I found some kittens: can I entrust them to an association?

Finding kittens alone can make us feel responsible and unprepared at the same time. The first question is often: "Can I take them to an association?" The honest answer is: you can ask for help, but shelters and volunteers don't always have available spots. In the meantime, some immediate choices can make a big difference.

1. Assess if there's an emergency

Intervene immediately if the kittens are injured, very cold, in the middle of the road, exposed to hostile dogs or people, or if the mother is certainly dead or hasn't returned for many hours. In these cases, contact a veterinarian and, if possible, a local association.

Do not improvise treatments and do not give cow's milk: age, body temperature, hydration, and nutrition must be properly assessed.

2. Gather useful information

When asking for help, immediately send:

• precise location and municipality;
• number of kittens and clear photographs;
• presence or absence of the mother;
• apparent conditions and present dangers;
• what you can temporarily do: transport, fostering, or veterinary contribution.

A complete message allows volunteers to understand more quickly what solution is possible.

3. Can I deliver them directly to an association?

Not without agreement. Associations are not public facilities with unlimited availability: they often manage emergencies, veterinary debts, and already full private fosters. Bringing animals without notice transfers the problem, but doesn't automatically create a solution.

4. Also contact local services

Report the case to the Municipality, the Municipal Police, or the competent ASP veterinary service, especially if there is a cat colony, a health risk, or a situation of abandonment. In Sicily, the management of stray animals and cat colonies is regulated by Regional Law 15/2022.

5. Think beyond the emergency

Saving a litter is fundamental, but prevention comes from sterilizing the mother and monitoring the territory. Read how to protect cats in a feline habitat and the story of Cipolletta and her family, saved without breaking the bonds between mother and kittens.

Helping means networking: those who find, those who offer foster care, those who care, those who share, and those who adopt. No one should be left alone, neither the kittens nor the person who found them.