Every spring, as the flowers bloom and the weather warms, animal shelters everywhere prepare for a unique problem. What has been coined “kitten season” begins and with it an exponential increase in feline populations, pushing shelter resources to capacity. Female cats can become pregnant at less than six months of age, and one female can easily give birth to over a dozen kittens a year. With the lack of homes for this volume of kittens, shelters can become swamped with intakes and calls for help.
Often, kittens are separated from their mothers when they are not yet able to care for themselves. Kittens who do not receive their mother’s milk for at least the first four weeks of life have less immune protection and lower survival rates, requiring special care.
When GMHS receives a call for a kitten in need, the first thing we ask is, “Where is the mother?” Often, people think a kitten or a litter of kittens is abandoned when, in fact, the mother is nearby hunting. Other times, alerted by your presence, the mother cat is hiding.
If you see kittens which appear healthy without a mother, the best thing to do is to leave them where they are and give them some space. A mother cat with kittens is likely to have found food and resources nearby. If you choose to begin feeding them, please make the commitment to get them vetted too! With our Pet Pantry and Fixin’ to Save Spay and Neuter Clinic, GMHS can help make caring for feral cats affordable while preserving public health.
Once a kitten is six weeks old, it will begin eating solid foods and is then old enough to be vaccinated. At this point, the shelter is able to safely assist with vetting the kittens and finding them homes. Through our managed intake process, intake appointments will be scheduled for homeless kittens as cage space becomes available, ensuring GMHS never euthanizes felines due to lack of space.
For every litter of kittens, there is a mother cat in need. Making a plan for the mother cat to see a veterinarian and prevent future unwanted litters is a top priority. Friendly or feral, our Fixin’ to Save Spay and Neuter Clinic will ensure you get the assistance needed to have all unaltered cats spayed or neutered at little or no cost.
If you happen to find an injured mother cat with babies or a sickly kitten in need of help, GMHS will respond. Our foster volunteers are committed and ready to bottle feed through the night at a moment’s notice. As always, all stray animals in need of immediate veterinary assistance and cases of suspected cruelty or neglect should be reported immediately to your local animal control office.
In addition to the 127 unweaned kittens GMHS took in last year, 305 other kittens entered the shelter’s care and received the life-saving vaccines, wormers, flea treatments, antibiotics, and surgeries needed to be healthy and adoptable. GMHS is proud to work with our partners, including volunteers and local citizens, to care for cats and kittens in need and ensure our shelter remains a life-saving community.