|
 Downey,
CA …
With warm weather approaching, SEAACA is prepared for
the tide of kittens that enters the animal care center this time
every year. Whether kittens come in with their littermates, their
mothers, or as strays all by themselves, their underlying stories
are always the same: they are homeless, virtually helpless, living
statistics added to the cat overpopulation crisis.
SEAACA's Director of Operations Captain Aaron Reyes said "It's a
tragedy that results in the unnecessary euthanasia of so many
kittens and cats that were abandoned, unwanted or simply neglected."
The
seasonal rise in SEAACA's feline population is already being felt,
and the shelter is seeking foster homes for the kitten overload. "If
we can find a handful of willing foster homes during kitten season,
we'd be able to offer many more of these little ones a chance at
life," Reyes explained.
Kitten foster families provide an invaluable service, from easing
the shelter's burden to reducing the incidence of kitten illnesses
and giving comfort to fragile young kittens, especially newborns.
But "rewarding as it is, fostering isn't for everybody," according
to Reyes. Here's what to expect:
-Bottle feeding the newborn every three hours
-Assisting the newborn with relieving itself by gently wiping a
moist warm cloth on the belly
-Keeping the kitten in a clean and warm environment for the
duration, usually 7-8 weeks, or until it can eat on its own
-Separating the kitten from other pets for its own safety and to
avoid the spread of infection or disease SEAACA will provide food
and medicine
Reyes went on to urge widespread sterilization of cats: "When people
have their female cats spayed before having even one litter,
and have their male cats neutered upon reaching eight weeks old, we
won't have boxes of kittens with no future showing up at every
shelter. And it's so easy to do the right thing now! SEAACA's Animal
Wellness Clinic is one of many local resources for low-cost (in some
cases, free) spaying and neutering."
Reyes summed it up: "A loving home environment is the best medicine
for all animals, newborn kittens especially." Those interested in
kitten foster care may email Aaron Reyes at
aaron@seaaca.org. |
Animal
Law Enforcement & Rescue
