Finding New Litters and Babies

 Animal rescue people know when kitten season is coming but a lot of "normal" people do not and will often contact rescue organization, their vet or even shelters when they find litters and even infants.  Most of the time these organizations are full to the brim with animals they already have so fostering these babies is hopefully an option for the finder.

The care needed for these little ones can be intimidating, however, but no need to worry.  If you find a mom with babies all you need to do is put her in a small space like a large dog crate, bathroom or spare room with a box for the babies and she will do all the work for you!  Occasionally there is a little one left behind, though, and this is even more intimidating than finding the family.  While caring for the little one is hard work it is not complicated at all.  Here are two links for kittens and puppies to help you figure things out.

http://www.kittenbaby.com/

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2108&aid=863

Animal rescue organizations can also be a great source of information as can your vet.  Do not hesitate to ask but here are some things I like to keep on hand for kitten season:

Kitten Meal Replacement (KMR):  found at any petstore in powder and liquid form.
Baby kitten soft food:  doesn't matter what brand as long as it is a pate form
Baby kitten hard food:  for when they develop teeth and start eating.  I like Royal Canin baby cat but  whatever kitten food available is fine.
Bottle for KMR when they are still bottle feeding and not eating food yet.
A scale for making sure the little ones are gaining weight.

Socialization is key as well so having more than one animal with these babies is wonderful for their development (mental, social and physical).  Adopting kittens in pairs is always preferable because if the parents ever want another cat then the exposure and socialization is already there for them to be accepting of another housemate.

I hope this has helped and as always please let me know if you have any comments, questions or a topic you would like to see discussed here.