6 Ways to help kittens this spring

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6 Ways to help kittens this spring
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• April showers are about to bring May flowersand
  kittens! When the weather warms up, most kittens
  are born. That is why the spring and summer
  months are known as kitten season!
• Compassionate people will always feel the pull to
  protect kittens they see outdoors. However, they
  dont always know the best ways to help.
• Alley Cat Allies has the information and
  resources you need to become a kitten hero this
  spring! These are our top tips

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1. Dont separate kittens from their mother

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• Humans cant replace the special, instinctive
  care mother cats give their kittens to help them
  grow up strong and healthy. And we cant replace
  a mother cat in teaching her babies how to, well,
  be a cat! There is no need to remove kittens if
  their mother is present, regularly caring for
  them, and the little family is not sick or
  injured.
• Please know that even if you havent seen mom for
  a couple of hours, it does NOT mean she isnt
  caring for her kittens. Mother cats will often
  leave for stretches of time to find foodand she
  will return. If you are concerned, watch the
  kittens from afar over a course of several hours.
  You can also try spreading a bit of flour or baby
  powder around where the kittens are to see if you
  can spot moms footprints coming and going.
• If youre really eager to help mom raise her
  kittens, you can lend a hand by providing her a
  comfortable and safe outdoor shelter, as well as
  regular food and water!
• Learn more about what to do if you find a kitten
  outdoors, including more situations in which your
  help may be needed.

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• Dont bring young kittens to the shelter

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• Many shelters simply do not have the policies,
  programs, and resources to provide the
  round-the-clock care neonatal kittens (kittens
  younger than 4 weeks old) need. As a result,
  these kittens are often killed.
• As a general rule, the more cats we can keep out
  of shelters through foster networking, spay and
  neuter, and caring for the cats in their outdoor
  homesthe better.

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1. Learn how to care for kittens who DO need you

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• If youve carefully watched and waited and the
  kittens mother doesnt returnor you know for
  certain that she is gone for other reasonsmake
  sure youre prepared to care for them! Anyone can
  be a kitten caretaker with the right tools and
  know-how.
• Keep in mind that neonatal kittens require
  round-the-clock care with different needs
  depending on their age. At this vulnerable age,
  they cannot feed themselves or even go to the
  bathroom on their own! Replacing mom is no small
  job, but its worth it every step of the way.
• Alley Cat Allies has neonatal kitten care
  information available on our website.
• Our Kitten Care Kits have the gear you need to
  raise kittens up healthy and strong.
• How do you know if a kitten needs immediate care
  or if Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is the best
  option? That all depends on her age! Our How Old
  Is That Kitten? Guide will help you find out.

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1. Use your kitten care knowledge to volunteer

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• Shelters and rescue groups across the country and
  around the world are always on the lookout for
  ready and willing bottle baby kitten foster
  caregivers. You can be that critical resource! If
  you dont have experience, train yourself with
  our information above or pursue training on
  neonatal kitten care.
• We have a webinar that will walk you through the
  basics of kitten care here.
• And once youve become a powerhouse kitten foster
  caregiver, encourage and empower your friends and
  neighbors to do the same!

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• Do Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)

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• TNR is the only effective and humane approach to
  stabilizing community cat populationsand it is
  more critical than ever in and around kitten
  season! In a TNR program, community cats are
  humanely trapped and brought to a veterinarian to
  be spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and eartipped
  (the universal symbol that a cat has been
  neutered and vaccinated) before being returned to
  their outdoor homes. Learn more about TNR.
• Cats as young as four months can have kittens, so
  it is important to spay and neuter kittens as
  soon as they are ready. A good rule of thumb is
  the 2 Months, 2 Pounds Time 2 Spay and Neuter
  Rule. Kittens can be safely spayed or neutered at
  two months of age or as soon as they weigh two
  pounds.

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• Advocate for programs that protect kittens

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• Contact your shelter and local officials and tell
  them you support lifesaving policies for cats,
  Trap-Neuter-Return, and Shelter-Neuter-Return (A
  TNR program in which cats are brought to the
  shelter for spay and neuter and are then returned
  to their outdoor homes).
• Encourage your local shelter to adopt a Wait
  Until 8 program! This unique, vital program
  involves shelter staff encouraging community
  members who bring in young kittens to care for
  those kittens themselves. The shelter would
  provide training, resources, and kitten care kits
  to facilitate that fostering.
• Then, when the kitten is 2 months old and at
  least 2 pounds, the community member could bring
  the kitten back in to be spayed or neutered and
  adopted!
• Learn how you can help your local shelter save
  more cats and kittens lives.
• Visit www.alleycat.org/Kittens for a
  comprehensive guide to caring for kittens.

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