FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — The shelter will soon be entering what many in the Animal Welfare Industry refer to as “Kitten Season” and this year presents new challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic.
As a result of COVID-19, the shelter had to limit its intake of cats and dogs at the beginning of April, including limiting intake of healthy, unweaned kittens.
"We want to reassure the community that we are still here to protect all animals, including kittens, that are sick, injured or in immediate danger," explained shelter manager, Cindy Iacopella.
According to national recommendations, unweaned healthy kittens with or without a mom present are considered healthy if they have a food source, and thus do not need human intervention.
FCAS has created a guide to help residents understand what to do if they find litters of kittens, and how they can help.
According to the shelter, the only time a kitten or a litter of kittens should be taken to the shelter is if they immediate danger or if they appear sickly. FCAS asks you to use the following guide to determine these factors:
Assess the kittens’ apparent health:
While you are observing from a safe distance, pay attention to the kittens’ appearance and their surroundings. If the kittens appear healthy, and in a relatively safe location, they can survive without mom longer than if they are sickly.
- Does their fur look healthy, full and fluffy? OR Are they dirty? Sickly? Eyes crusty?
- Are they sleeping quietly? In a heap? OR Are they crying? Squalling?
- Are they dry? OR Are they wet/soaked?
Assess the environment:
If the kittens appear healthy but are not in a safe location, try placing them in a box or similar shelter in a safe spot as close to where you found them as possible, and continue to observe for mom.
- Heavy rain? Standing water/flooding?
- Wild animals? Dogs?
- Traffic – pedestrian foot traffic? Bicycles or cars?
Healthy vs. sick kitten
Iacopella says as they prepare for the influx of kittens into the shelter, they are looking for kitten bottle feeders. A volunteer bottle feeder would foster the unweaned orphan kittens and would be tasked with keeping the kittens warm, as well as feeding them kitten formula.
FCAS provides all of the online training and supplies for bottle-feeding kittens. If you are interested, you can fill out an application on their website or call the shelter at 678-965-7185.
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