Summer Heat Kitten weeks

Summer heat, Kitten Weeks. 
 
Kitten season is upon us and the majority of us have community cats. At this time of year 5 cats can turn into 30. What to do? In this blog I will talk about prevention, support and understanding what to do. So when the problem strikes you will have a few ideas in mind. 
 
Community cats are not typically socialized with humans and are not generally adoptable into indoors which means they can be aggressive and hard to capture allowing more population which will eventually turn into over population. Like my neighbor across the street who has a yard so full of cats who fight through out the night. My grandmother used to say “if you stop feeding them, they’ll stop showing up. This isn’t always the case because they will find a way to survive, or maybe you have a crazy cat lady (me) who feeds them every time they come to visit. I’m the grandma of all the babies who end up on my step.  

My own cats are spayed and neutered. This isn’t something I believed in for the longest period of time, until my cat snuck out and popped up pregnant. Not to mention the stray cat who snuck in my house and had her babies inside of my sofa. You read that right. She snuck in somehow, went through the back of the recliner on the couch, dug a hole and had 6 kittens just nursing all comfortably. It wasn’t until we heard kittens crying one night when we discovered the hidden treasure of this stray. Luckily she isn’t feral or aggressive and was super cozy when we set her up a nursing spot. If you haven’t experienced living with 7 orange cats and 6 of the males, I promise you don’t want to know what it’s like lol orange cat syndrome is a thing.  
 
If your cats are already spayed and neutered and you live in an area with feral cat colonies but can’t afford to get those cats spayed and neutered, there are support TNR programs, which trap, spay/neuter, and return feral cats to their territory. This way the cats can stay comfy in the home they’ve always known but they will stop populating. Cat pregnancies can be dangerous so it’s not just best for the community but the cats as well. 

How can you support? Donate to shelters. Shelters and rescues often have limited resources, so donations of funds, supplies like food, litter, blankets, and time are greatly appreciated. You could also volunteer. Shelters need help with a variety of tasks, including cleaning, socializing, and feeding kittens or help fostering. Foster homes provide temporary care for kittens, often freeing up shelter resources and allowing kittens to receive specialized care. If you can, adopting an adult cat or a pair of kittens can help free up space in shelters and provide a loving home. 
 
How to care for kittens if found? If you find a litter of kittens with their mother, try to avoid disturbing them unless the mother left them, lost them or incapable of caring for the kittens. If these kittens need help, contact local rescue organizations or your veterinarian immediately. Young kittens (under 4 weeks) need round-the-clock care, including feeding, warmth, and stimulation to urinate, which can be challenging to provide. Kittens are particularly vulnerable to hypothermia, so providing a warm, safe place is essential. As kittens grow, they need a nutritious diet, socialization, and plenty of playtime. 
 
 
With the warm crisp weather and long days cats have plenty of time to get busy so let’s try to help prevent and care for these babies in ways we may not have thought was possible. While most female cats may not be able to control their situation (male cats do dominate when smelling a cat in heat) we can prepare ourselves for steps to take to get those babies comfortable.