New homeowner discovers blue-eyed kittens and mother cat inside shed, she works hard to gain their trust and nurse kittens back to health

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Briana Viser • Writer and Editor
Jun 6, 2026 6:15 PM EDT

When you move somewhere new, there can be endless discoveries involved. But would you suspect a cat and her recently born kittens?

Moving can be so exhausting. It's never easy to find a new place, pack everything, and unpack in the new location. Everything about it is tiring and relentless, and no one looks forward to it. But once you're in your new home, you can actually start to enjoy things. That means finding out the best routes to go places, the nearest stores and cafes, and of course all the serendipitous discoveries like a cat and kittens in your shed. 

In Reddit's r/CatDistributionSystem, this woman is a new homeowner and her home came with residents already…but these aren't people residents. She discovers in the backyard shed a mother cat and a litter of kittens living there! The woman could see that the cats were pretty skittish and didn't want to be disturbed. She brought them food and water and left them alone. The next day, she comes back to see how they're doing while trying not to scare them. She mostly worries about the kittens because she wants to help, but can't get close enough yet. 

She seeks advice on how to handle the situation. She brought them more wet food, and pate, and is working hard to gain their trust. Read the full story below to see how the cat and her kittens are doing in the end. 

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  • 01
    ve fee Hicks CAMPFIRES OFFIF BAG FIRE
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  • 02
    We bought a house at the beginning of the year which has a small outbuilding. The
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    outbuilding has a small window that doesn't close all the way leaving a small gap. Two days ago I went to pull my trash cans out
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    and was greeted by a very shocked to see me tiny grey tabby kitten with huge blue eyes.
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    We both stared at each other for a second, it hissed at me, and ran to the back of the shed where it could hide behind boxes. I didn't
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    want to handle or disturb it too much in case mom was nearby so I added a bowl of water and some
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    wet food and left. The next morning, there are 4 kittens. When I start to open the shed door I hear momma cat hop out
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    the window. She is eating the wet food and drinking water, so in the morning and evening I refill wet food and water and my plan is
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    just continue supporting mom? Until a more appropriate time to separate? I have seen momma cat before, and I hope to earn her
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    trust so that once these kittens grow up and I find them homes | can get her spayed. My guess is that the kittens are around 5
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    weeks and at present I don't think they can get out of the shed without mom's help.
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    What I'm most worried about is being able to monitor the kittens health in a way that doesn't scare
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    off feral mom. The kittens stay mostly hidden, but I'd like to know if one is getting crusty eyes, looking skinny, visible fleas etc. so
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    I know when to intervene. I really really really do not want to discover a kitten at the
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    end of this but I'm really trying to do my best hands off approach bc of how skittish mom cat is.
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  • 16
    When she hops out the window, she typically sticks around super close but visibly shows signs of stress with us being nearby. I
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    don't have electrical run to this building or I'd consider getting a camera to install inside so I could do surveillance.
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  • 18
    I purchased kitten pate and have been mixing it with a bit of water for her food. I bought a new cat
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    bed and rubbed it on my pillow to smell like me before placing it in the shed. I move slow, use a
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    soothing voice, and have been keeping my visits on a "schedule".
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  • 21
    If anyone has been through a similar scenario or has any helpful advice on how I can help this
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    family without frightening them into separation I'd be very grateful!!
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    Picture does not include the shyest kitten - a little calico.
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  • If you've ever been in a situation like this then you know how difficult it can be. A new cat mom is so protective, and her instincts are heightened. One of the Redditors in the comments, Yukinojou_bw, says this:

    “I've done this! I wasn't able to get the mum but two of the kittens are currently lounging on my bed. What helped: lots and lots of calm interaction. Set up chairs near the kitten lair and spend a lot of time there, distributing high value treats like good quality dry food and cured meat (bad in large amounts but bland sausage or weiners are great as cat lures). Get cat wands and gently try to get the kittens interested. Talk to them gently all the time. Offer a soft place to sleep outside the shed but defendable, off the ground and protected from wind and rain.”

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