Help Grab Puppy and Kitten Season by the Tail
Help Grab Puppy and Kitten Season by the Tail
Help Grab Puppy and Kitten Season by the Tail
Help Grab Puppy and Kitten Season by the Tail
In Louisiana, we have a lot of seasons. These include the classic spring, summer, winter and autumn, but we also have seasons that are unique to our state like festival, carnival and crawfish season. In addition to these non-weather-related periods, we also have kitten and puppy season, which isn’t very well known outside of the animal welfare world.
We like to call this time of year the season of soft and warm baby animals. Although the sounds of their yips and meows are music to any animal lovers’ ears, it is a difficult season for animal shelters. Every spring, animal shelters across the country see an increased number of homeless kittens and puppies that arrive at their doors.
In colder climates, kitten and puppy season may be limited to late spring and summer, but here in the Deep South, this season can stretch from early spring (or even late winter) to the end of fall. The Louisiana SPCA took care of hundreds of kittens and puppies in 2021, all of which needed food, shelter, medical care, and a full-time staff to provide them with these essentials. Why does puppy and kitten season happen during this time? Warmer temperatures, combined with a large population of non-spayed or neutered male and female strays, leads to an increase in breeding activity, thus an uptick in puppies and kittens being born. Although puppies and kittens can be seen being born year-round, during the spring, summer and often well into the fall, open-admission shelters are pushed beyond their limit.
If you find a litter of kittens that are not in immediate danger and are warm, watch to make sure that the litter is truly orphaned. You may have discovered the nest while the mother was hunting for food or in the process of moving the babies. You will need to watch from a distance so that the mother is not too nervous to return. Keep in mind that she may be gone for several hours. If the litter is truly orphaned, bringing the litter to a shelter or caring for them yourself will give them their best chance at survival. If you decide to raise the litter yourself, your veterinarian or the team at the Louisiana SPCA can help you learn how best to feed and care for them.
Just like humans, if a family does not have a home, it is much more difficult for them to survive. Some of these litters are orphaned or abandoned. Sometimes, a kitten is found alone or injured. Litters of puppies may be rescued from unsafe situations. Other times, nursing mother cats are brought in with their kittens. In the best scenario, the animals are healthy and old enough to be spayed or neutered and put up for adoption.
However, most of these puppies and kittens will require extended stays in the shelter, either because they are too young to be placed for adoption, or because they are ill or injured. Some litters brought in without their mothers will be too young to eat on their own and will require bottle feeding and more intensive care. It is a labor of love to care for and raise the young animals, sometimes only days or hours old, but it can be very stressful once resources such as space, staff, food, medications, and time become stretched thin, and animals continue to enter the shelter. But the good news is this: It does not have to be this way, and communities can do their part to improve kitten and puppy season. So much of the heartbreak is preventable through spay and neuter, which is the first step in overcoming pet overpopulation. When even a single cat is spayed or neutered, we are preventing the suffering of thousands of animals. Over a six-year period, an unaltered female dog, her mate, and their offspring can be responsible for the birth of 67,000 puppies. Over the same six-year period, one unaltered female cat, her mate, and their subsequent offspring can produce more than 66,000 kittens.
Another important way you can help animal shelters and the pet population with kitten and puppy season is through fostering. Fostering is one of the most rewarding experiences because not only do you get to set that animal up for success for the rest of their life, but once that animal is ready to make their adoption debut, you get to help them find their forever family (even if it turns out to be you). By fostering kittens and puppies, you are saving a life, you feel good, your shelter or rescue group helps more animals, and your foster pet is happy, healthy, and well socialized. Talk about win-win-win!
Fostering increases an animal’s chance of getting adopted. Foster families are usually the first to find out about the pet’s personality. You may even be the first to teach your foster pet basic house manners, making them more appealing to potential adopters. Plus, your own pets will learn additional social skills. The more animals your pets encounter, the better they are at dealing with stress and getting accustomed to strangers. Your pet might even find a playmate in your foster pet.
You probably already have the space for one more. A spare bedroom, office, or screen porch is the perfect place for a foster pet. Even a bathroom is enough room for a kitten or puppy, and it is much larger than a kennel in a shelter. As wonderful as animal shelters are, they can be quite stressful. And there is nothing like the love and warmth of a family! When you foster an animal, a space for another homeless animal in need at the shelter is opened.
If you are interested in fostering an animal, contact your area shelter or rescue group for more information. To foster for the Louisiana SPCA, there is an online application at www.louisianaspca.org/foster. There are also many other rescue groups in the area and most will need help during this time. Help give the kittens and puppies in our community a break this season by talking to your local shelter about how you can help.
Another way to help out is by donating puppy and kitten essentials including meal replacer formula, bottles, wet and dry food, kitty litter, and heating pads. We recommend asking if the organization you are interested in helping has a wish list of items to ensure they are getting the items they need most.
We like to call this time of year the season of soft and warm baby animals. Although the sounds of their yips and meows are music to any animal lovers’ ears, it is a difficult season for animal shelters. Every spring, animal shelters across the country see an increased number of homeless kittens and puppies that arrive at their doors.
In colder climates, kitten and puppy season may be limited to late spring and summer, but here in the Deep South, this season can stretch from early spring (or even late winter) to the end of fall. The Louisiana SPCA took care of hundreds of kittens and puppies in 2021, all of which needed food, shelter, medical care, and a full-time staff to provide them with these essentials. Why does puppy and kitten season happen during this time? Warmer temperatures, combined with a large population of non-spayed or neutered male and female strays, leads to an increase in breeding activity, thus an uptick in puppies and kittens being born. Although puppies and kittens can be seen being born year-round, during the spring, summer and often well into the fall, open-admission shelters are pushed beyond their limit.
If you find a litter of kittens that are not in immediate danger and are warm, watch to make sure that the litter is truly orphaned. You may have discovered the nest while the mother was hunting for food or in the process of moving the babies. You will need to watch from a distance so that the mother is not too nervous to return. Keep in mind that she may be gone for several hours. If the litter is truly orphaned, bringing the litter to a shelter or caring for them yourself will give them their best chance at survival. If you decide to raise the litter yourself, your veterinarian or the team at the Louisiana SPCA can help you learn how best to feed and care for them.
Just like humans, if a family does not have a home, it is much more difficult for them to survive. Some of these litters are orphaned or abandoned. Sometimes, a kitten is found alone or injured. Litters of puppies may be rescued from unsafe situations. Other times, nursing mother cats are brought in with their kittens. In the best scenario, the animals are healthy and old enough to be spayed or neutered and put up for adoption.
However, most of these puppies and kittens will require extended stays in the shelter, either because they are too young to be placed for adoption, or because they are ill or injured. Some litters brought in without their mothers will be too young to eat on their own and will require bottle feeding and more intensive care. It is a labor of love to care for and raise the young animals, sometimes only days or hours old, but it can be very stressful once resources such as space, staff, food, medications, and time become stretched thin, and animals continue to enter the shelter. But the good news is this: It does not have to be this way, and communities can do their part to improve kitten and puppy season. So much of the heartbreak is preventable through spay and neuter, which is the first step in overcoming pet overpopulation. When even a single cat is spayed or neutered, we are preventing the suffering of thousands of animals. Over a six-year period, an unaltered female dog, her mate, and their offspring can be responsible for the birth of 67,000 puppies. Over the same six-year period, one unaltered female cat, her mate, and their subsequent offspring can produce more than 66,000 kittens.
Another important way you can help animal shelters and the pet population with kitten and puppy season is through fostering. Fostering is one of the most rewarding experiences because not only do you get to set that animal up for success for the rest of their life, but once that animal is ready to make their adoption debut, you get to help them find their forever family (even if it turns out to be you). By fostering kittens and puppies, you are saving a life, you feel good, your shelter or rescue group helps more animals, and your foster pet is happy, healthy, and well socialized. Talk about win-win-win!
Fostering increases an animal’s chance of getting adopted. Foster families are usually the first to find out about the pet’s personality. You may even be the first to teach your foster pet basic house manners, making them more appealing to potential adopters. Plus, your own pets will learn additional social skills. The more animals your pets encounter, the better they are at dealing with stress and getting accustomed to strangers. Your pet might even find a playmate in your foster pet.
You probably already have the space for one more. A spare bedroom, office, or screen porch is the perfect place for a foster pet. Even a bathroom is enough room for a kitten or puppy, and it is much larger than a kennel in a shelter. As wonderful as animal shelters are, they can be quite stressful. And there is nothing like the love and warmth of a family! When you foster an animal, a space for another homeless animal in need at the shelter is opened.
If you are interested in fostering an animal, contact your area shelter or rescue group for more information. To foster for the Louisiana SPCA, there is an online application at www.louisianaspca.org/foster. There are also many other rescue groups in the area and most will need help during this time. Help give the kittens and puppies in our community a break this season by talking to your local shelter about how you can help.
Another way to help out is by donating puppy and kitten essentials including meal replacer formula, bottles, wet and dry food, kitty litter, and heating pads. We recommend asking if the organization you are interested in helping has a wish list of items to ensure they are getting the items they need most.
Tagged in Paws for Cause in our Spring 2022 issue