Foster kitten at 2 1/2 weeks old!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Here we go again....another Kitten Season.
Kitten season is both a blessing and a curse.
The blessing being that it enables me to have a job, which in this day and age is definitely a good thing! And, obviously, kittens are cute. You are hard pressed to find an ugly kitten, let me tell you.
The curse? Well, pretty much everything else.
Kitten season is the time during the warm months (spring/summer) where many kittens are born and then brought to shelters. However, as time goes by, the 'season' is slowly turning into February through November. That's more of a YEAR than a season!
It starts off slowly: a pregnant cat here and there. Then come the nursing mama cats and the unweaned itty bitties hidden in shoeboxes and under towels. And then the real avalanche begins: 3-4 week old kittens left in boxes overnight, hissy spitties, more moms, kittens with severe Upper Respiratory Infections with their little eyes swollen shut, you name it. Then, as the season winds down, in come the older kittens. The ones that couldn't find homes.
At times it becomes overwhelming. There are so many kittens and only so many adopters.
Needless to say, kitten is a busy time for a foster parent. There are many foster homes that foster continuously throughout the season. Once one litter has grown up and been adopted, they take home another one. Like a revolving door! These families can save well over 20 kittens in one season. Just think about that! 20 little munchkins that will go on to impact the lives of the families that adopt them. Amazing!
I just took home my first litter of the season. I have to admit, I was getting a little antsy.
Empty nest syndrome. :)
And it begins: a mama with six ALL ORANGE bitties. Did I mention that I love orange kitties?!
It's going to be a very busy season.
The blessing being that it enables me to have a job, which in this day and age is definitely a good thing! And, obviously, kittens are cute. You are hard pressed to find an ugly kitten, let me tell you.
The curse? Well, pretty much everything else.
Kitten season is the time during the warm months (spring/summer) where many kittens are born and then brought to shelters. However, as time goes by, the 'season' is slowly turning into February through November. That's more of a YEAR than a season!
It starts off slowly: a pregnant cat here and there. Then come the nursing mama cats and the unweaned itty bitties hidden in shoeboxes and under towels. And then the real avalanche begins: 3-4 week old kittens left in boxes overnight, hissy spitties, more moms, kittens with severe Upper Respiratory Infections with their little eyes swollen shut, you name it. Then, as the season winds down, in come the older kittens. The ones that couldn't find homes.
At times it becomes overwhelming. There are so many kittens and only so many adopters.
Needless to say, kitten is a busy time for a foster parent. There are many foster homes that foster continuously throughout the season. Once one litter has grown up and been adopted, they take home another one. Like a revolving door! These families can save well over 20 kittens in one season. Just think about that! 20 little munchkins that will go on to impact the lives of the families that adopt them. Amazing!
I just took home my first litter of the season. I have to admit, I was getting a little antsy.
Empty nest syndrome. :)
And it begins: a mama with six ALL ORANGE bitties. Did I mention that I love orange kitties?!
It's going to be a very busy season.
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