Surprise, your cat has offered you some small balls of fluff. You love them so much you would want to keep them all, but you know that they deserve a better life than living in a crowded home. They need their forever home, and you can be sure that you will find them some loving humans, but this requires some work from your part. When surprised with a litter of kittens, you have to focus your efforts to find people who want to adopt a cat, because the fur balls grow fast, and you will have to place them in their permanent house when they are around eight weeks old. When looking for an adopter for your litter of kittens you have to make sure that they love cats, they will care for the little ones and they want to keep them all their life.
A cat is a big responsibility, because you have to offer them the right food, you have to be ready to clean their litter box because they use it consistently, and you have to be ready to allow them in your heart and life, because they need lots of attention and caring.
When rehoming a kitten you have to follow some do’s and don’ts, because it is essential to find them responsible parents.
The kittens should be completely weaned when they leave the litter
The mother cat will start weaning the babies when they will be around 3 or 4 weeks old, but this is not a generic rule. Some babies are needier and they will continue to suckle for a longer period of time. Before you take them to their new home, you should make sure that they eat only canned food, they know how to use the litter box and they are able to socialise with other people and pets.
Take the kittens to the vet
It is not advisable to count on the adopter when it comes to vaccinations and vet check-ups, because they may not know exactly what they have to do from the first days of having the kitten. It is advisable to take all the kittens to the vet, and ask them to check them for worms and ear mites. In case they need treatments, you should not offer them for adoption, before they are treated and completely healthy. If you have not tested the mother cat for FeLV or FIV, you should do it now, because these conditions can be transmitted to the kittens in utero.
Spay or neuter the kittens if possible
You already had a surprise with your cat, you should try to avoid the parents of the new babies to experience the same issue. Veterinarians state that in the majority of cases the kittens are safe to be neutered or spayed around six weeks old. It is important they to be taken to a vet who has experience in early spay/neuter techniques. In case you are not able to spay or neuter the kittens before offering them for adoption, it is advisable to ask the new parents offer you a deposit that will be refunded when they offer evidence that the operation has been done.
Establish what requirements the adopters have to meet
It is important to share from the beginning what the conditions for the adopters to receive the kitten are. Some of the most important requests should be:
– To return you the kitten if they are not able to keep them in the future. This is one of the best solutions in case they cannot care for them any
– To spay or neuter the kitten during their first 6 months of age.
– To vaccinate the kitten according to the schedule recommended by the vet
– To make the kitten an indoor-only pet, because this is the only way to avoid accidents and injuries.
It is important to check the potential adopters, because you want to make sure that they are pet lovers, and responsible persons. Use a website like Checkthem.com to find information about them. Check their social media profiles to see if they have posted pictures or shared content that shows signs of animal misconduct.
Avoid these things when looking for a forever home for your kittens
Do not post a free adoption add. People have the bad habit of setting little value for the things they get free, and you have to do your best to avoid the kittens to be treated badly. Ask them an adoption fee that includes the costs you had with vaccinating and spaying or neutering the cat. If you have not spayed or neutered them, you can establish with the new parents that they will receive a part of the sum when they will show you an evidence of the medical procedure.
Do not offer the cat to a person who has more than one pets, because there are great chances the little one to not be accepted by the others, and abandoned by the owner.
Do not offer the cat for adoption without signing a contract with the new parents. Ask them to offer you their ID and phone number. If they are legitimate adopters, they will not mind to offer you these details, and to share pictures with the kittens regularly.
Do not allow your cat to get pregnant again. Once you find a forever home for the kittens, you should spay the mother.
How to find new parents?
Before putting the kittens on an adoption website, you should try to find them new parents among your friends and family members. You do not want only to get rid of them, you want to find them the happiest home possible, and the best way to do it is to check with the people you know.
If your friends do not want to adopt a cat, you should join one of the rescue groups available on social media. Sharing pictures with the babies and the mother will help people fall in love with them easier.
