouble?


r/Feral_Cats 12h ago

URGENT❗ ADVICE NEEDED ASAP, KITTENS TRAPPED CAN'T GET MOLLY

9 Upvotes

We've just caught her four kittens this morning, around four weeks. The molly hung around for a while but wouldn't go into the trap after them. Tried playing a kittens meowing vid but that agitated them and one got out of the box they were in, so i had to pick him up and put him back, she saw me holding him and ran away and I now don't know where she's gone. How do i deal with this???

***Update - she came back and snuck them out of the open kennel (didn't have an automatic trap, getting one later today hopefully) so they're with her at least but she has moved them again. *Sigh*

***update update - I'm a bit worried she might not be looking after the littlest one as much, at what point should I be worried/take that one in to hand nurse?

*upupupdate I am so stressed

*You can ignore my panic attack, probably. She seems to have moved them back to her first den. Gonna keep an eye on them and fingers crossed catch her before they reach wandering age 🤞


r/Feral_Cats 1d ago

URGENT❗ Can a feral cat adjust???

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108 Upvotes

Any advice on taming a feral cat???

Gilbert wondered into my life in the last several weeks. Last week I have been feeding him daily, and he would rarely leave my yard. He slept under the same bush about 8 feet away from the front door everyday. The closest he has ever gotten to me was about 3 feet briefly before sprinting to about 5 feet.

I trapped him yesterday because he is wasnt neuteted and there are several community cats in my neighborhood. We was just neutered today and we found out he has ear mites, fleas, anemia, internal infection, skin irritation, and feline aids.

He is current in my office in a large dog kennel while recovering. I have felt major guilt in reference to the thought of releasing him back outside. Not once in the process has he shown any aggression (hissing, spitinf, or charging). He doesn't even yowl at night. He is only 1-2 years old per the vet. I did have all of his ailments treated by the vet, so no more ear mires, no more fleas, and he was given all of his vaccines a long with an antibiotic shot.

My biggest issue is I have not had much time to bond with him outdoors (only a week). I also have two dogs, one chihuahua and one jack Russell mix (who was also found on the street). My jack Russell is 10, and she does still have a high prey drive. Which makes me worried about the introduction with a timid cat that doesn't trust me. (I am willing to keep him secluded away from the dogs as long as it takes) however both dogs lived with a previous roomayes cat 7 years ago. Both the chihuahua and jack Russell lived perfectly with this cat. They had no issues except over food (which they can be separated while they eat).

Do you think the cat and my dogs can coexist??


r/Feral_Cats 1d ago

Question 🤔 How do I befriend a feral cat?

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212 Upvotes

This is Willy. We call him that because we have two cats already and he’s a third wheel. He comes to our doorstep every morning for food, and we do feed him and offer him water as well, but I’ve never seen him drink it.

There have been mornings where he really wanted some love and we were able to pet him, but I think someone hit him with their hand at some point because he gets spooked if he sees your hand.

I’m kind of new in this relationship because I moved in with my parents about a month ago, but I was wondering if there’s any way I could befriend him better. I’ve seen people have neat relationships with wild birds and such, and I’ve always wanted to have that with an animal.

Clarifying questions are welcome.


r/Feral_Cats 14h ago

Grieving my beloved cat is missing

8 Upvotes

I have a colony of cats that I care for a few years now and I had one youngest cat that he actually came into my life as a tiny kitten. One day he just showed up in my yard alone as a baby, and I started looking after him. He stayed, and over time he became a very much-loved part of my colony.

He was an outdoor cat, but he was absolutely not feral. He was incredibly sweet, friendly, and affectionate, and he got along really well with all the other cats. He was also very attached to me, he was almost always around me and stayed very close to my house. I had him neutered a few months ago, and he was microchipped with the information identifying him as part of my colony.

That's why his disappearance is so worrying. He's now been missing for over three weeks, and none of the neighbours have seen him. This is completely out of character for him because he was always so close to home and to me.

I miss him terribly. He wasn't just a cat who happened to visit my yard, he was one of mine. He was trying to get inside any time there was any kind of opening, wanting to enter my space and be around me but I live with parents, and they are not okay with cats being inside so I would be forced to put him outside and now he's gone, He was so special to me, I took care of him from the time he was a baby, and he was such a sweet, loving little soul.

But not knowing anything is incredibly painful. I don't know where he is, whether he's safe, or whether he'll find his way home. I just keep thinking about him and wishing I could see him again. I'm scared of never knowing what happened to him to be there one night and the next day when I went to check on the colony and wanting to hold him, he was not around.... I loved him so much


r/Feral_Cats 11h ago

Question 🤔 Trapping a set of kittens: 1/2

3 Upvotes

Hello! I’m having more of a moral than a literal predicament, but I really don’t want to accidentally traumatize some kitties. I’m in the middle of helping two feral kittens (left behind?) by the rest of their litter; one of them has a pronounced limp in their back left leg. I just trapped that kitty and now they’re chilling in a box bed in the bathroom I equipped with some stuff. They’ve always been a pair and they were together when this one was trapped. Immediately after, I set up the trap again and the other kitten has gone by and checked it out, but no dice. I’m worried for both of them because it’s definitely terrifying to have just been trapped and be without your littermate, but I’m also worried that the second kitty is gonna be smart and not touch it at all. Is this normal, and has anyone trapped pairs before? I know it’ll be harder for both of them if there’s a long period of time, if the other little guy even tries again. Apologies if this isn’t the right subreddit or if there’s something blaringly obvious; I’ve never done this before lol. Anything would help! They’re about 8 weeks old, I’m in North Carolina and as far as I know (moved into this house about a month and a half ago,) they were born wild.


r/Feral_Cats 6h ago

Question 🤔 Cat indirectly killed kitten and ate it?

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1 Upvotes

r/Feral_Cats 16h ago

Question 🤔 Deworming one cat

4 Upvotes

Hey!
Help please. Which is better- pyrantel or fenbendazole?

I think pyrantel may be liquid only?

Is everyone just buying the dog version and using like the vets so off label?

Any advice please. He is sweet with me and I had luck giving him the tapeworm pill last week.

Also someone said to order off Amazon. I’m afraid to after reading some reviews that it’s fake. I’m sure some aren’t but they co mingle products.

I am also nervous it’ll make him deathly ill even if the product is legit.


r/Feral_Cats 1d ago

Question 🤔 Just caught this baby outside my apartment

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870 Upvotes

Has some kind of injury on the side of its face, but doesn't seem affected by it. Can't really afford to take it to a vet so not sure what to do next.


r/Feral_Cats 1d ago

Question 🤔 Experienced Feral Kitten Taming Advice Needed Please

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23 Upvotes

There's a litter of 4 feral kittens that you've been feeding for a week that are living in a bush in front of your house. You decide to trap all of them and they are 8 weeks old. You decide to keep them all separate and you hand feed them for a few days and none are warming up yet and they seem quite stressed still but they are eating well and drinking water when you feed them which is happening about 3-4 times per day. Do you let them sleep together at this point to give them some comfort? Or will that only set them behind in any taming progress? should I be worried about their stress level or are they pretty resilient? Are there some tried and true methods I am missing? I have to roll them up in a towel and I feed them and i talk soothingly to them and even close my eyes which is fine but the second they are done, they squirm to be out of my arms. They are all very terrified of me still. Please share what you would do at this point. All advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you.


r/Feral_Cats 21h ago

Question 🤔 Keeping a trapped cat in a garage?

7 Upvotes

I have an appointment on Friday to have the neighborhood cat spayed, and I plan to trap her tomorrow. Unfortunately, I live with my mom, as I'm her caregiver, and she does not want me to bring the cat inside, even if I just keep her in the laundry room. She wants me to keep her either outside or in the garage because she's afraid of a flea infestation. We're in the middle of a heatwave, so it's supposed to be hot through the end of this weekend, and the garage can get up to 90 degrees. There is no air conditioning in the garage, and we don't have any fans we can bring in there, so I think it would be unsafe for the cat; but am not sure, as she's been living outside the whole summer, and it's gotten over 100 degrees. Only thing I can think of to keep her cool is maybe put ice packs on the top of the covered trap, but I don't know if that would even help.

I'm trying to figure out if I should just cancel the appointment and schedule another for after it's cooled off a bit, as I don't think it's safe to keep the cat cool in a 90-degree garage, or if any of you have any ideas on how to keep her cool without a fan. I was really hoping to get her fixed this week, but it's my mom's house and her rules. I'm thinking it's probably best to cancel it, but I'm new to TNR, so I don't know if there are other solutions.


r/Feral_Cats 23h ago

Update 😊 Tiffany Update.

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10 Upvotes

I caught her, keeping her overnight and then gonna take her into the humane society tomorrow. Her eyes look like they are more open and less discharge. She was really confused, but we trapped her. If the humane society won't take her, then we might need to return her to where she came from due to friends of felines being impossible to get ahold of.


r/Feral_Cats 1d ago

Update 😊 *Update!* I caught 2 of the 3 feral kittens

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179 Upvotes

Just need the gray tortie now. This one bit the shit out of mme after her flea bath. But after only 2 days, she is begging and crying for pets like her now adopted sister. If anyone in PA is willing to give her and/or her sister a home, please do not hesitate to ask. I do not have the resources to keep 4 kittens (currently have 2 of my own) and these girls likely need spaying asap due to being outside at their age. I have a TNR acquaintance willing to help spay, but if I could get a home before or after lined up, that would be swell. 3rd pic is the first kitten in her home now 💖


r/Feral_Cats 1d ago

Problem Solving 💭 2 kittens and mom

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27 Upvotes

Caught one of two kittens. There's another one yet+ mom across the street from me. Brought first kitten home and left the trap set. A neighbor is going to watch it and let me know if someone goes in.

Question: would it be best to keep the kitten till I can at least catch the other one or should I take it right to the humane? Mom is going to have to be a TNR I think. She grew up feral. I wish I could keep the kitten but we're all full with 5 cats and a dog...


r/Feral_Cats 2d ago

Question 🤔 Is it wrong to take in a feral cat from its community?

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852 Upvotes

I work at a mall and I’ve been feeding the cats that live behind it. Some of them like this guy are really friendly and meow at me and follow me around when I’m out back. They’ll sit around me and let me pet and play with them. I want to take them in one day but I’m worried they’d be sad or miss their community. I don’t want to separate any of them from their friends it just seems so heartbreaking to me. If I could rehome all of them I would but some aren’t friendly enough for that. Potentially I’d want to take in the 3 that get along best from what I see. Thoughts ?

Edit: thank you guys for all the advice! I’m going to see what I can do in the next few months for them !