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Kitten Season

08/27/2010

What do we mean by "kitten season"?

Every spring, unaltered cats everywhere answer nature's call to reproduce, and the next generation of cats begins. With an average of 2-5 kittens per litter, the numbers rapidly climb, and in a short time, our population increases exponentially.

See the results of one cat who wasn't spayed on Rebecca's story!

This volume of incoming cats puts a tremendous strain on the shelter's resources. Some of these kittens are orphaned and may require bottle feeding. Others are unsocialized and require extra attention while learning to love and trust people. Some come to us with injuries caused by cars, other animals, or sometimes even humans. Even if they don't have special needs, kittens do not have developed immune systems, and a continuous flow of sick cats coming through our doors places all of them at risk for severe, and sometimes even fatal, illness.

Whenever possible, our first choice for all of these little ones is foster care. Kittens raised in foster homes have a better chance to grow strong and healthy and develop strong immune systems before being exposed to many of the all-too-common feline viruses. Nursing moms can raise their kittens in a much less stressful environment, and mom is usually healthier and can provide better care for her babies. Kittens raised in foster homes are more used to a home setting, making them adapt more quickly when going to a permanent home. Those moms and kittens who develop symptoms of upper respiratory and other viruses will generally recover much more quickly in foster homes than in the shelter. In a foster home, a kitty may get over a cold in a week or two, while in the shelter, recovery frequently takes a month or longer due to the stress of the shelter environment and the constant challenges to undeveloped or weakened immune systems. While we wish all kittens could be raised in foster homes, the space available is never equal to the number of kittens coming in, but we do our best to help our kittens in foster homes find permanent families quickly so that our foster home can be available to help more kittens.

Meeting our foster kittens

If you stop at the shelter for a visit, we may or may not have adoptable kittens that are not in foster care in our adoptable cat room. The posted foster kittens are not housed in the shelter, and many are not quite ready to go home yet. If you are interested in any of the foster kittens, simply put in an adoption application and let us know who you are interested in. Once your application is approved, we are more than happy to arrange meetings with our foster kittens, either in the foster home or at the shelter depending on the situation, so that you can decide if a particular kitten (or kittens) is right for you. However, because our foster homes are very busy caring for all of the little babies as well as their own families, and visits do require additional planning and time, we will not set up special visits without an approved adoption application. We have resumed our practice of bringing 1-2 litters of foster kittens that are ready or nearly ready (within 2-3 weeks) to the shelter on Saturdays. Whether you have an adoption application on file or not, feel free to email fosters@lakelandanimalshelter.org to find out which kittens will be at the shelter on a particular Saturday. Also please remember that timelines and availability change, even for kittens posted on this site, if health status changes or new issues are identified.

Want to help make a difference?

Here are a few ways you can help us to help them.

Adopt a shelter kitty, or better yet, two. A pair of kittens can keep each other amused for hours while amusing you with their antics. Looking for a calmer addition to your household? Many older, more mellow adult cats wait for months just to have a chance to show you how loving and devoted they can be.
Become a foster home. If you are interested in becoming a foster home, you can fill out our foster application on our "animals needing foster" page. A commitment of a few weeks to a few months can bring countless rewards to you and your foster animals, and if you are interested in adoption, you can get to know the animals well before they permanently join your family.

Consider donating much needed supplies or money to help us to provide the best possible care for these kitties. Kitten formula, bottles, canned and dry kitten food, and clay cat litter are always needed, and financial donations are needed to offset the additional medical expenses during this critical time.

Help us by becoming a part of the solution, instead of contributing to an already serious problem, by spaying or neutering your own pets.

Help make spay/neuter surgery available for those who cannot afford it by contributing to the John Vogel Spay/Neuter fund.

Interested in adopting one of these kittens, or want to go through our approval process to choose a cat or kitten later? Our adoption applications can be found on Spottie's page.

Want to see the weekly updates on a Mama and her babies? We have chosen one mom cat and litter to follow through weekly written, photo, and video updates! Click the photo below for Mama's story and to follow the kittens, born April 3rd, 2008.

PLEASE NOTE THAT MAMA AND HER BABIES HAVE ALL BEEN ADOPTED.

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Lil

Lil is a special girl who arrived as part of the 2009 kitten season. When we first received her, Lil was an adorable yet terrified young kitten who was clearly undersocialized with people. Lil was placed with a group of kittens near her age, and the group was moved into a foster home together.

In her foster home, Lil started to learn to accept people. When approached by her foster human, her response gradually changed from running away to approaching cautiously. She gradually began to warm up and become more friendly. She was treated for a mild upper respiratory and parasites, and when those cleared, she was made available for adoption. We knew that she still had a long way to go to become fully comfortable with people, and she would require a special home with people who were willing to be patient and give her time to adjust. We thought we had found that special home when an adopter who had recently lost a cat decided to give Lil a home. The adopter indicated that she was willing to take time to allow Lil to adjust, and Lil went home. However, only a few days after adopting Lil, her adopter called the shelter back. As expected, Lil was very stressed by the move to a new home, and she was hiding in her new home. Given time, Lil would have adjusted to her new situation, but her adopter decided that she didn't want to give Lil time to adjust after all. Lil was returned to the shelter, where she stayed for some time. Being in a cage on public display was very stressful for Lil, and she began to hiss at strangers who would visit her.

We decided to place Lil back in her original foster home, where she could progress further in her socialization in a comfortable setting. Lil quickly readjusted to her foster home, and soon she was not hiding at all. She has bonded well with the male cat in her foster home, and has been around small dogs without a problem. Lil even traveled with her foster human over the holidays, and though she found a safe place to hide in her temporary home, she was soon coming out and shyly approaching people. Lil is ready to join a new family now. She would be happy in a home with another cat she can bond with, and with people who are willing to give her some time to adjust to a new situation. Could you be the right match for this little girl?

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Davis

This adorable little male grey tabby is a real charmer! Playful, affectionate, and well-socialized, Davis would make a great addition to any family! Davis loves to play with the chihuahua in his foster home, and he has been around children and other cats too!

Lucy

This adorable little girl came to us all alone and fighting an upper respiratory infection. She was a sweet, adorable little girl who will soon be ready to join a new family!

These seven adorable kittens were born to a local friendly stray in an area resident's basement. Mom cat found an unsealed opening to the outside and decided it would be a safe place for her kittens! Mom was struggling to care for her babies, and mom and babies were all underweight and were fighting parasites and fleas when we received them, but after treatment for both they are improving and making great progress!

These pretty little girls were abandoned in our parking lot late on Friday night. They were terrified and were crying for mom from under the cars in the parking lot! Luckily we were at the shelter late and found them before they wandered too far, as they could easily have wandered into trouble or been hit by cars on the busy highway before anyone arrived the following morning. They showed very minor signs of an upper respiratory infection, and they were overwhelmed by everything that happened, but they proved to be very sweet little girls and are adjusting well.

Siamese and Bengals

The cats and kittens below are part of a large group that were surrendered by a breeder in late March. Some of them were friendly and outgoing, but others were clearly undersocialized, and foster care was determined to be the best option to provide the treatment and socialization these cats and kittens needed. When we received them, the cats were showing symptoms of upper respiratory infections and many had diarrhea with varying degrees of severity. Many of the younger kittens were smaller than expected and/or underweight, most likely due to the ongoing diarrhea. We immediately began treatment for the upper respiratory and for a common parasite identified in a standard fecal exam. Many, though not all, of the cats and kittens are now clear of respiratory symptoms; however, as of 4/30, many of the cats still have gastrointestinal symptoms. Further testing revealed the presence of an additional parasite that cannot be identified in a standard fecal exam. All kittens have undergone a course of treatment for the parasite.

Celia

Blue point

I am a very shy girl, and would be best in a quiet home where I could have lots of time to adjust and come out of my shell.

Mun-kee

Seal Point

Levi (adopted) and Trix (available)

born March 2010

Levi

Trix

Both of us

with mom (also adoptable)

Suki (born April) and Mulan (approx 2 years old)

We are mom and daughter, and are very bonded. We would like to find a family where we can stay together!

Suki

mom (also adoptable)

Mulan

Frosty

I'm a flame point! I am extremely energetic and quite dominant. I need a home with an experienced owner who is ready for someone like me!

Liat

My babies have all been adopted, but I am still waiting for a chance of my own! I am under 3 years old, and I am a sweet, talkative, affectionate kitty who would make a wonderful addition to any household.

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