In 2019, S.F. ACC inaugurated a stray kitten policy that caused an uproar with volunteers and residents who found kittens in their back yard — particularly since the old policy had worked so well. 

The policy before 2019:

1. Anyone could bring to ACC kittens of any age, preferably with their nursing mom, often trapped with the help of an experienced volunteer. If the mom had abandoned her kittens, rescuing the kittens was even more urgent.
2. Other volunteers would foster the family until the kittens were old enough to eat on their own, usually about eight weeks. The volunteer could monitor the kittens to make sure the mom cat was allowing them to nurse. If she wasn’t (which can happen in the wild as well as in captivity), the volunteer could bottle-feed the kittens. Likewise, if the mom cat had abandoned the kittens before they were trapped the volunteer could feed them in a quiet, warm and safe environment.
3. Once old enough, the now-socialized kittens could be put up for adoption.
4. The mom cat could be spayed at the S.F. SPCA and returned to her habitat for lifelong care by the resident or volunteer who had originally been caring for her outside.

The policy since 2019:

     1. Residents are told to leave the kittens and mom cat outside until the kittens are at least four weeks old. The reason ACC offers is that mom cats “can” become stressed indoors and not nurse their kittens. Volunteer caretakers say this rarely happens, but if it does, the volunteer can immediately bottle-feed the kittens as often as needed.

     2. Once all the kittens are weaned, but not over seven to eight weeks old, trap the mom and kittens and bring the kittens to ACC to be put up for adoption.

• This step assumes, of course, that the trapper can FIND the kittens and mom cat, who often moves her kittens and hides them for their protection. 
• Older kittens are much more difficult to trap. They can run surprisingly fast and can quickly learn to fear humans from their mother. Also, the mom cat can be trap-shy and not as invested in protecting her older, more independent kittens.
• Kittens are also easy prey for raccoons, coyotes, and dogs and have a fragile immunity, like any newborn mammal. They can suffer or die from extreme weather, diseases, illnesses, parasites, or even starvation if their mom abandons them. 
• The point at which a kitten becomes feral is inexact and varies from kitten to kitten. If the resident monitoring the kittens misjudges their age, or even if she is able to trap all the kittens in the original litter, there’s no guarantee every kitten will be socialized and adoptable. If a kitten is on the cusp of being feral he may require weeks of socialization before he can be adopted. None of the risks of remaining outdoors apply to newborn kittens brought inside for loving care.
• This step in particular flies against decades of experience by trappers and kitten caretakers and is simply inhumane, callous, impractical and hypocritical on ACC’s part.

     3. The mom cat can be spayed at the S.F. SPCA and returned to her habitat for lifelong care by the resident or volunteer who had originally been caring for her outside.

If our petition succeeds in reforming ACC’s policies, we will demand that a return to pre-2019 kitten care be included in those reforms.