Austin Animal Center (AAC) is hosting a Kitten Shower this Saturday in preparation for “kitten season.”
“Every year we see about 2,000 kittens under two months old come into the shelter,” said AAC nursery lead Erin Coleman. “With the winters being short and mild in the South our season lasts much longer than in the Northern areas. We have already taken in 250 kittens and we are just about to start the really busy part of the season.”
The yearly Kitten Shower is a chance to discover promoting and gather contributions for the kitten nursery. Items required consisted of gallon ziplock bags, meat-based infant food, infant blankets, hand warmers, and Kitten Milk Replacer.
The Kitten Shower will be kept in AAC’s meeting room Saturday, May sixth from 2-4 pm.
What to do if you discover kittens
When you discover kittens outdoors, it can be appealing to scoop them up and bring them inside. However, it is very important to understand that this is almost never ever in a kitten’s benefit. Kittens require their mom, so don’t kit-nap them!
If you don’t see the mom cat, she might be off hunting for food or concealing up until you leave. Check on the kittens occasionally; if they are snuggled together, look tidy, and have complete stomaches, mom is looking after them.
If the kittens are ill or hurt, call 311.
Learn more about what do about discovered kittens here: www.austintexas.gov/page/community-cats
Preventing homeless kittens
“Spay/neuter is the most effective and humane way to prevent homeless kittens,” Coleman said. “Trap-Neuter-Return is a vital piece of our Community Cats program.”
Last year, volunteers through AAC’s Community Cats program caught 1,873 free-roaming cats who were then sent through spay/neuter and returned back to the neighborhood in collaboration with Austin Humane Society.
“Female cats can get pregnant as early as four months old and can have multiple litters a year, so those cats fixed through TNR prevent hundreds, if not thousands, of litters,” Coleman said. “It is also instrumental in reducing the spread of disease and health issues.”
Learn more about the Community Cats program here: www.austintexas.gov/page/community-cats
