Hey gang!
It’s Wednesday once again! And I’m excited to start off the new month with some facts. Usually, I like to talk about all the interesting things going on at the shelter. But, I feel with winter finally behind us and rolling into spring I’d like to share some knowledge. So, as some of y’all may or may not know, spring time is the season where all different cycles of life have a chance to begin anew, including puppies and kittens. With that being said, here at the shelter we currently have a momma cat that has taken on three surrogates to her current litter with a total of seven kittens to watch over – and she is doing a terrific job. We’ve also taken in another momma kitty who has stepped up and help raise an additional nine babies. And with some quick maths, we have a total of 16 kittens running around our facility. The volunteers and staff are head over heels with the itty-bittys that have arrived.
As I mentioned previously, kitten season is definitely here and I’ve taken it upon myself to spread some awareness on the subject. Here’s some guidelines and information about orphan kitties: often times they are picked up by caring individuals who do not know that the mother is right around the corner. Other times they may be truly orphaned because the mother has become lost, has died, or cannot provide care to the kittens. No one is better at caring for kittens than a mama cat, so a good rule of thumb is to wait 3-4 hours to ensure that the mother is truly gone before stepping in. And, if you choose to take in some kittens please make sure that there is a plan in place for when the caretaker is no longer able to care for them. This would include reaching out to local agencies or organizations beforehand that are equipped to handle these kinds of situations. For instance the Humane Society works with Cat Tales, and they have helped our facility transfer some of our cat residents to homes outside area – which in turn helps with our shelter’s limited spacing. It is resources like these that really contribute to the area as a whole.
All in all, taking in orphan kitties can be tricky situation, but with the right information and helpful organizations it alleviate some of the pressure. And, I can’t stress this enough: don’t forget to spay and neuter your pets!
Until next time,
Waylon Jennings.
