Six ways to save lives during kitten season
Spring is just around the corner and with it comes kitten season.
Kitten season is the time of year when shelters and rescues like Regina Cat Rescue (RCR) are inundated with kittens — kittens that were born to abandoned cats and from pet owners who aren’t prepared to care for their cat’s litter.
While a flood of kittens sounds cute, it’s a huge drain on resources and every year we struggle to find enough time, money and foster space. But you can help save lives by taking one — or many! — of the following actions:
Spay/neuter your pet cat. Regina has a cat overpopulation crisis — don’t contribute to it by allowing your pet to breed. Beat the heat and have your pets sterilized before kitten season starts!
Spay/neuter community cats in your neighbourhood. Have a stray or community cat hanging around in your neighbourhood? Work with your neighbours, friends and family to pool together funds and come up with a plan to get your community’s cat sterilized.
Sign up to foster with RCR. We have no shelter facility so all of our rescued cats and kittens need foster homes. We need foster homes to socialize/tame feral kittens, to act as emergency fosters for short term placements, to raise moms and babies, and for adult rescues.
Donate kitten formula and food. We need KMR kitten formula for orphaned kittens that require bottle feeding to survive and cans of wet kitten food to help them grow strong. You can buy these items at most vet clinics and pet food stores. Donations can be dropped off at Excalipurr Cat Café (2156 Albert Street, Regina).
Found kittens outside? Don’t panic. Their mom is probably hunting for food or for a safer nest. Watch the kittens from afar for a few hours to see if mom returns. The kittens’ best chance at survival is to be rescued with their mother — not without her.
Sponsor the spay or neuter of rescued kitten. Sterilization is the final step for a rescued kitten on its journey to its forever home. Help get them there by sponsoring their spay or neuter!
Learn more:
Regina Cat Rescue’s foster home job description and volunteer application form
Tips for Socializing (Taming) Feral Kittens by NYC Feral Cat Initiative
What to do (and not do) if you find a Newborn Kitten by NYC Feral Cat Initiative
Subsidized pet spay and neuter program at the Regina Humane Society