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.

Pet Sitting Thor and Megan the Newfoundlands

This is Megan at 17 weeks old.

I was pet sitting for friends this weekend and they have two Newfoundlands.   One is Thor who is 4 years old and the other is Megan who is 17 weeks old.  Thor is a big teddy bear who loves people and all animals.  He has had a few surgeries and has a hard time walking now.  Megan, on the other hand, is 100% puppy.  She loves to play with people and Thor and he shows her how to play nice while on the floor so they don't hurt each other.

Thor at 4 years old.

These dogs are wonderful and are truly gentle giants.  My friends also have cats.  These dogs have managed to be trained by the cats on what kitty manners are and they definitely abide by this rule of the house.  The cats that are their personal cats are all black except for one tabby and one torbie.  They all have their own personalities just like humans.  Every time a new cat comes in there is dissension among the ranks until everyone gets used to the new kid.  That is very normal for cats, though.  Slow introductions are best when introducing a new cat to help everyone get used to everything slowly.

My friends are volunteers in rescue with me.  They help with cats that need special attention for anything from abuse to just needing to fatten up.  It is truly amazing the affect a lot of love and some food can do for a life that has been basically thrown away because its former owners didn't want he/she anymore.

I love pet sitting for my friends and love their furry family members.  They are like my own family and when one of them is sick they always text and call me to give me updates no matter what is wrong.