Column: Timely advice for newborn stray cat litters during ‘kitten season’
Booper (A-21453) is one of nearly 150 young kittens who have already come through Pasadena Humane’s doors this month. Found as a stray in Pasadena and in need of veterinary care, he’s now thriving in a foster home where he loves curling up in people’s laps for naps. As he continues to feel better, his playful side is coming out more every day, and his purr is so loud you can hear it from across the room.
Kitten Season 2026 has arrived with a bang. What started as a slow trickle of kittens coming through our doors this spring is now an open floodgate. Since the beginning of May, we’ve taken nearly 150 kittens, the majority under 6 weeks old.
Back when I first started at Pasadena Humane as Kitten Nursery Coordinator in 2018, you’d regularly find me in our Animal Resource Center. That’s where our shelter admissions happen.
During kitten season, I took on the role of advocate and educator, meeting community members who found orphaned kittens in their neighborhood. Whether it was a litter of day-old kittens who hadn’t yet opened their eyes or playful 5-week-olds coming into their own, I saw one common thread among most of the people I spoke with.
The people who brought us kittens wanted what was best for the animals. They wanted to give them the opportunity to receive the care they needed and, ultimately, a chance to find a loving home.
Of course, there was a range of emotions when people would bring kittens to us. Some were desperate to get help. Others were grateful. Some weren’t sure if they were doing the “right thing” by bringing the kittens in.
I always approached each conversation with an open mind, trying to get more details about where the kittens were found, the condition they were in, and if mom might be nearby.
Animal welfare has changed a lot over the years, and today, taking a few simple steps before bringing in found kittens is a standard part of modern sheltering recommendations. In many cases, it’s the approach that’s best for kittens’ health and wellbeing, and Pasadena Humane is here to help every step of the way.
Ultimately, a newborn kitten’s best chance for survival is to stay with the mother cat. So, our advice prioritizes keeping kittens who appear well-fed and healthy with their mothers until they are fully weaned.
The first thing to do if you find a kitten is to assess the situation for safety. If the kittens are healthy and safe where they are, leave them and monitor them. However, if they are in imminent danger — say under a car or near a busy street — intervene to get them to a more secure location. The goal is to keep them nearby so mom can still find them while getting them to safety quickly.
Once you’ve assured the kittens are in a safe location, it’s time to watch and wait for mom. Admittedly, it can be difficult to tell if kittens have been truly abandoned or if mom has temporarily wandered off.
While it may be tempting to stay close by, you may be inadvertently causing mom not to return. Your best bet is to watch from a distance.
A lot of people have success with a Ring camera or other video monitoring. If you prefer to go analog, make a circle with flour around the kittens and look for signs of disturbance.
If mom comes back and is taking care of the kittens, they are in the best place they can be for now. Continue to monitor the family’s health and safety and get mom and the kittens spayed/neutered when they are weaned.
If mom doesn’t come back, or the kittens appear sickly or are cold to the touch, it’s time to intervene. Please contact us immediately.
We offer starter supplies and advice on caring for kittens to anyone who finds abandoned kittens and would like to raise them. We also have a volunteer foster program that supports the care of nearly 1,000 kittens each year.
If you need help with kittens in your neighborhood, visit pasadenahumane.org/kittens or call us at 626-792-7151. We are here to help!
Chris Ramon is president and CEO of Pasadena Humane. pasadenahumane.org
This blog post originally appeared as a column in the Pasadena Star-News on May 15, 2026.
