Good evening! I am a client at Jarrettsville Veterinary Center and the front desk ladies very helpfully advised me to post here saying I was a client to ask my question. =) We are in a bit of a kitten conundrum.

Our neighbors’ barn cat had kittens, and they are living under our garden shed. The kittens are about 7 weeks old or so, according to my neighbors, and they are extremely friendly, outgoing, adventurous, playful, etc. We are assisting the neighbors in trying to find them homes, and we are trying to figure out when it is appropriate to separate the kittens from their mother. We have read/heard 12-14 weeks, however we (my husband and I) are concerned for the kittens’ safety. There are foxes and hawks that live around our house, and the mother cat is staying away from the kittens for longer and longer. The kittens are starting to venture out further and further away from the safety of our shed (where they are just…exposed in our yard), and we are uncomfortable with the idea of leaving them outside for 6 more weeks (though they have managed this far okay).

Additionally, the mother cat has already moved the kittens twice, according to the neighbors, and they didn’t know she was over here until we found the kittens and told them. We are worried that she might move them again and we might not be able to find them if she does so. We are willing to bring them into our house for their safety, but the mother bolts, and we are worried about hurting the kittens’ development during this young stage of their lives and causing mama cat undue stress. We also don’t want them to get eaten by foxes or hawks. =\ Any advice would be super helpful!

Thank you!