Spring is on the way, and at SICSA that means kitten season! Kitten season is the time of year when shelters see an influx of tiny feline friends following the mating that occurs during warmer weather. These kittens can range in age from a few days to a few months old, and some of them are incredibly vulnerable when they make their way into our care. Orphaned infant kittens can be especially at-risk, requiring around-the-clock care and assistance with everything from eating to using the bathroom.
As we prepare for these adorable new additions to the SICSA pack, there are a number of ways you can help before and during kitten season. First, you can donate items from our Foster Wishlist that will be used to care for the kittens. Items like Kitten Milk Replacement (KMR) and feeding syringes are vital as fosters care for nursing kittens. You can make a huge difference in a kitten’s ability to survive by providing items like these.
In addition to this, you can sign up to be a foster volunteer! Our foster volunteers are the backbone of our kitten season efforts. Their ability to care for litters until they are old enough for adoption allows us to drastically increase our capacity to take in new kittens without running out of space or placing under-vaccinated infants in the shelter environment before it is safe to do so. If you would like to join our incredible team of kitten-saving foster volunteers, you can learn more about the process here.
Before assuming kittens need to be rescued, it is incredibly important to keep in mind that the best place for kittens to be is with their mothers. Their mothers know how to keep them alive and show them the ropes of being a cat. If you see tiny kittens outside, the first thing to do is wait and watch to make sure their mom hasn’t abandoned them. If it has been a while since you’ve seen mom, put a ring of flour around the area where the kittens are and check for footprints. If the kittens have indeed been orphaned, or if they’re injured, then it’s time to intervene. If the kittens are injured or ill, they should receive immediate medical care at a clinic equipped for emergencies, like MedVet Dayton. If they are not ill or injured, you can call SICSA at 937-294-6505 ext. 49 for additional instructions or supply assistance.
Once the kittens begin to enter the shelter, you can help by adopting or simply sharing the adoptable kitten posts we make on our Facebook page. With the high volume of kittens that will enter our care, finding them loving homes is a top priority, and spreading the word to friends and family looking to add a feline friend to their pack can make a huge difference! In addition to this, sharing information about spay/neuter procedures can also be helpful in aiding population control for future seasons. If you see unclaimed, community cats in your neighborhood, Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) can make a measurable impact on controlling your local cat population. You can learn more about SICSA’s TNR program here.
No matter how you choose to get involved, your support will help save the lives of kittens in our community, and for that we cannot thank you enough.