Don’t Kitnap Kittens
Spring in Ontario marks the beginning of kitten season and with it, added pressure on shelter resources. When we find a litter of kittens, our first instincts tell us to rush to their aid. Thankfully, human intervention is typically not required. In fact, the best things we can do is leave the kittens alone. Mom, will likely return shortly and it’s critical that the kittens remain in her care as she offers the best chance for survival. Dr. Heather Kennedy DVM of the KC Pet Project explains in detail the importance of why Kit-Napping can do more harm than good in her article found here
Throughout the challenges presented by COVID-19, London Animal Care Centre was blessed by the response of the community of London wishing to help and assist with our furry friends. Moving forward, LACC is looking to continue engaging the talents of the community in a program to assist kittens. The Don’t Kitnap Kittens strategy will empower those interested, to help kittens right in the community. This goal of this care in place strategy is to ease the challenges associated with large volumes of stray kittens entering the shelter on a daily basis throughout the spring and summer months. In short, it is best for kittens to remain with their mother until 6 weeks of age when they can be spayed/neutered, microchipped and adopted. This will also provide an opportunity for their mother to be spayed to ensure no future litters are being produced. For cats/kittens that have not been socialized, it will provide an opportunity for important socialization of the kittens and ensuring necessary S/N surgeries are performed for these non-socialized cats prior to returning to the community.
London Animal Care Centre will help by providing starter kitten care packages for new foster homes, available for pick-up. Once 6 weeks of age, access to vaccinations, parasite treatment, microchipping and spay/neuter surgery is available through the City of London’s veterinary clinic, London Animal Shelter Services.
