Kittens

NEEDS:

Straw (just a large lawn & leaf bagful), 

wet cat food, dry cat food,

aluminum pans, paper plates and bowls 

And Speaking of Kittens:

Another post from 2016:

Sharing today some really great advice.  If anyone has any more bit to add, please do!  

You're likely to hear them before you see them.

They're alone and afraid. No mom in sight.

The sound of kittens meowing.

With springtime just around the corner comes the warmer weather, the flowers, the showers — and, unfortunately, litters of unwanted kittens.

It's the time of year when unspayed cats give birth. Rescue groups and shelters nationwide become overrun with litters of unwanted kittens who are often euthanized due to lack of space and not nearly enough people to foster and adopt them.

"We are embarking on kitten season," Eric Brown, cofounder and vice president of Arizona's Homeless Animals Rescue Team (H.A.R.T.), told The Dodo. "The biological clocks of cats have realized that it has started warming up, and cats are now in heat or already pregnant. There is a 64-day gestation period. And we are almost there. There will be throngs of kittens any day."

So what should you do if you find a litter of kittens? For starters, it depends on how and where you found them, whether their mother is around, and how old they are.

Approximately 3.4 million cats enter shelters nationwide every year and 1.4 million cats are euthanized yearly.

H.A.R.T.'s mission is a method of population control called trap, neuter and return (TNR). This means feral cats are humanely trapped, sent to a veterinary clinic, and spayed or neutered. Each cat then has a tiny part of his ear removed while under anesthesia. Known as "tipping," this helps identify the cat as part of a managed colony. The cats are then returned to the community where they were found.

Stray or feral?

"When you think of your pet cat who is inside and the cat you see outside, you might think they are a different species, but they are still part of the domestic cat species," Kayla Christiano, campaigns manager for Alley Cat Allies in Bethesda, Maryland, told The Dodo.

Feral cats are not socialized and won't make eye contact, and strays could be abandoned or lost but may make eye contact.

Kittens in a box

It can be very dangerous for a litter of kittens to be on their own, unless their mom is out for a couple hours with the intent to return.

If you find kittens in a box, someone most likely dumped them there. If the kittens are found behind a bush, it's best to closely monitor them, and see if the mother returns.

"Every kitten needs to be fed every three hours at the max," Brown said. "Mom must return every three hours to feed her babies. Like clockwork, her body tells her to do so. If momma doesn't return within that time frame something is wrong, and humans must intervene. She could be dead, injured or trapped."

There's also the chance she abandoned them.

The safest place for kittens is with their mothers. "If you don't see the mom, there's a couple different ways to tell if mom is around," said Christiano. If the kittens are clean and quiet, the mother is most likely coming back. However, if they are dirty and crying, the mother may not return. At that point, Christiano recommends taking them.

"Alley Cat Allies does not recommend taking neonatal kittens [under four weeks] to animal shelters," she said. "Most shelters and shelter employees are not equipped to provide round-the-clock care for these babies. They need care every two hours.

"More than 70 percent of cats entering shelters are killed there," she said. "And that number rises to 100 percent when dealing with feral cats."

Although public shelters aren't the ideal place to bring kittens, they can be a resource for support. Christiano suggested reaching out to ask if they know of any fosters who can help. You can also ask small, local no-kill rescues.

When dealing with kittens, especially neonatal kittens, remember that they are starting their lives, so they can go either way: feral or socialized. "If with mom and they are outside, they can be part of a TNR program. If not with mom, bring them in, and they can be adopted."

Taking in the young kittens

If the kittens were left in a box, take them. If there is no box and you need to step in because the mother doesn't return, find a box, gather up the kittens, and place them inside the box.

The one thing you should not do is nothing. If left to fend for themselves, the kittens will die.

First determine approximate age. One way to tell if kittens are under three weeks old is by eye color. According to Brown, all babies are born with blue eyes. If the eyes are another color, the cats are older than three weeks. "Older kittens are much more mobile, and have all their teeth and claws," he said.

You must keep them safe, even in a bathroom if it's for a short duration, according to Brown. Make sure to keep a litter box nearby.

Next, assess whether they need to be bottle-fed, which can be a big undertaking. Reach out to rescues or your local humane society if you need guidance. If you take on the task, be committed. "You have to use goat's milk or kitten replacement milk, and bottle-feed every three hours," Brown said. "You have to stimulate them, and take a wet washcloth and stimulate their bottoms and their genitals in order for them to eliminate."

According to Christiano, at four to five weeks you can wean them onto a little wet food, and mix that in with kitten formula. "They will need a little bottle or syringe, some heat sources, Snuggle Safe [a microwavable heating pad for pets], a larger carrier to retain heat, some bedding, and we recommend having a food scale on hand. It's important to weigh kittens daily."

Whatever you do, keep the kittens away from cow's milk. "Many cats, nine of 10, are lactose intolerant," Brown said. "Cow's milk causes indigestion and potentially death because it can cause diarrhea, which causes dehydration, which equals death in a cat." Brown also suggested goat's milk as it is the closest thing to cat's milk. "It's totally safe and nutritional."

"The important thing to highlight is that most kittens found outside come from community cats," Christiano said. "If you notice kittens outside make sure you or someone you know is doing TNR with cats to prevent unwanted litters."

Don't turn a blind eye

If you've stepped in, don't turn away. "You have now become part of this rescue as a result of stumbling upon the situation," Brown said. "If you turn a blind eye you cause more of a problem. If you can't do something, alert somebody.

"Keep them safe until you can find a solution," Brown said. "Just make some phone calls."

If you find cats you suspect are in a feral community, Alley Cat Allies has resources to help.

Have an awesome day!

"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good."

Kitten 'season' - to Spay or Not to Spay

 I am repeating a post from last summer, but its worth repeating, especially this time of year.

Yesterday, in going out on my rounds to feed the many cats I feed in the Beechwood area of Rochester, I came upon a sight that I KNEW I was going to see, but hated to see regardless.  Four baby kittens under a bush with two adults standing around.  It was in front of a house where months ago, a woman was putting her garbage out, and there were older kittens outside and I said to her, are those your cats?  She said yes, I asked her if they were spayed or neutered, she said no, they are boys.  I explained why it didn’t matter.  I drove away shaking my head.  Sure enough, now we have more cats on the street.  I got out of my car, went over and placed a plate of food and bowl of water.  The one young adult, don’t know if it was the mother or not, came over hungrily to eat.  And soon, so did two of the four kittens.  I was able to pick up the two separately, but placed them back down as I did not have a plan.  I always need a plan.  I contacted a friend to help me get the adult cats spayed and neutered (TNR), and I would grab the kittens the next morning.  I still didn’t have a plan when I woke this am. about the kittens.  But as usual, knowing there are babies out there, on the busy street of Melville, its all I could think about, so I went out at 5 am. to see if they were there.  They were not.  I will attempt again tomorrow.  I am sick about it.

In the same vein, if you remember the two gorgeous white kittens under my rescue a few months ago, they came from a cat named Fluffy, who belongs to a family in the city.  They were giving the kittens away to an acquaintance and he asked me if I wanted them, which I did, and had them spayed and adopted out. I made contact with the family, and made an appointment for Fluffy to get spayed. First excuse, a member came down with Covid.  Cancel first appointment. Make another for Fluffy.  “I forgot” about the appointment was the next excuse.  New appointment made, and yesterday I get a text from the woman that Fluffy got out by mistake and is now pregnant again.

I am pissed off by such irresponsibility.  More homeless cats and more unwanted kittens on this planet. This woman is pregnant herself, so of course, she is totally against getting this cat spayed and her kittens aborted.  I told her – ITS NOT THE SAME.  I sent her a link as to why it isn’t.

Spaying a pregnant cat terminates the pregnancy, making this a controversial issue. Some people cannot bear the thought of killing fetal kittens. Others raise concern allowing the pregnant cat to have kittens contributes to the pet overpopulation problem.

Spaying a pregnant cat includes abortion, a word that evokes a variety of emotions. Proponents don't like having to take lives of unborn kittens, but their position is based on pragmatic reasoning. Opponents simply do not like the taking of lives under any circumstances, whether born or unborn.

Many animal shelters automatically spay a pregnant cat that comes into the shelter. Some no-kill shelters allow the mother cat to give birth, especially if the pregnancy is late-term. There are some rescue groups that opt to never spay a rescued pregnant cat.

The enormous cat overpopulation problem is partially caused by cat owners' failure to spay or neuter their cats.  Unspayed cats that spend time outside are highly likely to become pregnant. Whether owned, stray, or feral, these cats and their surviving kittens continue to mate, and the offspring from those matings continue to mate. Unspayed females can become pregnant by one or more of their non-neutered male kittens. A pregnant female cat and her descendants can account for the births of several hundred kittens in just a few years.

Animal rescue groups, humane societies, and TNR (trap-neuter-release) groups are overwhelmed in trying to control cat overpopulation, and "kitten season," which extends for a long part of each year in many geographical areas, is met with dread by these groups. They know this year's kitten crop will be responsible for the deaths of last year's kittens or older cats at shelters. There simply isn't enough space to house them all, and something must give. It's a matter of supply and demand and young kittens are in the highest demand.

Spaying a rescued pregnant cat can help contain the overpopulation problem.  There are simply too few homes for the huge number of homeless cats. Preventing an unplanned litter may also help prevent the deaths of living cats and kittens. Even when a pregnant female cat is adopted by the finder, and there are good homes waiting for her kittens, some people view each of those kittens as being indirectly responsible for the death of a shelter cat or kitten that might have been adopted into one of those homes.

Of course, there is no evidence that the people who plan to adopt the mother and/or kittens would have gone to the shelter instead. Perhaps they weren't even looking for a cat until they heard a friend, neighbor, or co-worker had adoptable kittens. An individual who is willing to keep both the mother cat and the kittens or find good, permanent homes for them, should not be made to feel guilty for allowing the birth. Of course the mother cat and her kittens should be spayed and neutered as soon as possible.

If the pregnant cat is very young, very old, or in poor health, pregnancy can cause even more health problems. The kindest and most compassionate action anyone could take with one of these cats is to spay her and abort her litter.

Lastly, a very rare sighting of a cat I rescued as an older kitten, Butterscotch, who remained feral in my house.  He sneaks up occasionally when I am around.  

Have a great day!

"Ignorance isn't bliss, but sometimes Ignorance makes it possible for us to sleep at night."

Elsa!

 On January 1st, 2018, I wrote the following post:

"Today being the first of the new year, I went out heavy hearted, knowing it was near zero degrees, and has been for well over a week now.  Its taking its toll on the cats out there, I can see this.  I do my best and pray they have the sense to use the shelters I provide.  I pulled up to Garson #1 this morning, to feed one of three kitties here, and as I was pouring the food and water comes this little one, her face and fur with icicles hanging from it!  I immediately went into rescue mode, grabbed the carrier, and threw her in it.  (well, not THREW!).  I felt she was in danger and had to get her off the streets.  She is one happy, and beautiful kitty.  She has melted (ha ha) and thanks to my friend Valerie, we are naming her Elsa, from the movie Frozen.  :)  I need to get her fostered ASAP. "

I found one in an old friend named Melissa.  She did a great job with her.

 And THEN  She was adopted!

Elsa Update:

"Our Elsa is living the high life. Most times these days she's camped out on or near a heat register, or in a sunbeam. She's been restless lately because her favorite Purina dry food is apparently stuck in the supply chain somewhere, so she's had to settle for substitutes. Paul has been enabling her finickiness -- buying her all different kinds until she finds something she likes. Me, I just give her a bowl of whatever we have and figure she'll eat it when she's hungry enough.

 

In winter, she's likely to be less restless thru the night. But once she decides it's time for us to get up, she sits on Paul's shoulder while he's sleeping and pokes him gently in the face til he gets up. She knows what works!

 

Elsa's the only cat we've ever known who doesn't like boxes or bags. She either runs away from them or ignores them. She's also terrified of the sound our ski pants make when we walk around the house in them. She's normally not very vocal, but if we come back after, say, a week away, she's very LOUD: "Where have you been??? Why didn't you call? I've been sooooo bored!!!!" She tolerates the sitters, but mostly hides when they show up. She doesn't like too many visitors, especially my 5- and 3-year-old nephews, who find it impossible to be quiet and wait for her to approach, since they're used to dogs.

It's funny how cats will adopt new habits out of the blue. Lately, Elsa will catch us just out of the shower so she can lick the water off our feet and legs. :) That tickles! She loves her catnip toys and the little spiral things we can buy at Wegmans: we often see her carrying them around in her mouth, and then putting them down in a new room to bat around. 

Have you ever seen the movie "The Bear"? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bear_(1988_film) We were watching it a while ago, with Elsa sleeping on Paul's lap. She normally ignores TV, but this really caught her attention. The main character is an adorable orphan cub who whimpers a lot and bounces around, chasing frogs and fish, etc. Elsa was FASCINATED, and just stared and stared at him, as if he were her long-lost brother. But when a big bear came on the scene (he's a friend, but we don't know that at first), Elsa ran and hid behind the basement door and missed the happy ending. Mostly she watches TV thru her tail.  She definitely hit the lottery when you rescued her and we adopted her. These days, her biggest decisions are: Couch or bed, or forbidden heirloom chair? Moist food or dry? Lick my butt or sleep longer? Harass the humans or let them sleep? Hmmm ... 

We adore her, even though she keeps ruining woodwork. Ah well; it's her only vice. Comes with the territory. She makes no secret of her fondness for Paul, who's her primary source of food and cuddling. Thanks so much for all your ongoing efforts on behalf of our furry friends."

 

What a great story!  Happy ending for Elsa, for sure.  Thanks Rose!💓

"Use your voice for

kindness, your ears for

compassion, your hands

for charity, your mind

for truth, and your

Heart for Love."

Frustration

 So, I have a little story to tell.  

Well over 20 years ago, I used to go to the public market in the early morning hours.  I loved getting my veggies and fruits there on a Saturday, before the crowds.  I remember going home and driving down First Street toward Bay Street, and stopping to turn right (heading east).  I remember seeing glowing eyes as my headlights beamed toward the vacant lot across the street before making my turn.  I thought 'oh my God there are cats there!'  I was new to city life, and obviously very naive.  I think I drove home and came right back and went to the back of the lot calling for the kitty and setting food down.  Well, THAT is what started this whole thing. This pain in the ass thing I've been doing ever since.  There was a Jamaican dude that lived in the corner and was the most gentlest man...  Willy.  He was very kind and thought what I was doing was good.  Of course, he was smoking a lot of weed too, so I am sure he thought everything was good.

Trying to make a long story short, I began to build shelters around the Beachwood district because there were MANY cats around the area, and one by one, I began to rescue a few here and there.  Thats how I began with having up to 16 cats at one point (and NEVER again).  Now down to a handful.  And not adding anymore.  Then I began trapping cats and bringing them to a few different locations that Habitat for Cats had over the  years, and it cost me $50 to spay/neuter them.  I returned most.  I used to depend on Habitat to help me find homes for the few that I found that needed them, and the kittens too.  Then, in 2014, I was feeding cats on a house on Seventh Street that was going to be torn down that day - the huge wrecking machine was in the driveway - and I heard tiny cries.  After calling the police (yes! they came!), they pulled tiny newborns out of the mattress in the dilapidated house, and after they called Animal Control, I found out that AC called a rescue group called Another Chance Rescue, run by a girl named Julie.  I also made a new friend in that AC officer, Elaine.  I was all new to this.  I remember calling 911 because I saw a raccoon on the top floor of a huge garage on Hayward Avenue.  I thought it was trapped.  Little did I know, raccoons are very skillful and can get down on their own, as I know now.

After getting to know the Another Chance group, I found out they showed cats at Petco in Irondequoit.  Julie was kind enough to offer me a cage, if I had any cats that needed to find a home.  This proved fruitful, and I found homes for many of these cats I was taking off the street, one by one.

Fast forward, I finally got my 501c3 after many people told me benefits I could have by having one.  I had a wonderful senior partner at a law firm I used to work for do it for me pro bono.  I was very lucky.  By this time, I developed a foster here and there.  I also learned that these other rescues were always inundated with cats, and I was just a small fish in a big pond.  So I realized, I can't depend on these other groups anymore to help me with strays, I have todo this on my own.  If I don't have a foster, I can't rescue.  And that is basically the code of all rescues.  We don't reach out to each other unless dire need, which I have done a few times over the years with kittens, and just kittens.  I know I reached out to Karla with Kellers Kats to help me net a few very injured cats - which ultimately had to be euthanized, and I am grateful for these far and few situations.  Its just an unspoken code.  We rescue as many as we can, on our own, as long as we can.

I am writing this because of something happening right now, and this is the only way I can explain to someone who is asking me to help by asking other rescues to foster for her.  I have a long list of cats still on the streets that I've fed for a long while, that I want to rescue, but I have no fosters right now. I have one foster and I am very grateful to her - she has Gus Gus the kitten.  The other is willing to do it for me in a dire situation, and right now, she has a feral cat stuck in her room, with two semi-feral kittens.  Not what she bargained for, so there is more guilt.  One other foster has Bello, a cat I did not rescue personally, but was on my route and picked up by this other person, and I offered her this one brand new foster I had available.  This cat turned out to have issues with its bathroom issues and it hasn't been easy on her for first time fostering, but she hasn't given up, and the cat is actually getting better after I've spent a ton of money on vets and different expensive foods.  This circumstance, he was not doing well on the street, so I didn't mind.  It was a cat I knew, and I am very glad he was rescued.  

I guess I will just sum this up that we can have all the money in the world, but fosters are very hard to find.  And if I am going to rescue a cat, its GOT to have a foster, and finding that foster is my responsibility.  I just can't ask other rescues.  We are all inundated and heartbroken every time we are asked to help.  HEARTBROKEN.  I can't save them all, but I can one at a time.

Have a great day.

Resilience

 I met a woman many years ago through work at an event for the cancer center at the hospital I worked for Valerie Harper (Rhoda) who has since passed from brain cancer, was guest speaker for the event.  This woman came through the line I was checking people in at, and somehow we struck up a conversation.  We exchanged information we liked each other so much.  Fast forward many years since, we occasionally exchange emails.  She has been through A LOT.  Talk about resiliency, she has had every imaginable thing wrong with her, and somehow stays positive, in fact she is what I call inspiring.  Anyway, her mom donated tome recently in memory of the passing of Karen's beloved pet "Sweetheart".  I didn't know if it was a dog or cat or what, so I responded to a kind message Karen had written me in late February, that I hadn't gotten around to answer (thats me), and mentioned 'did you recently lose a pet?'.  I just want to share this story - the story of a feral cat that turned into a house loving human loving animal.  Here is a snippet from Karen's email:

"...and worst of all last Saturday I had to have my Sweetheart euthanized . It came out of nowhere Janine. He had his annual exam 2 weeks ago - he was in great health as usual with the exception that she noted he had a mild heart murmur - but wasn't concerned. Tuesday he was throwing up nonstop...I though maybe he had an obstruction from grass he ate on the beautiful Monday we had...it went into Wednesday. I called the vets office first thing in the morning. They were too busy to see him. This was Bayview Animal Hospital. I called Animal Junction - I had never been there before and they took him right in. Did bloodwork, xrays etc etc etc...his blood was filled with toxins...they weren't sure if it was lymphoma or pancreatitis that went into his GI tract. He hadn't eaten or had water since Monday morning. All the years he was with me he never was sick...till now. Do you remember me telling you about him? 

Sweetheart was a feral cat I took in 3 days before I had the surgeries for my lung cancer in 10/2013. I was feeding him for almost 2 years with the hopes of getting him and two other feral cats homes. I couldn't even look out the window at him without him running away. 🙂 When I found out I had new cancers in my lung, a week before my surgery (in 10/2013) I sent a prayer up to St. Francis and I told him I wanted to take him in before winter came, give him a home. The next day I went to open my side door that went out on to the driveway and back to the garage where I kept the cats food. There Sweetheart was at the door like he was waiting for me. What?!! He followed me to the garage and followed me to the back porch (first time in two years!!!!) and he let me stand about 3 feet away from him while he ate. The next day he was at the door again - same thing - he followed me to the garage and to the porch but this time, this time, he let me stand next to him while he ate. The third day he was under my car in the driveway waiting for me. I had gotten some cat treats with catnip for him and filled my hand with them and knelt down by him with my outstretched hand. He wanted them in the worst way but wouldn't take them out of my hand. So I lined them up to my hand and he ate his way to eating out of my hand. The fourth day he was once again in the driveway waiting for me. This time I opened the screen door and put the latch on to keep it open and I went and stood in my dining area and didn't move. He came in, went downstairs and went back outside. Then he turned around and came back in, walked through the kitchen, past me in the dining room and down the hallway to where the bedrooms are. He went back out. Came back in. He's been mine ever since. Two days later I went in for surgery to remove two wedges of my left lung. He would come when I called or whistled for him, he followed me like a puppy dog. My puppy kitty. Every single solitary night he would get up with me a million times while I dealt with my radiation ravaged intestines. Every obstruction, every surgery he would snuggle up to me and pet my head. Every night he would tuck himself under my left arm and snuggle up against me. my shadow. the sun is shining radiatenly today but inside it is so dark and cold without him at my side.

my broken heart split wide open and has poured out. it appears my L.B. (little buddy) Sweetheart's guts were filled with lymphoma...just two saturdays ago he got a clean bill of health at yearly exam from another vet except for a newly detected mild heart murmur that she wasn't really concerned about...he threw up all day tuesday, wednesday until i got him into new wonderful vet (old vet couldn't make room to see him) - hadn't eaten or drank all week...visits to the vet wednesday, thursday, friday (iv fluids, antibiotics, steroids, anti-nausea meds, pain meds) and yesterday the dear vet called me before she started seeing patients to check on him...she felt it was time to let him go but could put a feeding tube in him if i wanted...we got there and i asked her to just check him see where he was at before we did anything...fever again/still and his liver was starting to shut down. my l.b. was my shadow every single day, 24/7...he'd get up with me a million times, he'd follow me everywhere, he'd stroke my brow with his sweet little paw when i was in horrible pain...he'd be snuggled up with me right now as i write this if he was still here...the irony...i worried about how he would be when i died. i never imagined he would go first. it's so empty without him. my sweetheart. I called Bayview on Tuesday to cancel his appointment in August for his leukemia vaccination - told them Sweetheart had to be euthanized and to please tell Dr. Gebby. I realize everyone is busy but, sheesh, you'd think I'd here something back??? Nope. Nothing.  How in the world did you know that I recently lost a pet (Sweetheart)?"  (I haven't told her yet her mom made a donation in the cat's memory)

Amazing!~

I have rescued two more kitties this past week.  One was an older cat I've been feeding for years now on Parsells, who lost hers, and several other cats, shelters that protected them from the winter and storms we have, and due to the A$$%@e that wouldn't let me keep shelters in the vacant lot next door, none of the cats have had any shelter this past year.  I feed them on the sidewalk, even in zero degree and storms.  I noticed she finally started to let me pet her - get close enough to pet her.  I noticed her belly looked a bit rounded.  I decided to rescue her because there was a spot at the clinic waiting for the other pregnant cat on Garson that Lori has been unsuccessful at trapping, so far.  In the meantime, the same morning, Lori did trap a third kitten at Garson, the one that got away.  Georgie and Giblet's brother.  My heart broke knowing I didn't know this kitten was left.    So I grabbed the white one on Parsells, and we took the other to the clinic, for spay/neuter.  Sheryl has kindly offered to take the female to foster, and the other is at the clinic who offered to keep him until we can figure it out, and I still don't know what we will do with him  He is just scared to death - but OH SO CUTE.  Here is his picture:  And then hers:

And here is their Mom we are trying to catch on Garson:

Say a prayer we get this kitty.  She has had too many unwanted pregnancies.  

Have a great day!