So it's kitten season again and it has hit hard this year! As some of you may know, or not know, I am now the Foster Care Veterinary Technician at the Humane Society of Indianapolis, so this time of year I am basically the professional kitten lady. This past month we have set a new record with 250 animals in foster homes at one time, with the majority of these animals being kittens. That is insane! Kittens are practically falling from the sky!! (actually some co-workers rescued kittens stuck in a tree the so they really kind of are falling from the sky)
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| Just a few of the kittens I had the other day at work |
Since we are seeing orphaned kittens turned in at an alarming rate I just wanted to throw out some quick reminders if you find kittens:
WAIT! mom is probably around somewhere. Moms usually don't neglect their babies (unless they are super sick, stuck somewhere, or she's a new/young mom and doesn't know what she's doing). Please, please, please wait and see if mom comes back before taking a kitten away. Chances are she is in the process of moving her babies to a safe location and will be very sad if she comes back to find them gone. Kittens are so much better off with mom for at least the first month. Not to mention if you leave mom out there she will continue to have babies. We need to get mom cats spayed!! More spays this year means less orphaned babies next year!
If mom does not come back or you have reason to believe she will not come it's important to know the basics of kitten care. Warmth, food (kitten milk replacer/kitten food, please do not give them cow's milk!), and pottying (if too young to go on their own) are the key components. *There is more detailed information in a previous post about how to do all of this.
If you are unable to care for the kittens and need to surrender them to a shelter please contact or research the shelter first about their policies. Unfortunately, not all shelters are equipped to care for neonates. They require constant care and will typically need to be placed in a foster home until they are old enough to be spayed/neutered. If you want to keep the kittens shelter workers would be happy to educate you on proper care and point you in the direction of the necessary resources needed.
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| Luckily this litter of newborns came into the shelter with their mom |
Ok, so maybe that wasn't necessarily quick, but it's all super important. Together we can end animal suffering and overpopulation one kitten at a time!
Until next time (and I promise it won't be over a year from now)
