Help! Kittens in a Shed
Thanks! Left her a voicemail and called another no-kill shelter in South Orange. Just waiting to hear back from someone!
The two shelters I contacted yesterday haven't gotten back to me. I called the Humane Society and asked if they come get them, can I have first rights to adopt the kittens as I know some people who would like one, and she said she can't promise me that. Why? Something about giving them to shelters. I'm so anxious that nothing bad comes to these kittens.
If they are six weeks old, it's important to try to start getting them socialized as soon as you can, so you don't miss the window. I believe at eight or 10 weeks it becomes much more difficult to turn a kitten into a house pet, so people need to start handling them now. If you have friends who are interested, maybe ask them to come over and see the kittens for themselves, play with them, maybe choose one?
Are you still seeing the mother cat, and are you fairly sure the kits are still nursing? They are most likely weaning by this time. Ordinarily, the way people on MOL have handled this is to capture the mother and all the kittens and keep them together in an enclosed place (with a crate) so they can keep an eye on them until they are weaned and ready for adoption. Get their first "well kitten" visit to the vet and first round of shots done, and all that stuff.
I also recommend private messaging Morganna and BigBen to see if they can offer any advice. I'm just reporting what I have read in other kitten threads, since I have no direct experience with this.
Good luck! I hope the kittens do well.
Furry Hearts is the TNR group in Maplewood that also does rescue and can trap. Jeanneh is one of their contact points. Here are a few questions:
1. Do you have a place in your home, basement or garage where you can foster the kittens? At this time of year, rescues are filled to capacity and crying out for fosters; Furry Hearts is probably in the same situation. {In fact, Furry Heart recently just took on a very large rescue of - as I understand it - something like 50 young cats (give or take dozen) - in our community.} If you are willing to foster the kittens until they're adopted or old enough to be spayed/neutered and returned to the site, there are rescues who will help try to place them.
2. Can you provide any funding to the rescue or pay to vet the kittens? Rescue ain't cheap. Even with local vets wiling to give deep discounts or using People for Animals for spays and neuters, a cat or kitten can easily cost a rescue upwards of $100 or more and that's for a HEALTHY animal. Certain tests are standard: (FIV/FeLV), a stool sample if the kitten has diarrhea. Then Revolution for parasites. Food and litter aren't free. A sick cat or kitten?... ca-ching! A rescue is thrilled to get $100 for a kitten and many times will give two for the price of one. During the glut, they're competing with shelters who have a "name your price weekend, or "$5.00 Gets You a Kitten" promo. Nobody gets rich in rescue.
If the answer to both questions is no and if Furry Hearts can't help you, the short answer is to borrow a trap (@cats has one) trap one of the kittens and give it to your friend.
As to why a shelter can't hold an animal, it can be anything. First, Associated Humane, once referred to by Corey Booker as "the dirtiest slaughterhouse in the world" cares for about 500 animals at a time. They are brought 40 new cats and kittens every day. How do you think they make space for the new ones? If they feel the animal is not adoptable or has been there "too long", it's euthanized. Even a well-regarded shelter in our area euthanizes perfectly healthy kittens upon impound if they're a little hissy. Second, if I had a dollar for every time a person said s/he would adopt a pet if we held it for them, well, maybe I COULD get rich from rescue! People are fickle. Morgana had a litter people were clamoring for - even as far away as Michigan. One person from Connecticut phoned regularly for updates. When the kitten was finally ready...insert sound of crickets here. (BTW, this kitten is CURRENTLY AVAILABLE: a gorgeous sleek "Russian Blue" mix who is cute, cuddly and playful). Morgana took her to an adoption day at Petco Saturday and someone adopted her before Morgana got her out of the carrier. Then, yesterday afternoon they called and said they had changed their mind and returned her last night! Third, rescues pull out of Associated Humane Society (AHS) kittens and cats they think they can adopt out so AHS would have no way of knowing where your kittens go or if they've become part of the unlucky 40 on a given day.
Finally, the no-kill shelter in South Orange will not be calling you back because they were closed down in October 2014. There is a huge thread about it somewhere on this board. Currently that shelter building sits empty while our community leaders decide what's to become of it.
If you would like the contact info to text Furry Hearts, please send me a PM.
Thanks, bigben_again. I sent you a PM, at least I hope I did. Please send me a number to text for Furry Hearts. So far I know two people who "are interested" in the kittens. I want the best for them, but I also prefer not to be the foster home.
Apparently, Furry Hearts took these kittens last night
Anyone want to foster???
I can't get the messages to work.
You can request a foster application at info@furryheartsrescue.org
My neighbors have an old shed (maybe garage) at the back of their property that I have never seen them open in the two years I've lived here. It's very dilapidated. I've seen cats going in and out of it and my husband even boarded up a hole in the shed where the cats were getting in to our fenced backyard. The neighbors are renters and the cats are definitely not theirs. Today my kids told me that baby cats were coming out. Sure enough I counted at least 3 kittens coming out to play. They look about 6 weeks old (I'm not a cat expert). What should I do? Who should I call to help get them homes? Thanks!