March isn’t only about basketball games and finding a pot of gold – at the Arizona Humane Society, it is all about kittens!
That’s right, kitten season is here! While there is no denying their cuteness, kitten season can also be difficult for Arizona shelters. Kindles of kittens mean thousands of newborn animals across the valley, and with new babies finding their way through our doors daily, the sheer numbers can quickly exhaust shelter and foster resources. But AHS has a secret to managing the influx of kitties, you! Here’s how you can help support homeless kittens and save lives.
Don’t Kit-nap Kittens!
When we find a litter of kittens, our good-hearted instincts tell us to rush to the aid of these fragile felines. Thankfully, human intervention is typically not required. Actually, the best thing we can do is leave the kittens alone. Mom will likely return shortly, and it’s critical that the kittens remain in her care as she offers the best chance for survival (don’t forget to get mom and kittens spayed/neutered once they’re 8 weeks old). If you find kittens and are extremely certain that they are orphaned, you can then step in and help by caring for the kittens until they’re old enough to find homes.
Donate to our Kitten Nursery and Bottle Baby ICU
These intensive care units house kittens who range from newborns who require 24-hour care to older kittens who need to gain weight and be socialized. Between staffing, medical care, vaccinations, toys, litter, food, and other supplies, it costs more than $530,000 a year to operate the Kitten Nursery and Bottle Baby ICU. Last year, we were able to care for more than 2,000 kittens thanks to our community’s support. Make a lifesaving gift today to help us continue to save the lives of these precious kittens.
Become a Bottle Baby Foster Hero
The Arizona Humane Society sees hundreds of orphaned newborn kittens each year. That’s a lot of fur-babies! So, we depend on cat lovers like you to help these kittens who no longer have their mothers to care for them. As a Bottle Baby Foster Hero, you will have the flexibility to care for them in your own home while AHS provides all of the necessary food, medication, supplies, and support for you to be a successful Foster Hero. Our Foster Heroes expand the walls of our shelter so we can save more lives!
Outdoor Strays, There Are Just Too Many
It often seems like our streets are overrun with cats come spring. But, there is a simple solution! The most important step you can take to help reduce the number of homeless cats is to ensure that all outdoor cats in your neighborhood are spayed/neutered.
Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs are the most humane and effective way to stabilize outdoor cat populations, eliminating the yowling, fighting, or spraying that keeps you up at night.