Feral Kitten Rescue | Savannah's Paw Tracks

Archive for the category “Feral Kitten Rescue”

25 May 2020

HELP: COVID 19 Kitten season in now on us

HIYA!! SAVANNAH HERE!!!

This is a 911 for all my readers! COVID 19 Kitten Season is upon us and it is far different than any other before. Across the USA, most shelters were hit with the SIP orders and closed their surgeries to Spay/neuter for rescues doing TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return). Our shelter in Contra Costa County California is only now considering a soft opening for such surgeries. During the last six weeks, the only low cost S/N clinic has been Community Concern For Cats (CC4C).

But they have not been able to meet the demand as most non-profit TNR clinics in the USA. Personal Protection Equipment, medications, etc have been diverted to human hospitals so TNR has been greatly diminished.

Here is some great advice from our pals at Berekley Humane Society about what to do if you or your friends find kittens this year.

What to Do When You Find Kittens

Of course you need to report any findings to your local TNR rescues just like my neighbors did last Friday.

Mom L received a call from someone she helped with a mom cat and six kittens in her backyard in 2018 at dinner time last Friday. Of course Mom L and Dad P jumped up and were off! The neighbor had the kittens, not in good health. When Mom L picked them up to move them from the box to our warmer carried, she could feel their little bones. And their eyes were almost swollen shut and encrusted. Clearly, as their eyes were still blue, and from their size, we think they were barely four weeks old. Thanks to the resident for calling us ASAP!!

Mom L called two of our most experienced contacts when it comes to pulling sick kittens through. Miss Gemma, President of CC4C, with over 30+ years working to save feral adults, kittens and abandoned community cats and their kittens, responded immediately! Mom L and Dad P dashed off with the three kittens to get them to Miss Gemma. The little Siamese was clearly the worst off, its eyes were both crusted closed and it could not stand it was so dehydrated; as were all three.

Miss Gemma said their fur was really funny feeling and so she bathed all three, fed them, gave them fluids and VOILAA!!! Less than twenty four hours later, here are the three kittens starting to thrive in Miss Gemma’s care.

Please do be on the look out for any kittens in your neighborhoods. This is a tougher year than any we have had in the last five years.

PAW PATS, SAVANNAH

Posted in Feral Kitten Rescue and tagged CC4C, feral cat rescue

24 Feb 2020

14 Comments

A Kitchen Clinic: Beginning and Ending Lives

HIYA!! SAVANNAH HERE!!!

Mom L volunteers with Community Concern For Cats (CC4C) at the Kitchen Clinics Miss Gemma has, literally, in her kitchen. My former, now retired, feline specialist Vet is the doc who does the examines etc., Miss Josie. More Kitchen Clinic posts are here, here and here. I have been posting about these clinics since 2014! Mom L always enjoys the variety of cases she gets to help with including kittens…

Tiny lives…fostered by a CC4C member

…ferals who have to be sedated to be examined and medicated…

Feral, stray rescue clinic

…to abandoned adults who need a check up before they can be cleared to go up for adoption.

Abandoned at a city park

At a recent clinic Mom L was struck by how these clinics see the full range of a cat’s life from its beginning as a kitten through to the diagnosis that tells the cat will begin its journey across The Bridge soon.

First the precious adult Maine Coon cat a senior couple found in their backyard. Clearly on death’s door. He was emaciated. Starving and could barely walk. The couple fed him, brought him inside and cared for him until they could get him to the Kitchen Clinic.

Initial examination

This brave Maine Coon Cat had feline myocardial disease that had been left untreated far too long. And yet what a gentle giant everyone experienced this day.

The diagnosis was administer diuretics to help with the fluid around his heart and then simply love, pet, care for him until it was time for him to cross to The Bridge. This wonderful senior couple stepped right up to provide this precious cat hospice care. So Mom L experienced the beginning of the end of gentle giants’ life.

And next came a litter of four kittens. All different. All full of life and totally ready for immediate adoption! Such a diverse litter of color. First up the darling tuxedo.

Next up the striped tabby.

What is she doing with that needle???

That tabby was a trouper for sure! He wasn’t sure if that lady was gonna ever let go of his ear!!

Then the calico girl was next.

And last the boy with the most unusual markings!!

Ok, why are you holding me like this??

Look what is hiding under his chin!

What? So my mustache slipped a bit and is now my bow tie!!

These precious kittens were cared for by two men who just adored them. They were so happy that the kittens were all negative for FeLV and were ready for adoption!

And that is why Mom L so enjoys being able to volunteer at Miss Gemma’s Kitchen Clinic since 2014!!

COMMUNITY CAT RESCUE ROCKS OUR SOCKS!!!

Meow your thoughts about this post in comments. I luvluvluv hearing what my readers think.

PAW PATS, SAVANNAH

Posted in Community Cats, Feral Kitten Rescue, foster kitties, happy tails endings, paw it forward, TNR and tagged cat photo, CC4C, Community Cats, paw it forward, real rescue stories

17 Feb 2020

12 Comments

What happens in kitten season

HIYA!! SAVANNAH HERE!!!

So just WHAT does happen in a geographical location in the USA when “kitten season” gets going in full bloom so to speak?? My castle is in Northern California and our typical kitten season, when gobs of kittens are born by abandoned community cats, starts about late March or early April. It varies based on what your climate is.

Where is our Mom!

That said, I wanna talk about what happened this last 2019 kitten season and how my Paw It Forward effort, thanks to Mom L and Dad P and others, helped some kittens have a long awaited Happy Tails ending.

Our Project Delta View Cats (PDVC) efforts are very specific to our own city’s zip code and we only do “targeted” TNR (trap, neuter, return). We go door to door to find feeders who we can help by getting all their colony spayed, neutered and vaccinated. And, if they are friendly, we have a few adoption paths to help. That’s what this post is all about.

One of PDVC’s partners is our county animal services. Last year, 2019, they were chock full of kittens, moms with kittens in the shelter and the same but in foster families.

Along came PDVC with a Mom cats and between the two of them, 7 kittens. The shelter was impacted and asked that the feeders “foster and socialize in place”. And that had to be until at least another six to seven months!!!

But our partner, Contra Costa Animal Services, said once our “kitten season” was over, that we could allow our foster to bring those now almost adult kitties, into their adoption process.

And our “foster in place”, Miss Jessica, called PDVC this November searching for an adoption path for her remaining six now juvenile kitties.

This is a Happy Tails Ending!! All six were taken into the adoption path at our partner, CCAS. And everyone one was soon “pulled” by one of the CCAS Transfer Partners aka other rescues in our general location. All six kitties have been adopted!! Here is their story told in their photos. I hope you will hang around and watch this short slideshow.

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All six have now been adopted. They were very well socialized by their “foster in place” cat Mom but their challenge was getting to be able to be with different people. And that is a HUGE challenge for all cat foster families. The kitties must get socialized BEYOND the foster family to increase their ability for adoption.

Let me know in comments what you think about our “Foster in Place” kittens “Happy Tails” ending.