Don't 'Kit-Nap' the Kittens!

Fred Spca Offers Kitten Foster Training

By: Von Young

April showers bring…kittens! If you're in the animal rescue or sheltering world, the colloquial term 'kitten season' is used to reference the beginning of spring and the onslaught of requests for help with limited resources. The weather warms, the buds are in bloom, and babies are being born. Felines are seasonally polyestrous , so as the days get longer, we begin to see an influx of kittens making their way into the world. A cat can have two or three litters a year with an average of four to six kittens per litter. Hundreds of requests for intake will flood inboxes and voicemails, and there will be a revolving door of people showing up on doorsteps with "emergency" found kittens.

The truth of the matter is there is a capacity for care concerning what organizations can do and beginning in early spring until late fall, the animal welfare world will be continuously pushing those limits. A lack of supplies, 24-hour staffing, and safe housing areas away from other animals and communicable diseases mean that kittens cannot stay safely overnight in most shelter environments. The problem remains - where do they go after they are born and how can we help them?

If kittens are sick or injured, Animal Control in the jurisdiction you are in can assist and if kittens are in a precarious spot you can move them to a close-by, safer location.

Contrary to popular belief, a mother cat will not reject its offspring if a human scent is picked up. Kittens who are born outside, look otherwise healthy, and are not in a dangerous location have the best chance of survival with no human intervention As animal lovers, this goes directly against our urge to help, however, removing neonatal kittens from mother cats can increase mortality rates by up to 40%. This is a 'mother knows best' situation since newborn kittens are fragile and require very specific care to ensure their survival. If a wellmeaning person removes a kitten from its nesting area, the clock begins ticking for them to find someone to step in the role of its mother with temperature regulation, around-the-clock feeding every two hours that can only be done with special kitten milk replacement formula (no cows milk), and manual stimulation to remove waste after every feeding.

It sounds like a lot of work and can be daunting for those unprepared to take on the caretaking role, which is why the Fredericksburg SPCA is hosting a kitten foster training on April 14, 2023, for the public to attend. Once you have the knowledge and tools neonatal kitten care is a life-saving and rewarding experience. The Fredericksburg SPCA expects to accept 400-500 kittens this year and will need fosters families to care for them. The shelter provides supplies, training, medical care, a 24-hour emergency line, and community support. To register for the training go to fredspca.org/events - this event is open to the entire community, you do not have to be a Fred SPCA foster to attend.

With over 500,000 cats still being euthanized in the USA each year, the biggest impact you can have on kitten season is to make sure the cats in your neighborhood are spayed and neutered before they have kittens While the Fredericksburg SPCA does not have a trapneuter-release program, we do offer feral cat packages in our clinic to those who can TNR and offer affordable spay/neuter surgeries to the public. Visit fredspca.org/clinic to learn more about our Fred SPCA Locke Community Medical Center

Von Young is the Communications & Marketing Manager Fredericksburg SPCA

Fredericksburg SPCA

Kitten Foster Training

April 14

To register for the training go to fredspca org/events