It’s KITTEN SEASON, as you know: and Furkids is full to the rafters. This time of year, we make a special effort to take in the difficult and time-consuming “Bottle Babies” that animal controls and other rescues can’t help.

Bottle babies present many challenges. The tiniest have to be fed every few hours, even through the night. They MUST be kept warm. They are often sick from exposure to the elements, because their little immune systems aren’t functioning yet. They take a LOT of work, patience, and persistence.

Although we occasionally know that babies were orphaned because their mother suffered some sort of trauma, we often have no idea why they are on their own. Could the mother have abandoned them because they have health problems we don’t see? Were they simply exposed because Mom was hunting, and assumed “abandoned”, by a well-meaning soul? Did a thoughtless human take them from their mother because they were “too much trouble”? And now the mom will have another litter in a few months?

Furkids has a strict policy. If we take in babies who HAVE a mom, via our Info Line, the mom MUST come with them. She nurses the littles until they are weaned, and we make sure she is spayed. But, if we are helping animal controls, or other rescues, or in situations where kittens are “dumped”, we can’t follow that policy. WE JUST HAVE TO HELP. 

Furkids relies on our FRIENDS, FAMILY, and FOLLOWERS to provide for our most vulnerable intakes, and YOU can SAVE THESE LIVES. Here are our specific, and IMMEDIATE, needs:

1. VOLUNTEERS, who are experienced BOTTLE FEEDERS or have a medical background. Please, if you can take a couple of hungry babies for a few weeks, volunteer here dana@furkids.org. WE WILL PROVIDE FOOD AND SETUP! You add a safe place for the kits to stay, and a bunch of love! Join our BBB – Bottle Baby Brigade today!

2. DONATIONS! They are CRITICAL NOW! We especially need BOTTLES, FORMULA, and HEATING PADS! Please donate here and mention “Bottle Babies.”

3. SHARES! Please share our needs with ANYONE who can help either physically or financially! Anyone can follow us on Facebook  or Twitter, too.

Dana, our Foster Coordinator, demonstrates her two-fer feeding technique in the picture above. That is how Kitten Season feels all across Furkids. YOU can give our hardworking staff and volunteers the luxury of taking a DEEP BREATH, with your support…we are SO GRATEFUL for all of our RESCUE PARTNERS!

Written by: Nancy Pihera