Found a kitten on the street, what do I do?
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
Do not pick it up straight away. The mother is often out finding food and comes back. Watch from a distance for three to four hours. Step in at once only if the kitten is in danger or looks cold, wet, hurt or sick. If she has not returned after four hours, keep the kitten warm and call a vet.
Never give cow's or goat's milk: it does not have the protein and fat a kitten needs. A young kitten needs warmth before anything else, then a kitten milk replacer and a vet's check. Your vet decides how much to feed and when vaccines and deworming start.
When should you step in straight away?
Waiting is right for a healthy kitten in a safe spot. These are the exceptions.
If The kitten is on a road, in a drain or near dogs or crows
Move it a short way to safety, ideally where the mother can still find it, and keep watching. Cats Protection
If It feels cold, or is wet from rain or a drain
Bring it in, dry it gently and start warming it. Newborn kittens cannot shiver and cannot keep themselves warm. International Cat Care
If It is hurt, very weak, or its eyes are swollen or matted with pus
Take it to a vet now. Take the whole litter, and the mother if you can, rather than separating one sick kitten. International Cat Care
If It has vomiting or diarrhoea, or is limp and not feeding
Treat it as urgent and keep it away from your own cats. Feline panleukopenia often kills unvaccinated kittens. International Cat Care
If The mother has not come back after more than four hours
The kitten needs help. Call a vet or a local animal welfare group who can hand-rear it. Cats Protection
What should you do in the first few hours?
The kitten's best chance is its mother. Give her time before you take over.
Look from a distance
Get a good look at the kitten without handling it. Note whether it is clean, quiet and in a safe place. Cats Protection
Wait three to four hours
Keep away for three to four hours, then check whether the mother has come back. If she has, leave the family alone. Cats Protection
Help the mother, not the kitten
Leave some cat food nearby to draw her back, and fresh water in a shallow bowl the kittens cannot fall into. Cats Protection
If no mother: warmth first
Put the kitten in a box with a covered hot water bottle or heat pad, with room to move away from the heat. International Cat Care
Call a vet the same day
A vet can check its age, hydration and health and tell you what and how much to feed. Bring any littermates too. International Cat Care
How old is the kitten, and what does it need?
Feeding frequency from International Cat Care's hand-rearing guide. Amounts are for your vet to set, from the kitten's weight.
| What you see | Feeds in 24 hours | Toileting | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 2 weeks International Cat Care | Eyes closed at birth, usually opening within 1 to 2 weeks | About 10, every 2 to 2.5 hours | Cannot go alone: gently rub under the tail before and after each feed |
| 2 to 4 weeks International Cat Care | Eyes open | About 7, every 2.5 to 3.5 hours | From 3 weeks, do the rubbing on a litter tray |
| 4 to 5 weeks International Cat Care | Eyes open; ask your vet when to start solid food | About 5, every 3.5 to 5 hours | Learning the litter tray; a little soiled litter helps |
Hand-rearing is round-the-clock work. If you cannot do it, a welfare group or rescuer may be able to take the kitten.
How do you keep a found kitten warm and fed?
Warmth, the right milk and gentle handling, as International Cat Care describes them.
Do
- Keep the box warm: around 29 to 32°C for a newborn without its mother, cooling gradually over the first month. International Cat Care
- Make the box big enough for the kitten to crawl away from the heat source. International Cat Care
- Use only a properly formulated kitten milk replacer, mixed as the pack says and warmed to about body temperature. Test it on the back of your hand. International Cat Care
- Rub gently under the tail with soft tissue or damp cotton wool to help a kitten under two weeks pass urine and faeces. International Cat Care
Don’t
- Give cow's or goat's milk. Its protein and fat levels are too low for kittens. International Cat Care
- Let the kitten overheat, or lie directly on a heat pad: it can cause contact burns. International Cat Care
- Handle kittens whose mother is still caring for them, or move them yourself. Cats Protection
- Leave water in a deep bowl near very young kittens. Cats Protection
What are the health risks, for the kitten and for you?
Keep a found kitten away from your own cats until a vet has seen it. Feline panleukopenia, also called feline parvovirus, often kills unvaccinated kittens, can survive in the environment for up to several years and resists many disinfectants. Vaccination prevents it, so check that your own cats are up to date.
Ringworm is a skin fungus that passes from cats to people. Look for round patches of hair loss, broken or stubbly hair and scaly skin, and wash your hands after handling the kitten.
Rabies infects mammals, including cats, and is virtually always fatal once symptoms appear. If a kitten bites or scratches you and breaks the skin, wash the wound with soap and water for at least 15 minutes and see a doctor the same day. The doctor decides whether you need treatment.
Can you keep the kitten, and what do Indian rules say?
You can adopt a kitten you have found. The Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 call an animal born in a community, with no owner, a community animal. Rule 19 lets a recognised animal welfare organisation sterilise community or domestic cats on the State Board's advice, with the local authority paying for the programme, so ask a local group whether a cat birth control programme runs in your area.
If you keep the kitten, plan for neutering. International Cat Care says neutering should routinely take place at around four months of age, because cats reach sexual maturity at about that age. Your vet will also set the vaccine and deworming plan.
If you take a kitten in and later cannot keep it, rehome it through a vet, a welfare group or people you trust. Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 makes it an offence to abandon any animal without reasonable cause where it is likely to suffer from starvation or thirst.
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Questions owners ask
How long should I wait for the mother cat to come back?
- Cats Protection advises keeping away for three to four hours and then checking whether the mother has returned. If the kitten has been alone for more than four hours, it needs help. Step in sooner if it is in danger, or looks cold, wet, hurt or sick.
Can I give a stray kitten cow's milk?
- No. International Cat Care says cow's and goat's milk should never be used for kittens, because the protein and fat levels are too low. Use a properly formulated kitten milk replacer, warmed to about body temperature, and ask your vet how much and how often the kitten should be fed.
Will the mother reject a kitten I have touched?
- Cats Protection advises not to handle kittens unless they are in direct danger, and not to disturb a mother who has returned. Watching from a distance gives her the best chance to come back. If you had to move a kitten to safety, keep it close to where you found it.
How do I know how old a found kitten is?
- Kittens are born with their eyes closed, and the eyes usually open within one to two weeks. A kitten under two weeks cannot pass urine or faeces on its own and needs gentle rubbing. A vet can give you a closer estimate at the first check.
Can I bring a stray kitten home if I have other cats?
- Keep it in a separate room until a vet has checked it. Feline panleukopenia often kills unvaccinated kittens and survives in the environment for years, and ringworm passes between cats and to people. Make sure your own cats' vaccines are up to date before they meet.
Keep reading
- Kitten careFeeding, litter training and the first months at home.
- Cat vaccination schedule
- The Indian cat
- Foods toxic to cats
- Signs your pet needs a vet now
- Cat care
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Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- Cats Protection: What to do if you find an abandoned kitten (blog, 24 March 2022) (opens in a new tab)
- International Cat Care: Hand-rearing kittens (first published 28 November 2024, updated 26 September 2025) (opens in a new tab)
- International Cat Care: Feline infectious enteritis (feline parvovirus / panleukopenia virus) (opens in a new tab)
- Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine: Ringworm: a serious but readily treatable affliction (Cornell Feline Health Center) (opens in a new tab)
- World Health Organization: Rabies: fact sheet (opens in a new tab)
- Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site): Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023: G.S.R. 193(E), 10 March 2023 (opens in a new tab)
- International Cat Care: Neutering your cat (opens in a new tab)
- Animal Welfare Board of India: The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, as amended in 1982 (AWBI's copy) (opens in a new tab)