Knowing what to do if you find a stranded baby animal doesn't come easily to everyone, and it can be hard to know if you're making the right decision by interfering.
One woman who knew exactly what to do when she found a tiny stray kitten off the freeway in Tennessee is Camille, or @_kcamille on TikTok. In a video posted on June 24 to her page with almost 700,000 views, Camille says that the ginger kitten, whom she has named Nash, was only about 2 to 3 weeks old when she found him.
"Noticed he had fleas," the video says, "Gave him a flea bath," then she began her two-day road trip back to the West Coast. The footage shows Nash getting comfy in his new bed, then snuggling with their existing cat Mr Bojangles, a ginger Persian cat. "Mr Bojangles is a single father," reads the caption.
A ginger stray kitten lays on a dirty cloth. A tiny stray animal, much like the one in this image, was recently rescued from the side of the freeway in Tennessee. A ginger stray kitten lays on a dirty cloth. A tiny stray animal, much like the one in this image, was recently rescued from the side of the freeway in Tennessee. YNG Pictures/Getty ImagesCamille clearly believed that, in this situation, Nash needed rescuing, but if you are unsure, then there are certain things to look out for before you take a baby animal home with you.
Coryn Julien, director of communications for global cat advocacy organization Alley Cat Allies, told Newsweek: "When someone comes across a litter of kittens, it's tempting to pick them up out of a sense of compassion. However, Alley Cat Allies tells us the best approach is to leave them be. In nearly all cases, kittens outdoors don't need to be 'rescued,' and pulling them in from their outdoor homes can be harmful. You may not see their mother, but she's likely nearby, and her instincts make her the best caregiver."
Julien offered these top tips for how to deal with a litter of stray kittens:
Watch and observe—Stay back and watch, and you may see that mother returns to care for her kittens. Mother cats will sometimes leave for hours, so be mindful of that.
Help with food and water—Give mother the essentials. Be sure to follow best practices, such as removing uneaten food within 30 minutes.
Provide outdoor shelter to give mother cat and kittens a safe place to rest, while enabling caregivers to monitor well-being and easier practice of Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), which is the only humane and effective approach for outdoor cat populations.
Peace and quiet are important. Keep an eye on mother and kittens, but leave them be.
Never take kittens or their mother to an animal shelter—Most shelters do not have programs to provide the care that unweaned kittens need to survive and thrive. As a result, there is a high risk that the kittens will be killed.
Users on TikTok loved the sweet video. "I love him! Beautiful baby. Thank you for keeping him," wrote one.
"What a lil angel thank you for saving him, he's beautiful baby," posted another.
Newsweek has reached out to @_kcamille via TikTok for comment.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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