How to tell if cat has abandoned her kids?

Question

Today, when I woke up, I found several kittens in one of the empty room in my house:

Now, I am monitoring them from the morning but I don't see their mom anywhere.

My questions:

1. Has the cat abandoned the kids?

2. What should I do with the kittens if they have been abandoned (should I contact animal shelter)?

3. In the meantime, should I feed them and also, can you tell me what should I feed them?

4. Is it fine to leave them like this for the night, considering that there could be other cats around?

Answer 1

You say these kittens are in an "empty room in your house." How long have they been there? (How long have you been ignoring this room?) Is there a clear area where the mother can come and go that you have not blocked recently? It's possible the mother has been prevented from returning; these are very young kittens who would not yet be left by the mother.

To give these kittens their best shot at surviving and having a good life, your best bet is to contact a local rescue, specifically one dealing with kittens, if they are truly abandoned. These may be "neonatal" kittens, meaning they need to be bottle fed, or they may be just old enough to start eating solid food, but they're in the range where someone with experience would be best to care for them if the mother has left. They can also provide you with advice and resources to start caring for them on your own, if you prefer to do so. Additionally, rescues can provide the veterinary care needed, socialize them with humans, and get them into reliable homes, if you instead choose to turn them over (assuming the mother doesn't return).

There's a few steps you can take to help determine whether or not they are in fact abandoned; if they seem hungry and/or are crying for food, if they're dirty and scrawny, or if they show signs of being in distress, they may be abandoned--just being noisy isn't a sign in itself, however, and in that case you likely will want to leave them undisturbed for a few hours, then check again. If the mother is feral, you may not see her (she'll disappear as soon as she hears you coming), but you'd see signs that she's been around. Nonprofit organization The Bitty Kitty Brigade suggests leaving a ring of flour around the kittens, in order to pick up the mother cat's footprints as she comes and goes. They offer some helpful resources for determining whether or not to intervene, such as the infographics below (click for full size):

If you have no local rescue organizations available to help, and wish to care for the kittens, there are many online resources now available as well. A local rescue will give you the best connections to your local resources and should be your first choice, with the online resources serving as a fallback. One of the best known options for online resources for young kittens in particular is Hannah Shaw, aka Kitten Lady, who offers a large number of video and webinar options, as well as other resources such as her own guide to evaluating risk for found kittens, shown below (click for full size):

An animal shelter is unlikely to be able to care for them, and will most likely put them down if they need any care beyond leaving food in their cage. Some will work to get them relocated to a rescue that can handle them, but not all, and during "kitten season" it can be hard to find space.

The room appears to have a bare floor which may be very cold for these kittens; you may wish to offer them some old towels or bedsheets to nest on top of, but be very careful if you choose to handle them, and wash your hands before and after doing so to mitigate any risk of disease for either you or them. If the mother is still coming and going, and you wish to help the kittens, you may also choose to start leaving food for her so she doesn't need to roam as far. If you wish to keep any of the kittens (ideally at least two, as they can keep each other occupied), local and online resources can also help you learn to socialize them without frightening the mother away, and to bring them into your home and get them veterinary care when they're old enough to be separated from their mother.

Answer 2

1. Mother cats don’t abandon her kittens. Maybe she was hit by a car or something.
2. Cats are good with living on their own but they like humans to take care of them. If the animal control is effective, call them but that depends in the country you are living in. They won’t die if you don’t do anything. They will find a way on their own like strays do.
3. Yes, if you feed them they will be grateful. Milk would do. Bread soaked in milk is the best. The kittens are mature enough to eat solid food. If you are lucky to find a cockroach, give it to them. Its good protein. Or anything you have. They are cats and they eat anything. They are not picky eaters.
4. It’s fine. Other cats may eat them. Or if there are snakes, they will. But that is nature. If you like, you could take a carton from Amazon and put these kittens inside it for the night.