Kitten Season

Well, as many of you know, kitten season is upon us. I have several great examples of kitten season at home. :-) For those who might not be quite so sure what I'm talking about. Every year, starting around Super Bowl time, the stray cats start to celebrate the coming of Spring. About 63 days later........we have kitten season.

This is the time of year that the shelters begin to become overwhelmed. Not only were they overflowing with adult cats before the spring, but now they have kittens as well. And everyone wants kittens. The adults have a tendency to get forgotten about this time of year.

What can we do?

Get involved in TNR programs. That stands for Trap Neuter Release. This is what is done for the feral cat population to help get a control on the numbers. Or, if you can afford it, catch a local stray and get it neutered or spayed. Help the rescues by absorbing some of the cost. Some vets, knowing what you're trying to do, might cut you a break. Or, if you don't want to get physically involved, donate money to a group that does this work.

You can contact your local shelter, cat rescue, etc and see what kind of help they need. They almost always need foster families for the bottle babies. These are people who are willing to play mama to orphaned kittens. This is tough work. Depending on the age of your kittens will depend on how often they need to be fed. Also, depending on age, you may have to help them go to the bathroom several times a day, until about 4 weeks old. This is a huge time investment. And unfortunately, in spite of all of your good care and efforts, your kittens might die.

Another thing you can do is donate. Not just money. These shelters and rescue groups need material goods as well. Towels and baby blankets are always needed. Heating pads. Laundry baskets. Kitten nursing bottles. KMR (kitten milk replacer). Cotton balls. Royal Canin Baby Cat. This is great for those over 3 weeks old. You've never seen a cuter dry cat food before. Small, low sided pans that can be used for litter boxes. After about 6 weeks they can go to a slightly higher sided box. Until then, they need something that can't be tipped over and that is easy access. Canned kitten food. Science Diet has one of the best kitten foods. Interactive toys for age 5 weeks and up.

As you can see, it take a lot to raise a kitten. A lot of it depends on how old the kitten is when you get it. Of course, your time will be well rewarded once they reach 3 weeks old. From 3 weeks to 8 weeks, you will have the time of your life.

First, their little teeth start coming in. In another week you can start introducing canned food. Of course my Danny started on Royal Canin Baby Cat at 3 1/2 weeks old. About this time you can start litter box training as well. At four weeks the fun starts. They start to run and play. Of course, the back legs always seem to run faster than the front legs. From 3-8 weeks, they learn everything they need to know. It is amazing. It's like watching a baby go from birth to 16 years old in 6 weeks time.

Other ways to help. If you know of someone looking for a cat. Encourage them to look at an adult instead of a kitten. Kittens are fun, but they're a lot of work. Young adults to adult are just as wonderful.

If you have extra time on your hands, offer to help your local shelter/rescue group organize a kitten shower, if they don't already do this. Advertise what things they need and have a special day or weekend. Have refreshments (donated of course), perhaps some raffle prizes. Turn it into a fundraiser.

There are many ways we can help during kitten season. Find which way works best for you and go ahead with it.

meow for now,
melissa