What do I do about a kitten that has just appeared on my front porch?

Adopting this kitten, whom you seem already to care for, doesn’t have to lead to feeding “every stray in the neighborhood.” Why not take him/her in and save its life? I’m a cat lover/owner, so it’s hard for me to suggest anything other than that.

If it was me, I’d love it. This is not helpful because I have a huge soft spot for stray animals that exist – but wouldn’t in the first place, if pet owners were actually responsible and had their animals spayed and neutered. /rant

If you really don’t feel that you can take care of it, I would just give it a home for the night and consider researching a no-kill shelter in your area that you can drop it off at sometime tomorrow.

However, you won’t have trouble finding the supplies you need for your new kitty at any grocery store. :D

@DrasticDreamer beat me to it, almost word for word. Shall we begin suggesting names, or wait until it curls up on your lap and purrs?

It depends upon where you live, meaning country.

I’d feed the kitty and give it some water and see what happens tomorrow. Be careful not to get too close and risk being bitten, unless you live in a country or state free of rabbies.

Is there room in your life for that cat? If the answer is yes, you have just made a friend.

If the answer is no, stay strong. You are doing the kitten a disservice if you won’t be able to provide a long-term home. In that case, I’d take it in for the night, and leave it at a shelter for someone else to take care of.

I am a cat lover (can you tell by my avatar?) so I would, if I had room for a cat, take it in and keep it and love it. If I didn’t have room for another cat (which I don’t at the time), I would take it in and then find a home for it asap. I couldn’t bear to have it on the porch, hungry and lost and wanting some safety and security. Of course, to keep it means checking it for fleas and then eventually bringing it to the vet.

I have a cat, but will probably never have another one after this. I prefer dogs, even though they’re more work.

Still, I couldn’t let a kitten go hungry. I’d feed it and give it water. Then I’d call a local no-kill shelter to see if they had room for the animal. They usually don’t around here, but will allow you to foster it until they have space open up or someone chooses to adopt it. They also cover all the shots, neuter/spay surgery, flea treatment, etc. while the kitty is waiting to be adopted. Of course, that would mean you’d have to bring the cat inside temporarily. Luckily, litter training a kitten in usually very easy.

We live in such different worlds.
For the past few months my trail/stealth camera has been photographing 2 different cats independently hunting on my property. I have seen them during the day but they have no interest in humans and will not let anyone approach closer than about 25 – 30 yards. Are they truly feral?
Every couple of days I’ve been leaving a squirrel or a couple of mice for them to enjoy but only one takes advantage of the buffet.
Maybe it is not my concern but I worry about how they’ll survive the winter. It gets cold here.

Take the kitten in. You’ll be glad you did.

You can take the kitten to your local shelter and then adopt it after it is tested, vetted, spayed, neutered. Will save you a lot of money and a kittens life too. I have done this several times. You can’t beat the adoption fees and even if you choose not to keep it taking it to a shelter or rescue where it will get proper care and medical needs met and then adopted out is your highest choice. You don’t want to pass the buck on things like this, you will feel terrible if you see it dead in the road in a few days.

It’s much kinder for a kitten to have a chance at adoption at a shelter, even if it winds up being euthanized, than it is to die a slow death of starvation and cold.

Thanks everyone for your input. The update on the kitten is that it has been fed, has had water and we have decided to take it to a no kill shelter if one is available in this area. I have already adopted one stray cat and even though I do love cats, 2 cats is plenty. Hopefully, someone will adopt this kitten, at least I have done what I could. Thanks again, jellies. ( I guess I am not breaking any site rules with this update.)

Absolutely you’re not breaking any rules @Katz22! Please stay around and ask and answer more questions!

I’m surprised I’m the only one wondering if it belongs to a neighbour, I would take it round your neighbourhood to make sure it doesn’t already have a home before it took the kitten to a cat rescue facility.

@Adagio

That’s an excellent point you make ! !