Well, at CVAS, we can sense it in the air. The kittens are coming. So many kittens.
We are on the cusp of what shelters around the nation call “kitten season.” That’s where the adult cats start to bring us a whole bunch of kittens.
Believe it or not, we’ve got some kittens currently in our foster care program. Adorable little devils that are being cared for until they are old enough to be spayed and neutered and brought into the shelter.
Because we know the little ones are on the way, we’re asking for help. We’re holding annual Kitten Shower at the shelter on Letterkenny Road West on March 14 and 15 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days.
We have foster parents who will be at the shelter during that time to provide demonstrations and have a Q&A with interested participants. We are always in need of foster parents to help us with the little felines, and they really are our heroes.
If you would be interested in fostering litters of kittens, with or without a mom, the Kitten Shower would be a great event for you. You could find out what’s involved and ask our foster parents any questions you might have.
When we get a lot of litters of kittens, many of them are too young to spay and neuter, and we really need to find spots to hold them until that time. That’s where our foster parents come into the picture.
Our foster program is a great way to help CVAS and provide some TLC for babies waiting for their forever homes.
Foster parents essentially open their homes as a temporary residence for our kittens, sometimes with or without a mama. We’ll provide the food, bowls, towels, litter, medicines, vaccinations and sometimes even a crate if necessary for you to care for the animals.
With litters of kittens who have a mama, it’s the foster parent’s responsibility to wean the kittens onto solid food before being returned to the shelter – and don’t worry, it’s not as difficult as you would think. The little squirts like eating a mixture of what we at the shelter call “gruel.” We combine a little warm water with hard and soft kitten food, mix it around until it gets mushy and nine times out of 10 the little ones gobble it up.
If the babies aren’t weaned and also don’t have a mama, the foster parents are responsible for bottle-feeding the little ones until they can eat solid food.
Keep in mind that in some instances, we’re talking about animals being in foster care for possibly up to nine weeks, so if you’d like to help, be sure you have the time to commit. Also remember that we usually need folks in the middle of the summer, when people typically go on vacation. Foster parents are solely responsible for the babies in their care and shouldn’t leave the animals with someone else while they vacation.
It’s also a good idea to have a room in your house set aside just for the foster babies. That way, you can keep them separate from everything that’s going on in your house and make sure they’re safe.
It is quite a commitment, but one that not only supports the shelter, but also helps the little ones looking for a home.
Naturally, if you fall in love with one of your wards, adoption is not only possible, it’s very welcome. We call it being a “failed foster parent,” and it’s our favorite thing ever!
The Kitten Shower will also help us get ready by getting the supplies we need. We have an Amazon Gift Registry for our Kitten Shower that people can use to order us the supplies we’ll need for these little babies. We’re also looking for items to be dropped off at the shelter on Letterkenny Road West, too, so if you’re in the area, please drop them off at our front door and we’ll be sure to get them.
Supplies we need include: kitten formula, “miracle nipples,” Feline Pine cat litter, small litter pans and canned kitten food (Fancy Feast seems to work best for our little ones).
We also need food scales. I know this one sounds a little crazy, but they are the easiest way to weigh baby kittens. We need our kittens to weigh at least two pounds before they can have surgery, and we are exact about that. We don’t want babies that are too small going in for surgery, so the food scales allow us to get precise measurements.
We send them home with our foster parents to keep accurate weights for the kittens.
We’re also looking for something called Snuggle Safe Pet Bed microwavable heating pad. If the kittens come to us and they’re particularly tiny, the heated pad will maintain their temperature, especially if they are alone and don’t have a mama or siblings with whom to snuggle.
Additionally, we could always use monetary donations for medical care and spay and neuter surgeries.
All of the information can be found at cvas-pets.org.
The springtime brings wonderful growth and blooms (and it’s coming – I swear it it) and it’s a reminder to all of us that life and nature will continue to flourish.
For animal shelters, it also brings kittens. If you could help us by donating to our Kitten Shower or stopping by, our staff and four-legged babies sure would appreciate it.
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Jennifer Vanderau is the public relations coordinator for the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter and can be reached at [email protected]. The shelter accepts both monetary and pet supply donations. For more information, readers may call the shelter at 717-263-5791 or visit the website www.cvas-pets.org. CVAS also operates a thrift store in Chambersburg. Help support the animals at the shelter by donating to or shopping at the store
