A seasonal surge in kittens has kicked off a meals drive at Ventura County Animal Services.
The county company is looking for 2,200 circumstances of particular forms of moist meals to look after greater than 1,500 kittens anticipated by means of November.
Kitten season often begins after the spring mating season as temperatures heat up, mentioned Randy Friedman, advertising and marketing supervisor for the company. It generally arrives as early as March.
At Ventura County’s shelter, the most important numbers of so-called “group animals” are cats, Friedman mentioned. Community cats embody a variety of outside cats, some cared for by a person or group and a few utterly feral.
In different areas, dogs are generally the principle group animal, he mentioned. The county shelter would not deal with wildlife.
On Tuesday, a litter of 4 kittens had simply arrived within the late afternoon.
“They’re coming in every day,” Friedman mentioned, with a number of litters now widespread.
The kittens are sometimes underweight and too young to fend for themselves.
“They must be fed each few hours or else they die,” he mentioned.
The municipal shelter would not have 24-hour staffing. Instead, skilled foster mother and father look after the feline kids.
“Each kitten goes by means of fairly a little bit of meals a day,” Friedman mentioned. “It’s fairly spectacular.”
The animal companies company has info on-line about what to do for those who discover a cat or kittens. In many circumstances, they do not must be dropped at the shelter until they’re sick, injured or old sufficient to be spayed or neutered earlier than being put again out, Friedman mentioned.
“Most of the time they simply want to stick with mother,” he mentioned. The mom cat supplies milk and fends off predators.
As of Tuesday night, the company counted 359 circumstances towards its purpose of two,200, the web site confirmed. The shelter is requesting three varieties: Nulo Freestyle Turkey & Chicken grain-free pate in 12.5-ounce cans with 12 cans to a case; Purina Pro Plan Kitten Chicken & Liver Entrée in 3-ounce cans in packs of 24; and Blue Buffalo Tastefuls Chicken Entrée for Kittens pate in 3-ounce cans in packs of 24.
Orders made by means of the municipal shelter’s Amazon want record needs to be delivered to the Camarillo Animal Shelter, 600 Aviation Drive, Camarillo, CA 93010.
More info on the Kitten Food Drive, together with a hyperlink to the company’s Amazon want record, is at www.vcas.us.
