‘Tis the Season
The flowers are blooming, the days are longer, and Spring has Sprung! With that comes one more thing: KITTEN SEASON! We just love tiny kittens. They are cuteness over load with their round little bellies and eyes that are just starting to peek open. But Kitten Season is a very tough time for animal shelters everywhere.
Why?
Well, as winter ends and warm weather arrives, many unaltered female cats go into heat. Sixty days later they begin giving birth to litters of kittens. At this point animal shelters, just like the VAO, begin to be overwhelmed with litter upon litter of homeless kittens (or pregnant mama cats who then give birth, or mama cats who just gave birth, etc.). From March through October (and sometimes longer) it is non-stop!
The VAO’s mission is to save the lives of unwanted cats & dogs. But the sheer volume of incoming felines during Kitten Season can create many challenges.
- It simply is not healthy for kittens under the age of 8 weeks to be in a shelter environment. These little ones are building their immunity systems and are very susceptible to germs.
- Sometimes newborn kittens are found without their mama cat. If they are still nursing, they will need to be bottle fed with Kitten Milk Replacement on a strict schedule until they are old enough for solid food.
- Shelters only have a finite space in which they can house animals. A large influx of cats/kittens can create housing problems.
- Supplies! Having more mouths to feed means more than just needing additional food. It means we need incrementally more things like cat litter (paper pellet litter is best for pregnant mamas and newborn litters), KMR (Kitten Milk Replacement) for nursing kittens with no mama cat, warming pads, medicine… The list goes on and on!
Saving lives is what we are here for, but we can’t do it all on our own. We need your help!
How Can You Help?
If you have ever thought about becoming a kitten foster, NOW is the time! We will provide the supplies that you need, you just need to provide the TLC that the kittens need to thrive. To learn more about our fostering program, please visit our website: www.vaonj.org/support/foster/
Another way to help is to donate much needed supplies to help us get through the season. We have ZERO budget for food, litter, etc. and rely 100% upon the generosity of our supporters. We are very grateful for each and every item that we receive. No donation is too small!
On April 10 are having our first ever Kitten Shower! It will be held from noon to 3:00 at the shelter. This is a great time to come and learn more about Kitten Season and what it means to be a kitten foster. We will have light refreshments, and things for sale. We are asking that you help us prepare for the season by bringing an item from our Amazon Wish List which you can find here: http://bit.ly/VAOKittenShowerWishList. If you can’t make it on April 10, but still want to help, then feel free to stop by the shelter anytime during business hours. We have a pack n’ play in the lobby to collect Kitten Shower donations! You can also drop of items at the PetSmart on Rt 70 in Marlton, or the PetSmart on Rt 73 in West Berlin.
Kitten Season is upon us! With your help we will be able to save even more lives than ever before!
