Before you do anything else

Call or text us first: 901-340-6534. Tennessee law is clear on this, and so is TWRA — contact a permitted rehabilitator BEFORE you pick the animal up. We can often tell you in one text whether the animal needs us at all.

Also worth knowing: rehabbers do not pick animals up. If we can take the animal, you will need to arrange transport. We have a volunteer transport list and we will help you sort it out.

Does it actually need help?

Mother raccoons do not let their babies out of sight for long. If a kit has been alone for more than a few hours, something has probably happened to her — and the most common cause is that someone trapped and relocated her, not knowing she had a litter.

  • Eyes closed, barely moving. Far too young to be out of the den. It needs help.

  • Under about 10 inches, walking around. Mobile but still dependent. Watch and wait — see below.

  • Around 3 months, foraging on its own. Weaned and independent. Leave it alone.

  • Bigger than a house cat. Treat it as an adult.

If it seems healthy, give mom a chance

Raccoons are nocturnal. She will not come out in daylight, so this needs to run overnight — give it up to 12 hours.

  • Bigger, mobile kit: turn a laundry basket upside down over it with something light on top. She can move it; the kit cannot wander off.

  • Small kit: gloves on. Put it in a box with a warm cloth and leave it as close as possible to where you found it.

  • Keep people and pets well away. She will not approach otherwise.

  • Still there in the morning? Text us.Please do not touch it with bare hands — for its sake, not just yours

    This is the part most people do not know. Raccoons are a rabies vector species in Tennessee. If a raccoon bites or scratches you — even a tiny kit — the law requires it to be tested for rabies. There is no blood test for this. Testing means the animal is euthanized and its brain tissue examined.

    So the strongest reason to call before you touch is not that you might get hurt. It is that touching it can get the animal killed. Please call us first.

    If you do have to handle it: medical gloves with leather gloves over the top. Never bare hands, and keep away from its mouth.

    If you have already been bitten or scratched, call the Tennessee Department of Health rabies line — 615-741-7247, staffed 24/7 — and talk to us too.

    DO NOT FEED IT. DO NOT GIVE IT WATER.

    We are begging. This is the single most common reason rescued babies die before they ever reach us.

    No cow's milk. No goat milk. No kitten or puppy formula. No Pedialyte. No water from an eyedropper. Not a drop of anything. The wrong food causes choking, aspiration pneumonia, and fatal digestive problems — and it makes it harder for us to assess the animal when it does arrive.

    What it actually needs is warmth, dark, and quiet. That is it.How to contain it safely

    • A cardboard box or plastic bin. Punch the air holes BEFORE the animal goes in. Secure the lid.

    • A soft cloth on the bottom — an old t-shirt or fleece. Not a terrycloth towel; the loops catch claws and nails.

    • Heat under HALF the box only, so it can move away if it gets too warm. A sock of dry rice microwaved for a minute, or a capped bottle of hot tap water wrapped in cloth. Always put cloth between the animal and the heat.

    • Dark, quiet, indoors. A closet or bathroom is perfect. Away from kids, pets, and the TV.

    • No handling. No peeking. No photos. We know it is hard. Human attention is stress, not comfort.

    • Wash your hands afterward.

    Call us immediately if you see any of these

    • Bleeding, an open wound, or a broken bone

    • It has been in a cat or dog's mouth — ANY cat contact is an emergency, even with no visible injury. The bacteria alone will kill it without antibiotics.

    • Small white specks that look like grains of rice — those are fly eggs — or flies hovering around it

    • Cold to the touch, wet, or crying nonstop

    • You know the mother is dead

    What not to do

    • Do not try to raise it. It is illegal without a permit, and raccoons raised wrong cannot be released.

    • Do not relocate it. Moving wildlife is prohibited in Tennessee and it separates families.

    • If you are trapping raccoons on your property in spring or summer, please stop and call us first. You are almost certainly stranding a litter.

    Wildlife emergency? Text us at 901-340-6534