Please be patient - due to the large number of pictures on this page, it may load very slowly.
To view a larger picture, click on the thumbnail image. Use your browser's "Back Button" to return to this page
Kitten Season |
|
03/13/2007
It's kitten season again, and this year's season is already promising to be one of our most difficult challenges. Every spring, unaltered cats everywhere answer nature's call to reproduce, and the kittens of these animals, both owned and stray, come into our world. With an average of 2-5 kittens per litter, the numbers rapidly climb, and in a short time, our population increases exponentially. In the month of May alone, approximately 150 new cats and kittens came to the shelter or were born to pregnant cats staying with us.
This volume of incoming animals puts a tremendous strain on the shelter's resources. Some of these kittens are orphaned and may require bottle feeding. Others are unsocialized and require extra attention while learning to love and trust people. In addition, kittens do not have developed immune systems, and a continuous flow of sick cats coming through our doors places all of them at risk for severe, and sometimes even fatal, illness.
Whenever possible, our first choice for all of these little ones is foster care. Kittens raised in foster homes have a better chance to grow strong and healthy and develop strong immune systems before being exposed to many of the all-too-common feline viruses. Nursing moms can raise their kittens in a much less stressful environment, and mom is usually healthier and can provide better care for her babies. Kittens raised in foster homes are more used to a home setting, making them adapt more quickly when going to a permanent home. Even those moms and kittens who develop symptoms of upper respiratory and other viruses will generally recover much more quickly in foster homes than in the shelter. In a foster home, a kitty may get over a cold in a week or two, while in the shelter, recovery frequently takes a month or longer due to the stress of the shelter environment and the constant challenges to undeveloped or weakened immune systems.
The good news is that we have several excellent, devoted foster homes who are already helping. The not-so-good news is that our foster homes are already full, with over 80 kittens already in foster care as of early June!! We have dozens of kittens at the shelter who have not yet had the opportunity to experience life in a home, and the pregnant and nursing moms and orphaned kittens will be coming in . Our full-time staff and volunteers work tirelessly to provide the best possible care while practically swimming in a sea of kittens. We will continue to strive each and every day to give these kittens the chance for a lifetime of happiness.
Want to help make a difference? Here are a few ways you can help us to help them.
Adopt a shelter kitty, or better yet, two. A pair of kittens can keep each other amused for hours while amusing you with their antics. Many older, more mellow adult cats wait for months just to have a chance to show you how loving and devoted they can be.
Become a foster home. If you are interested in becoming a foster home, you can fill out our foster application on our "animals needing foster" page. A commitment of just a couple of weeks to a couple of months can have endless rewards for you and your foster animals, and if you are interested in adoption, you will know your new furry friend very well before they join your family.
Consider donating much needed supplies or money to help us to provide the best possible care for these kitties. Formula, bottles, canned and dry kitten food, and clay cat litter are always needed, and financial donations are needed to offset the additional medical expenses during this critical time.
Spay or neuter your own pet. Help us by becoming a part of the solution, instead of contributing to an already serious overpopulation problem.
Help make spay/neuter surgery available for those who cannot afford it by contributing to the John Vogel Spay/Neuter fund.
Home | Adoptable Dogs | Adoptable Cats | Other Animals | Adoptable Animals in Foster | Special animals
What'sNew | Calendar | Volunteer | Other Ways to Help | Wish List | E-Mail | Spottie's FAQ | Jobs
If interested in adopting any of these kittens, please email us at fosters@lakelandanimalshelter.org
