Update 11-2-07:  While the number of pregnant cats and newborns is tapering, we have an extremely high volume of kittens in the 8 week to 8 month range, both in shelter and in foster homes.  Sadly, kittens over 4 months old are often passed by because people are looking for little ones,

• 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.  Looking for a calmer addition to your household?  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 a few weeks to a few months can bring countless rewards to you and your foster animals, and if you are interested in adoption, you can get to know the animals well before they permanently join your family.

• Consider donating much needed supplies or money to help us to provide the best possible care for these kitties.  Kitten 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.

• Help us by becoming a part of the solution, instead of contributing to an already serious problem, by spaying or neutering your own pets. 

• Help make spay/neuter surgery available for those who cannot afford it by contributing to the John Vogel Spay/Neuter fund.

Interested in adopting one of these kittens, or want to go through our approval process to choose a cat or kitten later?  Our adoption applications can be found on Spottie's page.

Kitten Season update as of 04/03/08: 

Last year's kitten season has come to a close, and this year's season is just beginning.  Our first litter of the year was born to a pregnant stray on 2/13/08, and as more pregnant cats and younger kittens arrive, our foster homes will once again be focused on longer term fosters, spending 2-3 months with each litter while preparing them for adoption.  As of 4/2, we have four litters of kittens in foster care--the first litter is now 7 weeks old, and the younger kittens are 4-5 weeks, 2-3 weeks, and 1 day old, and we have at least one more pregnant cat soon to deliver.  Watch this page for updates on our little ones.  Most kittens will first be posted at 5-7 weeks old. 

We will also follow one family now in foster care--Mama and her kittens (born April 3rd) and post photos, video  and descriptions as they progress.

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Samir, Nina, and Bob

We are Siamese mixes who were born outside to a feral cat, and were  approximately 10-12  weeks old when we came to the shelter in late November. As many people who have worked with feral cats know, kittens who have not had some human interaction by this age can be extremely difficult to tame. We were terrified of humans, hissing and growling and even swatting and biting at them when approached, but luckily for us, kitten season was coming to an end, and a foster volunteer came along who was willing to try to bring us around.  Using lots of food, catnip and toys and even more patience, our foster mom very gradually taught us to approach her for for a special treat.  Over time, we leaned to accept petting and handling while eating and playing, and we would come running to see her whenever she came into the room!  After several weeks, we didn't mind our foster mom, but still spooked pretty easily, and we were too busy playing with each other to want interaction with her--even though we needed individual 1 on 1 time at this point.  In addition, our foster home is very quiet, and we needed to start learning to adjust to new stimuli and new situations. One other foster home had an opening, and the shelter asked if they would be willing to work further with one of us.  The foster volunteers agreed, and Nina, the only female, was transferred to a new foster home.  Bob and I (Samir) remained in our original foster home, where we continued to make progress, while our foster home tried to provide new situations by bringing new people to meet us and moving us to a new room.    I have advanced the furthest--though still very nervous of new situations, I no longer hiss or growl whenever I'm faced with anything new, and I love to run up to and play with my foster mom.  When she is sitting on the floor with me, I often climb into her lap and go to sleep--I am turning into an affectionate kitty, and sometimes I even give her kisses too!  Bob, who has blue eyes and tabby markings like our sister Nina, is the most skittish.  He plays with our foster mom, approaches her for toys and treats, and will curl up next to her, but he is still wary when approached and is not sure how he feels about being handled and petted--he knows he does not like to be picked up and carried.  Bob is the most likely to revert to aggression when terrified and backed into a corner, so working with him requires both patience and caution.  Bob is very bonded to me, and of course we would love to join a family together, but the shelter would consider separating us to further our socialization progress (especially Bob's). We are ready to move on from our temporary home into a permanent one, and we are hoping to find a special home with people who are willing to work with us and give us plenty of time to adjust.  Young children would be too much for us, as there is just too much noise and excitement with the little ones.  We recently spent a few nights in our foster parents' bedroom, where we played much of the night and then finally curled up in bed with our foster people--me the closest but Bob stayed on the bed and slept nearby--but their own cats were not happy with our invasion of their turf so we went back to the special foster kitty room!

Here are some pictures of me (Samir).

Nina, in the meantime, has adjusted well to her new foster home.  Like Bob, she still spooks easily, but she is actually pretty content when being held.  She loves to play with the other cats in the new household, and she follows adults and young children around from a moderate distance and watches their activities with interest.  She will reach out and touch her foster mom with her paw, but if mom reaches down to pet her, she will move out of reach.  If her foster people are sitting on the couch, she will curl up on the couch or on their blanket, but does not sit directly on their laps like I do.  She occasionally still hisses at new people or sounds, but she doesn't typically swat or act aggressive.  From her behavior, it is obvious that she very much wants human companionship, but she is still learning to get past her initial mistrust.   Update 2/25/08:  Yesterday was a landmark day for Nina--for the first time ever, she climbed onto her foster mom's lap and curled up for a snuggle!  She stayed for about an hour, and didn't attempt to jump down when her foster mom was petting her and picked her up!

Update 5/10/08:  Nina has found her forever home!  

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The Extreme Makeover kittens

Tracy, a pastel calico, was living outside with her four young babies in mid March along with several other strays. Realizing that the cats were multiplying, and that outside in the Wisconsin climate is no place for a cat to live, a local resident used a live trap to catch mom and babies and bring them to us.  Tracy was terrified of people but she could be handled and she would allow her kittens to be handled. Socialization would be critical for her kittens to ensure they would be happy and adjust quickly to life with a human family.  Luckily her kittens were only about 3 weeks old when they arrived, which meant that the babies had not yet learned to fear humans, as social behaviors generally begin to develop after 3 weeks of age.   The kittens have become friendly and do very well with their foster people.     John, the beige and white male, is the most outgoing and playful--he is quick to spot and chase a toy, while Preston, the grey tabby male, is the most shy of the group (though still much less shy than mom).  Paige, the only girl in the group, is very active and energetic.   Right now it looks like John will be shorthaired as an adult, while the others are a bit fluffier, and may turn out to be medium hairs.

The kittens are progressing well, and right now, depending on their progress, we expect they will be ready to go home some time between May 8th and May 17th.  The kittens may visit the shelter for the day on Saturday, May 3rd--however, because kitten timelines may change depending on development, visitation plans may change, so please confirm availability and visitation schedule by contacting fosters@lakelandanimalshelter.org before visiting the shelter.

Please note that as of late April/early May, the number of young kittens ready to go home is very limited.  We do have a short waiting list for kitten adoptions at this time, and applicants with pre-approved applications will be given first opportunity to choose from the available kittens, so some posted kittens may be chosen by these applicants.   If you are interested in adopting a kitten at this time, it is best to put in an adoption application, either online or at the shelter, before these kittens are ready to go home, or they will likely no longer be available.

The Princess Bride kittens

Greta is a white and grey shorthaired cat who came to the shelter as a stray on March 11th.  She was clearly a sweet cat, and just as clearly, she was pregnant.  Because some foster homes were just getting prepared for this year's kitten season, there would be  delay of a few days before we were able to place her in foster care, so she was kept at the shelter, separated from our general cat population.  On Sunday, March 16th, 5 days after her arrival, Greta gave birth to 4 kittens--two male and two female.  The next day, Greta and her new babies were transferred to their foster home.  Unfortunately, when the kittens were still very young, symptoms of an upper respiratory infection became obvious, with the two males showing the most severe symptoms.  The outbreak was  probably triggered by the many stresses Greta had dealt with in recent days (relocation, delivery, and caring for new babies). Despite antibiotics and their foster human's efforts, Andre, a brown/black tiger male, did not survive, and at one point, the foster volunteer was concerned that Westley, the other male, would not make it either.  The girls recovered quickly, but Westley had continuing symptoms, including infected eyes, for a few weeks. As time went on, Westley did gradually recover, and by 5 1/2 weeks, Westley's eyes were clear and he was symptom-free.  As of April 27th, the kittens are 6 weeks old and thriving.  They are adorable little kittens who love to play with toys and spend lots of time with their foster family, including the children who love to hold and play with their temporary charges. 

At this point, we expect they will be ready to go home around May 17th.  The kittens may visit the shelter for the day on Saturday, May 10th--however, due to scheduling and timeline changes, visitation plans may change, so please confirm availability and visitation schedule by contacting fosters@lakelandanimalshelter.org before visiting the shelter.

Please note that as of late April/early May, the number of young kittens ready to go home is very limited.  We do have a short waiting list for kitten adoptions at this time, and applicants with pre-approved applications will be given first opportunity to choose from the available kittens, so some posted kittens may be chosen by these applicants.   If you are interested in adopting a kitten at this time, it is best to put in an adoption application, either online or at the shelter, before these kittens are ready to go home, or they will likely no longer be available.

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Tessa and her babies

This beautiful calico and her adorable 8 week old kittens were turned in to the shelter on April 25th.  The person who brought her to us told us that she had taken mom and babies in as strays only the week before bringing them to us.  Tessa was completely overwhelmed by the shelter setting, but she is clearly used to people, and her kittens are friendly, playful babies with very little fear of people and lots of love of toys!  Though we will likely never know their true history, based on their condition and behavior, we know that these cats once had a human family.  However, since we don't have their background, we have to assume they have not received any vaccinations, and though they appear to be healthy, we will need to hold them for a period of approximately 3 weeks while we complete the first two vaccinations, perform fecal testing and treat for any identified parasites, monitor for symptoms of illness, and alter the kittens before placing them in homes.  Mom and babies were placed in a foster home to prevent exposure to the common feline illnesses that they most likely have not been vaccinated for, illnesses that we see in the shelter every day.  If no serious issues are identified during this period, the kittens will be ready to join new families May 17th.  Tessa will be ready for adoption after her kittens have been weaned.

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