Wilmington Animal Centrix in Wilmington, North Carolina offers a free seminar on bottle-feeding kittens. As adorable as this is, the reason behind this is because there is a huge need for more families to adopt bottle-fed kittens because it requires round-the-clock training and care.
Usually lasting between the months of April and October, kitten season refers to the time when female cats tend to give birth to kittens, however, many shelters have noticed an alarming trend that contradicts this.
Kitten season is now seen throughout the year.
Even if you don’t live near Wilmington, chances are your local animal shelter or Humane Society could use your help during kitten season, and there are many ways you can do so.
Make a monetary donation.
Shelters can always use donations, which will be used to purchase needed supplies for cats, dogs, puppies and kittens.
Check your local shelter website to see if they have a wish list.
Kittens that are orphaned or separated from their mother may need kitten formula to meet their nutritional needs. Your local shelter can tell you which brand they prefer. Shelters also need items such as feeding bottles, wet and dry kitten food, litter boxes and litter boxes, soft blankets, towels, heating pads or heat lamps, medical supplies, cat carriers and toys . Check with your local shelter to see what they need most.
Volunteer to bottle feed kittens.
Consider becoming a foster parent for kittens in need. Fostering helps relieve overcrowding in shelters and provides kittens with individual care and socialization in a home environment. Kittens that need to be bottle fed usually need to be fed every 2-3 hours but your shelter can give you instructions.
Foster a mama cat and her babies.
If you have a quiet room with a door, you can help your shelter free up space by taking care of a mama cat and her babies. As in the post above, most shelters will provide all the supplies you need.
Make it a neighborhood effort.
Host a bake sale or car wash with your neighbors or social group to raise funds for your local shelter. Include your classmates, sports team, drinking buddies or church.
Adopt a cat.
Kitten season is an incredible time to adopt your own cat. You’ll be freeing up shelter space and giving resources to another cat in need of help and a chance to find their own home.
Spay or neuter your own cat.
Most importantly, spaying or neutering your own cat will result in fewer cats in your community needing homes. This is just what responsible pet owners do.
Spread the word and teach others.
Share articles like this on your social media pages. Encourage your friends and family members to donate and volunteer at their local shelter, and tell people why it’s so important to spay or neuter their cats.
Kittens are amazingly adorable, but there are more than enough kittens in the world. If we want to end the era of kittens where shelters are overcrowded and understaffed, we all owe it to the larger cat community to love them in the best way possible, by helping to end the influx of kittens into our local shelters.
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