-- A Clear Case of " Kit-Napping!"--
-- A Clear Case of " Kit-Napping!"--
Last month, the Clinton County SPCA posted both photos and a chart about the practice of“ Kit-napping.” What’ s that? It’ s the name given to the practice of removing a group of kittens from a place outside.“ Usually, the number of litters would have dropped to very few by now,” Cristy Lehman, general manager of Clinton County SPCA explains,“ But the warm weather of late summer and the surge of warmth in September has extended the season.”
But.. we want to save the stranded kittens!! Except, they are most likely NOT stranded. Their mother is close by. She’ s hunting to feed herself, and by extension the kittens, or luring a predator away from her precious babies. How do you know they aren’ t stranded? First, just by looking at them. Are they starving, looking nearly dead? Listless? Kittens, like most baby mammals, need to be constantly fed to look anywhere close to healthy. A kitten not fed for more than 12 hours looks very sick. It’ s why people who help raise baby animals that have been orphaned need to keep to a feeding schedule of every 2 hours. If the kittens look just hungry and are mewing, then they are just fine. All kittens are hungry, all the time.
People who mistake the mewing for distress, or are swayed by the cuteness of the kittens, then move and handle the babies. Just by doing this, you are lowering their chances of survival. Even in a foster situation, the kittens do so much better with Mom and her milk outside in the wild. Kitten replacement formula is not best. Even a seasoned foster of kittens under 8 weeks old will have a greater chance of a baby getting sick or dying. So how often does this happen?“ At least 3 times a week this summer,” Cristy says, from the records at the shelter.“ This morning, a woman was attempting to bring a litter in after she took them from the feral mother. She didn’ t even try to raise them. Another person brought in a random week old kitten. When asked, she said that there were about 30 stray cats around her property.” That means that this kitten, whose eyes are not yet open, has a slim chance of living. Again, taking kittens from their mother hurts( and potentially kills) them.
Is there ever a time to take them? Only in two instances. The first is if they are truly abandoned. How would that look? Not mewing, not moving. Very listless. Not sure? Put a circle of flour around the kittens. The mother will step through it to reach them. So, a paw print will let you know. And give it several hours, or overnight. Cats often return at night, when visibility is lower. The other time is if they are older kittens, probably 3 months or older. At 3 pounds, the cats can be trapped, neutered, and released. That breaks the cycle of overpopulation of cats. For more information, look at the Clinton County SPCA facebook page, or call them at 570- 748-4756.
Hector and Jasper want to remind all of you to keep your cats inside on Halloween( though Hector thinks he should be the exception to this rule and allowed to play with his neighborhood friends). It’ s one of the few times he is not in the shop, as there is too much traffic in the dark, and cars are paying attention to children in the street, not silly cats. Have fun and be safe this Halloween.
- by Linda Roller, Bookseller, Writer, & Owner of Liberty Book Shop in beautiful downtown Avis, PA.
LIBERTY BOOK SHOP Linda Roller
Hours: Thursday & Friday 10-6, Saturday 10-3, or by appt.
“ Where yesterday’ s books are today’ s treasures.”
LibertyBookShop @ comcast. net www. thelibertybookshop. com
570-753-5201
Pawsitively Pets-- October 5