BACS kitten infrmatin sessin 4/1/13 Welcme Intr t Hpalng Intr t Hpalng/BACS partnership Hw animals get t BACS Kitten Seasn What is kitten seasn? Why d we need fsters? What is fstering abut? Time frame Prcess Ages f kittens Adptins Expectatins Questins Applicatins
Welcme Intr t Hpalng MISSION Hpalng Animal Rescue is a nn-prfit cmpanin animal rescue and placement service. We rescue cats and dgs surrendered at lcal shelters by their wners, abandned, r at risk fr euthanasia and place them int fster hmes. Thanks t hundreds f dedicated vlunteers and a clse wrking relatinship with several East Bay animal shelters, mre than 10,000 dgs, cats, kittens, and puppies have fund lving hmes thrugh Hpalng. ABOUT US Hpalng is a small rganizatin: we have 4 full time and 2 part time emplyees. We are currently in the prcess f grwing the rganizatin, bth in terms f staff and vlunteers and fsters. All f ur animals are in fster hmes and vlunteers d an amazing amunt f wrk t keep the rganizatin running: they d everything frm ffice wrk t advertising, cleaning cages and scializing cats at ur mbile sites, rganizing ur supplies, screening adpters, staffing mbile events, etc. Fster hmes prepare animals fr adptin by prviding hmes fr them until they find frever families, raising them until they re ld enugh t be spayed/neutered if necessary, scializing them and bringing them t meet prspective hmes. Intr t Hpalng/BACS partnership Hpalng is Berkeley s primary rescue partner. When they get animals that need rescue, they cntact us and, if the animals are apprpriate fr ur prgram and we have fster hmes available (the tw main criteria fr taking in animals) we cme and get them and place them in fster hmes. This is ur first year that we are reaching ut t BACS vlunteers t becme fster parents. BACS n lnger has an fficial fster prgram, s we are asking BACS vlunteers t take in animals that Hpalng pulls fr rescue frm Berkeley. The animals will then becme part f Hpalng, but fster hmes will get the best f bth wrlds: help BACS and get animals adpted thrugh Hpalng! Hw animals get t Hpalng The vast majrity f Hpalng animals cme frm ther shelters. City and cunty run shelters, knwn as pen intake, must take all animals that cme t them, whether frm wner surrenders, strays r ther circumstances. The shelters have limited resurces and ften can t put all f these animals up fr adptin, fr a variety f reasns. They may be t yung t spay r neuter, t ld t be cnsidered fr an adptin, have pr cage presentatin, have a medical issue, r a variety f ther issues. Any ne f these thing wuld lead t them being euthanized. Hpalng has the resurces t wrk with these animals. Our fster hmes can huse animals until they are ld enugh t be fixed and g up fr adptin. Our medical fund and Maddie s Fund can help fix issues such as dental prblems, brken bnes, URIs, and mre. Sme animals flurish in fster hmes that just dn t like being caged. Hpalng literally saves these lives. Occasinally we take animals directly frm wners. This happens very rarely and almst never during kitten seasn. Owned animals must meet the same criteria as the animals frm shelters. Kitten Seasn What is kitten seasn? Cats g int heat with the warm weather, which means they g int heat at the same time, usually 3 times a year. This means 3 litters a year, since they still g int heat while they re nursing. Cats g int heat repeatedly until they get pregnant. The first heat usually ccurs in January r February. Gestatin is 8.5 weeks, and kittens g up fr adptin at abut 8 weeks r 16 z, which means litters g up fr adptin in abut April/May, July/August, and Octber/Nvember. Why d we need fsters? Sheer numbers. There are simply nt enugh cages t huse all the kittens that cme int shelters. The Bay Area has dne an amazing jb f reducing the amunt f kittens brn each year, but they still cme in every year in numbers that shelters can t handle. Age/weight. All dgs and cats in Califrnia must be spayed r neutered befre ging up fr adptin. This is a gd thing! We dn t want t send adpted animals ut int hmes and be a part f the verppulatin prblem. Cats can t be fixed befre they are 16z/2lbs, which is abut 2 mnths ld. Kittens ften cme in weighing less than 2lbs r yunger than 8 weeks, s they
need smewhere t g and fatten up. Smetimes they cme in with mms and smetimes they cme in alne, but they need t get ut f the shelter t put n weight. Develpmental issues. Kittens are baby animals, and a cage is a pr place fr a baby animal t grw up. It s much better fr them t live in a hme envirnment during imprtant develpmental stages. Fsters are great scializers. Health. Kittens are prne t health issues. Befre 10 weeks f age, the kitten's immune system has nt fully develped. In the shelter, their unfinished immune systems can be stressed and little issues can becme big issues in a hurry. Mst f these diseases will clear up at hme, even withut treatment, but in shelters they spread quickly and can even kill underage kittens. Issues that d require treatment can be an enrmus drain n shelters, while individual fster hmes can ften manage small medical treatments fr ne litter. What is fstering abut? Time frame It depends! Mms and babies can cme in at just days ld and need t stay fr 2 mnths just t be eligible fr adptin. Bttle Babies are kittens that cme in withut mther cats and can t eat slid fd n their wn, generally until arund 4-5 weeks. Depending n what age they g int fster, these kittens can stay in fster frm 4 weeks until they make weight (16z), r until they re ready fr adptin, which can take anywhere frm a week t 2 mnths. 14z and up. These kittens need t gain 2 z. t be spayed/neutered. That generally takes abut 2 weeks, and then the kittens just need t be adpted! Prcess Kittens cme t BACS. Kittens shw up at BACS as strays r surrenders. Under the law, cats are nt cnsidered prperty, s peple are ften less willing t take wnership f them. They feed stray cats ut f a sense f bligatin r because they dn t knw that feeding encurages breeding. Other times, peple have cats that they dn t spay/neuter and these cats make mre cats. Peple then realize they can t handle litters. Hpalng cmes t BACS. Staff at BACS calls us t tell us there are litters r we call t check in. If they are ver 14z, Hpalng will take them. If they are under14z, Hpalng will nly take them if we have fster hmes wh have specifically said they will take bttle babies r mms with babies. We have chsen 14z as ur cutff pint fr a cuple f reasns. Kittens are generally abut 6 weeks at this pint and clse t being ready fr spay/neuter and adptin. They dn t need t much time in fster which is easier n ur resurces and easier n ur fster hmes! Yunger kittens have a lwer rate f survival. It is extremely hard t watch a kitten die. Althugh this desn t happen ften, it happens even less frequently with kittens 6 weeks and lder. Fsters cme t Hpalng. After Hpalng picks up the kittens, we bring them back t ur ffice in Oakland. If they re ld enugh, they receive their first shts, dewrming and flea cntrl. Fster families then cme t ur ffice and pick up their litters and supplies. What t expect: Birth - 1 Week When kittens are first brn, they rely n their mther fr bth warmth and feeding. The umbilical crd will fall ff within tw r three days but their eyes and ear canals are shut making them basically deaf and blind. Kittens at this age are very helpless and their mm gives them everything they needs, instinctively. She keeps them clean by licking them with her rugh tngue and this stimulates bth the kitten's digestin and assists them t urinate and defecate. At this age, kittens d little mre than nurse, sleep and pass waste. There is little scial interactin with their siblings except cmpeting fr the kitten's favrite nipple. It s a gd idea t watch t make sure that everyne is nursing. The temperature f the nest bx shuld be nice and warm at 88-92 F. Chilling is the number ne danger t newbrn kittens. Feeding: If yu are nursing rphaned kittens, they must be bttle fed kitten frmula every 2-3 hurs until kittens are full but nt blated. Each kitten must be kept warm and stimulated manually t digest, urinate and defecate. Behavir: At ne week f age, the kittens shuld weigh 4 unces, and shuld be handled minimally. Kittens will sleep 90% f the time and eat the ther 10%.
1-2 weeks A kitten's eyes will start t pen usually between 9 and 14 days ld. The eye clr is blue and will stay that way fr several weeks befre it starts t change t their adult eye clr. Kittens have blurry visin at first since their pupils d nt wrk crrectly yet. At this time their sense f smell starts t develp and the kitten will seek ut its favrite teat by scent. The kitten will becme mre aware f his siblings as its senses develp mre. Flr temperature f the nest bx shuld be 85. Healthy kittens will be rund and warm, with pink skin. If yu pull the skin n the back f their neck gently, their skin shuld spring back int place. If the skin returns t its nrmal shape slwly, this is a sign that the kitten may be dehydrated. Healthy kittens seldm cry, except when hungry. Feeding: Kittens withut mm will need t be bttle fed every 2-3 hurs. 2-3 weeks Kittens will begin t crawl arund day 18. Kittens can stand by day 21. Kittens will begin t play with each ther, biting ears, tails and paws even befre their teeth have cme in. Their milk teeth are cutting thrugh the gums during this perid. Kittens learn t sit and tuch bjects with their paws. Kittens begin their scializatin phase. They will be strngly influenced by the behavir f their mther fr the next six weeks. T further scialize kittens, increase the amunt f handling, and get them accustmed t human cntact. It is imprtant nt t expse them t anything frightening such as lud nises as their ear canals are develping and their sense f hearing is imprving. Kittens can be startled by lud sunds. Their ears start t becme fully erect as t the flppy ears yu see fr the first 2 weeks f age. The kitten's eye clr can start changing frm blue t the adult clr that they will have fr life. The kitten's sense f smell will becme well develped. Kitten's will begin t urinate and defecate wn their wn. Mm will still cntinue t clean the kittens until they learn their wn grming skills. Kittens may start t purr at this age. Mm may start the weaning prcess due t the kitten's baby teeth cming in. If there is a mther cat, she will begin t spend larger perids f time ut f the nest, thugh she will nt g far frm it. Feeding: Bttle feed every 3-4 hurs. Kittens will weigh abut 10 unces. 3-4 weeks Kittens will start t stand between the third and furth week. They will attempt the wbbly walk. Their bdies are ut f prprtin as ppsed t what their adult bdy will be like. Their heads, which at that age, are t large fr their bdies and legs causes them nt t be t steady n their feet. They will eventually get the prcess dwn and be getting ut f their nesting bx t explre their surrundings. Cntinue t increase gentle scializatin with the kittens. Kittens will cntinue t nurse regularly frm mm and may even be intrduced t the litter bx. They will play and even eat the litter at first but eventually develp prper litter bx habits ver time. Feeding: Bttle feed every 4 hurs. Kittens may start lapping frm a bwl. 4-5 weeks Kittens will nw be walking arund and start t play with their siblings. They will nt wander very far frm mm r their siblings fr a sense f security. Kittens can be intrduced t canned kitten fd; weaning shuld be dne gradually. Expect their first tries t be messy nes with the kitten standing directly in the fd. This is a very messy time perid. Intrduce them t slid fd by ffering warmed canned fd mixed with a little f the liquid frmula in a shallw saucer. Yu can begin by placing ne kitten by the plate f this canned fd frmula gruel. If she starts eating her littermates will prbably cpy her and d the same. The kittens will walk in it, slide in it, and track it all ver the place. Smetimes ne will begin lapping right away, and in its anxiety t cnsume as much as it can, it will ften bite the edge f the plate. Sme will prefer t lick the gruel frm yur fingers. Sme will start licking yur finger after they sniff it, then slwly lwer yur finger t the plate and hld it t the fd. The kittens need t learn t eat with their heads bent dwn. Smetimes it takes tw r three meals befre they catch n. If they d nt seem interested enugh t even sniff yur finger, try gently pening the kittens muth and rubbing a little f the fd n their teeth r rf f their muth. Hpefully then they will start licking yur finger. If they re still nt getting the idea, yu can take a syringe (withut a needle) and squirt a small amunt f gruel int their muths. Be sure that the kittens have access t fresh water in a lw, stable bwl.
Kittens learn the litter bx basics at this time. They need a smaller and shallwer litter bx (a lw cardbard bx will wrk) than the adult cats and they will eat the litter at first s use a nn-clumping litter. Feeding: Every 8 hurs, especially if the kittens aren t finding their fd. Envirnment: The flr temperature f the nest bx shuld be between 70-75 F frm this pint nward. Behavir: After each feeding, place the kitten in the bx and use yur finger t scratch at the litter, mimicking hw the kitten shuld d s. Usually the sund f yur finger scratching at the litter is enugh t make the kitten want t give it a try. Be patient! Bringing a prtin f their feces r a napkin with their urine n it t the litter bx may help. The kitten may nt remember t use the litter bx every time r may frget where t find it, but he will learn quickly. Mst will use it frm the start, but like ther babies, might make an ccasinal mistake. It is a gd idea t cnfine the kittens t a relatively small space, because the larger the area the kittens have t play in, the mre likely they will frget where the litter bx is. Keep the litter bx clean and away frm their fd. 5-6 weeks Playtime with the kittens has becme part f their daily lives. Different kinds f tys, teasers, balls and stuffed mice are used at ur cattery t help the kitten develp and scialize with humans. Scratching psts are intrduced at this time s the kitten can begin t learn frm mm and assisted by the human handlers where the prper place t sharpen claws is. Kittens can start t ram arund the rm, under supervisin. The strngest, mst curius kitten will figure ut hw t get ut f the nest. The thers will quickly fllw. Play with yur kittens daily! It is a gd idea t wear lng sleeves and pants, as they can play rughly and their claws are sharp. Sme kittens may be fearful at first; d nt frce yurself upn them. Yu can get them used t yur presence by sitting in the middle f the rm making phne calls; this way they hear yur vice but d nt feel threatened. Make them an imprtant part f yur husehld activities: accustm them t the sunds f the TV, dish washer, dryer and ther husehld sunds. They will weigh 1 pund and the testicles f male kittens will becme visible. Feeding: Feed gruel 4 times a day. Thicken gruel gradually. Intrduce dry fd. 6-7 weeks By this time, yu have mini-cats. They will wash themselves, use scratching psts, play games with each ther, their tys, and yu, and many will cme when yu call them. Be sure t reintrduce them t their litter bx after meals, during play sessins, and after naps. These are the usual times that kittens need t use the litter bx. In many ways, this is a very easy stage: the kittens are pretty self-sufficient. On the ther hand, yu will have multiple mini-cats wh are very active and will want a lt f attentin. It is a gd idea t keep them cnfined as multiple kittens can get int a lt f truble! Grming Time! The kitten can be intrduced t its first bath but make sure nt t get water r sap in their ears r eyes. Be gentle with them and remember t fully dry them when dne. The kittens may be very dirty frm walking in their fd fr weeks! After all that time getting cleaned and dried, we give the kitten a treat t prmte psitive reinfrcement. By making bath time a gd experience, the kitten will be easier t bathe as it gets lder. During this time, we als intrduce the kitten t a sft brush t get them used t being brushed and again when finished the kitten gets a treat. The sner yu start grming habits, the better! If kittens are still with mm, the weaning prcess will be well under way and the kittens nurse frm mm less and less as time ges n. Eventually mm will push the kittens away cmpletely refusing t let them nurse. Feeding: Shuld be eating canned and dry fd well. Feed the kittens at least three meals daily. If ne kitten appears fd-pssessive r the litter is large, use a secnd dish and leave plenty f fd ut s that everyne is eating r yu may want t have a separate plate fr each kitten. Bear in mind that a kitten at this age has a stmach rughly the size f an acrn, s they may nt eat much at a single sitting. They like t eat at frequent intervals thrughut the day. 7-8 weeks Kittens learn frm their mther and siblings hw t interact with ther cats. It is during this perid that the kitten learns hw t recgnize and interpret cat bdy language. A kitten that misses this imprtant step may nt ever learn hw t interact with ther cats. This causes prblems if the kitten is ging t live in a multi-cat husehld. Feeding: Offer canned and dry fd 3-4 times a day (each kitten will be eating a little ver ne can f fd per day). Leave dwn a bwl f dry kibble and water fr them t eat and drink at will. DO NOT feed the kittens table scraps.
8+ Weeks Feeding: Offer canned fd 2 times a day. Leave dwn a bwl f dry fd and water fr them t eat and drink at will. Behavir and training: By the end f this week, kittens shuld weigh 2 punds each. If all the kittens weigh tw punds, take a deep breath, and prepare yurself t return them t Hpalng s that we may find them a new hme. They are als ld enugh fr spay r neuter. Adptins Facilitated by Hpalng This is the best (and saddest) part: kittens g t new frever hmes! We have trained vlunteers wh can apprve (and deny) adptins. If a friend falls in lve with ne f yur fster kittens, that s kay. They must fill ut ne f ur applicatins and be apprved befre they can take the kitten hme. Where Sites: Petc in Emeryville, Yur Basic Bird in Berkeley, Petsmart in Pinle (fsters bring kittens t the Oakland ffice fr cmb testing, and staff will bring them t the site.) Mbile adptin events (fsters bring kittens t the Oakland ffice fr cmb testing and t the adptin events. If they re nt adpted they g back t fster care.) Csts: The fee fr kittens is $95 and includes spay/neuter, wrming, vaccines, cmb testing and micrchip. Expectatins Lve! A warm bed/rf Transprtatin- yur kittens will need t cme t ur ffice in Oakland every three weeks fr vaccines and nce t be put up fr adptin. Yu will have t take the cat t the vet t be fixed and may have t g t a mbile adptin r tw if adptins are slw. Fllw ur basic rules. Stay in tuch with us! What we prvide Supplies- fd, litter, tys, blankets. Really, we will give yu everything yu need. If yu buy extra stuff, we dn t blame yu- kittens are cute- but we can t reimburse yu. There are a few supplies that yu prbably have at hme- baby wipes, Clrx wipes, etc. Medical care (with caveats). We vaccinate and dewrm the kittens. Many things that shw up right after the kittens leave frm the shelter will clear up in a day r tw and dn t even need treatment: just being in a hme envirnment is enugh. If it desn t, we can treat with antibitics. Smetimes, thugh, kittens just fail t thrive. In this case, we d nt attempt heric measures. This is a very hard part f fstering. Supprt! Befre yur first litter, we will g ver all f this in much mre detail with much mre time fr individual attentin. We will make sure yu get the kind f litter (age, size, etc.) that wrks best fr yu and are available by phne and email fr any questins that may cme. Sme f ur experienced fster families are als available t answer questins as well. Sme basic grund rules
Questins Fster animals are Hpalng animals until adptin. We have sme basic rules: cats must stay indrs at all times. They cannt be given away t friends r family: They must remain in yur hme. We have clear emergency guidelines. Yu cannt take the kittens t the emergency vet- yu will nt be reimbursed. We will give yu a list f phne numbers and prcedures; it s very imprtant that yu fllw them. Timeliness. We will cmmunicate with yu in whatever way wrks fr yu: phne r email, but we really need yu t be respnsive. We wrry abut yu (and ur kittens) if we dn t hear frm yu! Applicatins Cntact Infrmatin Phne: general: 510.276.1915, Samantha: 510.276.1915 x 110 email: Samantha@hpalng.rg http://hpalngvlunteers.blgspt.cm/