Kitten season is upon us, which means it’s the time of year when the Ontario SPCA animal centers see an increase in the number of feline families, pregnant cats and litters of dead kittens. orphans are cared for.
During these busy times at Ontario SPCA animal centers across the province, our staff and volunteers are focused on helping these little feline friends and their mothers thrive. Sometimes it can mean sleepless nights, round-the-clock bottle feeding, vet appointments, and all the usual care that comes with keeping cats and kittens happy and healthy. strong.
Kitten season can begin in the spring, but it usually doesn’t peak until the late summer months. That’s when the number of kittens coming to the Ontario SPCA animal centers can double or even triple the monthly number compared to the beginning of the year.
Nurturing family saves lives
When a pregnant cat is in our care, we try to put it in foster care wherever possible. This gives the pregnant mother a quiet and comfortable space to take care of her baby. As her kittens grow, a one-on-one encounter with their foster family in a home environment will help them socialize and prepare for the day they will be adopted into their loving permanent home. .
Nurturing kittens is a big undertaking, especially when caring for orphaned kittens who need constant care and feeding. Without a mother, they have to depend on their adoptive family for everything.
To help our foster families achieve success, we send them home with all the supplies they need to care for their cat family. Our animal centers are in constant contact with foster families to help ensure everything runs smoothly. Kittens return to our animal center every two weeks to be weighed and so we can take any necessary deworming or vaccinations at that time.
Learn more about being a foster volunteer
Teach social skills
For kittens born to socialized mothers — cats who are comfortable in the presence of people — socializing kittens is a much easier task. Like all baby animals, they receive cues from their mothers. However, they need to be handled as often as they are old enough to get used to being touched – important preparation for the day they are old enough to be adopted into a loving home!
Sometimes kittens are born to less socialized or feral mothers, who end up in our care. These kittens need more socialization when away from their mothers. If she is afraid of people, she will transfer that fear to her kittens.
Once the kittens have passed their most fragile development, we begin to briefly separate them from their mothers to pick them up and handle them. As they get older, we spend more time with them, playing with them and letting them explore. The goal is always to make every interaction as positive as possible to help prepare them for life with a family in a loving home.
Our animal care team also strives to expose kittens to as many things as possible. A day might include bringing an umbrella to work so they can see new things; another day maybe wearing a hat when working with kittens. They even play out real-life sounds like thunderstorms or house noises to get the kittens used to common sounds.
Prevention of kitten season
Soft-spoken and gentle animals are key to reducing the number of homeless cats and kittens visiting our animal centers. In other words, a female cat has the potential to give birth to 96 kittens in her lifetime!
Do your part to help reduce overpopulation of pets. Talk to your vet or find a high volume spay/neuter clinic in your area.
Has your pet been killed or disabled? Thank you! Please consider “Grow it forward” by contributing to cover the cost of organ or circumcision surgery for animals in our care.
Adopt a cat or kitten
If you’ve been thinking about welcoming a furry friend into your family, visit our adoption page at ontariospca.ca/adopt to see cats and kittens available for adoption. Ontario SPCA-approved animals are culled or neutered, microchipped, dewormed, and up-to-date vaccinations.
