Stray cats hide their kittens for two obvious reasons: safety and protection.
If you’re a cat person worried about the safety of a stray female cat and her babies in your neighborhood, you can help the mother cat by providing food, water, and shelter.
However, you can’t easily find where feral cats hide their kittens outside. Typically, cats hide their babies in bushes, sheds, abandoned buildings, roofs, under the decks, etc.
In today’s article, I will discuss why and where cats hide their kittens in detail and share ways you can help the stray mother cat and her kittens, so let’s hop right in.
Why Cats Hide Their Kittens?
Stray and feral cats deliver their babies in “safe” areas.
They prefer secluded and enclosed structures where they can feel safe. Stray cats also hide in enclosed structures to better defend their kittens if predators arrive.
Also, stray mom cats choose secure places where their kittens can’t hurt themselves.
For instance, they avoid areas near running water or high and open places because the kittens can easily drown or fall off as they start walking a few weeks after delivery.
You can’t easily locate the mother and her kittens because she doesn’t stay in one area after delivery. Stray and feral female kitties constantly relocate their babies so predators can’t track their scent and harm their babies while out hunting.
Now, let’s discuss the reasons why cats hide their kittens.
1. It’s Their Instinct!
Stray female cats hide their babies because it’s their instinct. They’re secretive because they prefer tight, secluded, and comfortable spaces away from noise and predators.
The same goes for cats that live with people. Although your feline knows and trusts you, she will probably hide her infants anyway.
2. Protection
Stray and feral cats hide their babies for protection. They keep their kittens safe against predators.
Like other animals, baby kittens can’t defend themselves when babies, so it’s the job of the mother cat to keep her little ones safe and healthy.
Stray female cats see wolves, eagles, hawks, domesticated dogs, and even male cats as a threat, so they look for safe and secluded areas where they can deliver their babies.
Like male lions, male cats will kill kittens in their territories.
Male cats typically kill the babies of their competitors in hopes the female cats will mate again and transfer their genes.
3. They Prefer Isolation
Most cats prefer safety and isolation over heavily-trafficked areas, including home cats. That’s why cats run away and give birth outdoors.
Additionally, if your home’s too noisy or too bright, your female cat can move her babies somewhere calmer, more isolated, and more comfortable.
If indoor cat mothers can’t move their babies outside, they usually hide their litter behind furniture, inside closets, under beds, etc.
Once indoor cat mothers find the safest place for their babies, they defend their territory aggressively against everyone, including their owners.
4. Cats Love Their Privacy
All cats, including house, stray and feral, have one thing in common: they’re very private creatures. That’s why they hide their kittens in secluded areas.
Also, pregnant stray cats spend a lot of time finding the perfect place for delivery. Sometimes, they give birth in unsafe areas but move their kittens after delivery.
As I stated above, outdoor cats relocate their kittens because of predators nearby, such as dogs, birds of prey, male felines, or bad weather conditions.
5. The Mother Cat Needs Space
If your female cat has just given birth, give the animal space.
Also, don’t prevent the mother cat from moving her babies to a peaceful spot away from other animals and young kids. Let the new family have privacy, but ensure your kitty has enough food and fresh water nearby.
Lastly, watch for visible signs of fear. If the mother cat looks anxious, perhaps she feels like her babies aren’t safe and might act aggressively.
6. Cats Don’t Like Their Kitties Being Touched by Humans
Humans don’t like their babies being held by strangers and often forget that animals feel the same way.
When house and stray cats give birth, they don’t want anyone touching their kittens.
That’s why they hide their babies in secluded and enclosed spaces. If you bother a stray or home cat and her babies, she will eventually relocate her litter.
Experts suggest cat owners shouldn’t touch kittens until they’re at least three weeks old. Therefore, if you have young children and your house cat has just given birth, keep your kids away from the kittens.
You can still monitor your cat’s kittens and help if absolutely necessary. However, wash your hands before touching your cat’s kitties.
If you encounter wild or stray kittens in your area, don’t immediately assume the mother cat has left her babies. Cats leave their kittens alone when hungry so that they can look for food, so wait and see if the mother returns.
Common Places to Find Stray Kittens Outdoors
If you’re unfamiliar with stray cat’s behavior, check our article ‘Where Do Stray Cats Go During the Day‘
Mother cats usually deliver their babies in quiet, dark, and out-of-reach locations where people and other animals can’t gain access.
Common places mother cats hide their kittens include empty boxes lying around, under homes and porches, behind structures, inside barns or abandoned properties, etc.
Here’s how you can locate stray kittens in your area.
Track the Mother
A stray mother cat will never reveal where she’s hidden her babies. So, your only option is to track the mother cat’s movements.
Most stray cats don’t trust humans, so don’t force a connection with the cat. Just follow her steps, and hopefully, you will find her kittens.
Consider the places the female cat usually frequents and check the most secluded and peaceful ones first.
Common places felines hide their babies include abandoned properties, under porches or homes, sheds, creeping areas, and barns.
Use these places as your starting point, and you will eventually find her kittens. Look for the mother and her kittens during a peaceful time of the day.
Follow the Cat Discretely
If you’re tracking a friendly stray cat, you can pet the cat and follow her moves until she takes you to her kittens.
If possible, I suggest following the cat on your own because stray cats don’t trust people and won’t take anyone to their kittens unless they know the person.
If you have a more aggressive stray cat on your hands, lay low and follow her discretely instead of trying to pet the kitten, hoping she will take you to her babies.
Give the Mother Cat Food
Mother cats need food so they can produce enough milk for their kittens. So, if you see a mother cat looking for food, you can start leaving food for her on your property.
Leave the food in the same spot every day, and she will eventually learn that your home is safe for her kittens. Over time, she will see you as her main food supply and hopefully move her kittens near your home.
You can give a stray cat scrambled or boiled eggs, canned fish, bread, cooked chicken or beef, or cat food.
Avoid giving cats milk because they can’t process milk properly, so they can experience stomach upset.
Help the Mother Cat and Her Kittens
Suppose you locate the stray kittens and see one or two separated from the rest. In that case, you should remove those kittens. Otherwise, they might end up dead.
In the animal kingdom, only the strongest survive, and mothers can sense sick babies.
After the mother cat senses that her baby isn’t healthy, she will abandon or kill the baby to save her energy and food for the rest of the litter of healthy babies.
If you see the mother cat moving a kitten away from the rest, keep a close eye on her. If she doesn’t carry the rest of the litter to the same spot, pick up the abandoned baby and contact a rescue center immediately.
Animal rescue centers can help the kitten survive. You can also adopt the baby kitty, but first, visit the vet for care advice.
If you don’t see anything wrong with the mother cat and her litter, you can help the new family by providing food for the mother and shelter for everyone.
Once the kittens grow older, you can take steps that will make their life easier, such as spaying, neutering, vaccination, adopting or finding stray kittens a home, etc.
What to Do if You Find Kittens in Your Yard?
When most people find kittens outdoors, they immediately adopt the babies.
However, I strongly advise against bringing the kittens indoors for different reasons. For starters, what if you’re wrong, and the kittens aren’t purposefully left in your yard?
Perhaps the mother’s hungry and looking for food, and you’re about to steal her babies. To prevent that from happening, follow the next steps to help the kittens properly.
Observe the Kittens Without Touching
Although you see kittens alone, you shouldn’t act immediately because the mother cat’s probably nearby. She’s likely hungry and looking for food in your neighborhood.
You can help the mother cat by leaving strong-smelling wet or dry food near her kittens. She will probably come back, eat the food, and feed her babies.
If you take her babies, she will come back and think someone killed and ate her babies. So, leave the kittens outdoors until you’re sure their mother isn’t coming back.
Maybe the mother was killed by a speeding car or got lost. In that case, you can foster the babies.
Otherwise, you will cause more harm than good to the kittens, especially if they’re under 8-12 weeks old. Early weaning increases the risk of anxiety and aggression later in life.
If the Mother Returns, Leave the Kittens Alone
If the mother returns, don’t call animal shelters. Usually, these organizations don’t have programs for helping mother cats and their babies.
Therefore, there’s a risk that the babies will be euthanized. Furthermore, animal shelters aren’t the best places for mother cats, as they can get stressed by the change and other animals.
Lastly, animal shelters aren’t safe for kittens because they don’t have a fully developed system, so they can easily catch different diseases.
What Do You Do When You Find a Kitten Outside?
What you should do when you find a kitten outside depends on the kitten’s mother, age, and condition. Here’s a breakdown of how you can help a stray kitten depending on the kitten’s age and situation.
8 Weeks Old and Older Kittens
If you believe the kitten’s about eight weeks old or older, you can take the animal to the local vet clinic for spaying or neutering.
I suggest doing the same for the mother if she’s present in your area so she can’t bear more kittens in the future. Call your local animal shelter for assistance if the mother cat looks anxious.
These organizations have TNR programs that can help you “trap” and help the feline.
As for the kittens, spaying or neutering at eight weeks old or two pounds makes a great choice for their overall health and well-being.
Kitten Younger Than 8 Weeks With a Mother
If you find a kitten younger than eight weeks with a mother, leave the new family alone.
Healthy kittens with a mother typically don’t need saving, and separating the family can result in behavioral issues in the kittens later in life.
Kittens younger than eight weeks need their mother, as they’re unweaned (they still rely on their mother’s milk).
However, you can still help the mother and her kitten by providing food for the mother or adopting the family in the future.
How to Help a Stray Mother Cat and Her Kittens?
Most people foster stray mother cats and their kittens. However, if you adopt the mother cat and her kittens, you risk stressing out the mother cat.
Cats don’t like change, so the mother cat can become anxious by the new environment and lose her ability to care for her babies.
Most outdoor cats like their outdoor home, and the mother probably has a safe place for hiding and raising her kittens, so she doesn’t need a shelter immediately.
However, you can still help the stray female cat and her kittens in other ways.
Provide Food and Water
A mother cat can always use extra wet food to keep nursing her babies. So, leave food for the nursing mother cat at the same spot every day.
Also, leave a bowl of fresh water or buy a cat fountain because most cats prefer running water over standing water in a bowl.
Extra tip: You can use a heated water bowl if it’s cold outside.
Build a Better Shelter for the Cat’s Babies
Outdoor cats usually hide their kittens in secluded and enclosed structures, so the stray cat has likely found the perfect hiding spot for her babies.
However, if she keeps returning to your property, you can build a shelter where she can eventually move in with her babies whenever she feels ready.
Give the Mother Cat Space
Avoid touching the kittens or annoying the mother cat in any way. Otherwise, she might feel anxious about your presence and relocate her babies elsewhere.
So, give the cat space, and don’t let your pets or children come near her kittens.
Spay or Neuter the Kittens
Once the kittens reach eight weeks of age or weigh about two pounds, you can proceed with spaying or neutering.
You can also spay the female cat so she doesn’t have to go through another pregnancy on the streets.
After spaying or neutering the stray cats, you have two choices. You can return the cats outdoors or foster and adopt the kittens and their mother.
If you can’t care for cats for whatever reason, don’t feel bad about returning the animals outdoors. You’ve already done more than other people.
Just make sure they’re ear-tipped during their neutering or spaying process.
How to Help a Sick or Injured Stray Kitten?
You should call your vet immediately if you encounter a sick or injured stray kitten.
Signs of a sick kitten include pale gums and tongue, diarrhea or vomiting, lethargy, cold ears, bellies and paws, visible ribs and spine, breathing difficulty, crusted eyes, etc.
Signs of a hurt kitten include visible sores or wounds, crying out in pain, limping, etc.
Here’s how you can help a sick or hurt stray kitten with or without a mother.
Visit the Local Vet Clinic Immediately
Take the sick or injured kitten to the vet for a checkup. Your vet will examine the kitten’s overall health, determine the issue, and share care tips.
While at the vet clinic, you can also take care of the kitten’s vaccinations and spaying or neutering if they’re eight weeks old.
Look for the Mother
After the vet checkup, you should care for the cat until they’re better. Once the cat feels better, you can release the kitten outdoors or call animal shelters for help.
You can search for the mother if you believe the cat won’t survive outdoors because of the lack of survival skills. Maybe she’s still nearby looking for her kitten.
You can leave strong-smelling cat food in your yard and see if she shows up.
If you can’t find the kitten’s mother, consider adopting the poor soul or contact humane societies for help, especially if you have a very young kitten (under four weeks).
Young kittens need special supplies and constant care.
Adopt the Kitten
You can foster the kitten if you have the time, space, and money. Ask your vet or local animal shelters for care advice and supplies young kitties need.
Some humane societies or local animals have programs, such as Wait Until 8, for those who want to help raise kittens at home.
You can sign up for one of these programs and get the necessary tools and information to care for the kitten properly. So, call local animal shelters or humane societies and ask if they offer such programs.
Or Find the Kitten a Home
If you can’t adopt the kitten for whatever reason, ask someone who likes cats if they can care for the animal. Maybe a friend or family member will foster the cat.
If no one shows interest in adopting the cat, you can ask animal protection groups, local rescues, and advocates for help.
You can quickly find such advocates in your area through different online networks, like the Alley Cat Allies Feral Friends Network.
Can You Socialize Young Feral Kittens?
Experts strongly advise against socializing feral cats over four months of age.
Feral cats between four and eight months of age might have the chance of being placed in foster homes for socialization and adoption. At this age, a feral cat can display social behavior and make a good candidate for adoption.
However, note that socializing wild cats can take forever, especially if they’re older.
If you decide to socialize feral kittens, you must interact with the feral cats daily for a few hours. Also, don’t have high hopes because cats born outdoors don’t like people.
Furthermore, feral cats prefer outdoor life, so you will have a harder time changing their behavior.
Therefore, if you don’t see improvement within a week, I suggest you return the wild kittens to their colonies through TNR programs.
You can’t force feral cats into liking people and living indoors because they’re happy out in nature with their feline families.
Final Thoughts
If you’re interested in helping a neighborhood cat and her newborn kittens, track her steps, and she will eventually lead you to her hiding place.
Establish a connection with the mother cat by leaving food in your yard every day at the same spot. Earning the mother’s trust can increase your chance of finding her kittens.
Once you find the kittens, ensure they’re healthy and thriving.
Never separate the kittens from their mother, especially if they’re under eight weeks old. Also, don’t call animal organizations immediately.
You can ask for their help once the kittens become old enough for spaying or neutering. Lastly, I suggest spaying the mother simultaneously and helping the feline lead a better outdoor life.
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