Summer offers chance to adopt a kitten
Print Edition
SUMMER is here, and so is the time for cats to breed, flooding animal shelters with homeless and newborn kittens. It is a tremendous population explosion and the number of kittens begins to exceed the number of homes available.
Philippe Jeangeorges is an animal-protection expert and a founder of a local rescue group, Think Adoption. He notes that cats are useful in hunting rats and have been domesticated for centuries and thus should be our friend instead of a problem. But the “kitten season” needs to be controlled, he said.
“The only solution is TNR (trap, neuter and release),” he says. “We are all responsible for what is going on, and so is building management, as well.”
There are more and more organizations in Shanghai that can help, according to Jeangeorges and William Wang, a Shanghai veterinarian.
How do you rescue a homeless baby kitten? Shanghai Daily asked Jeangeorges and Wang for advice.
STEP 1: Rescue the kitten from the street
In Jeangeorges’ view, the street is not a safe place for kittens. So no matter if the mother cat is around or not, it’s better to rescue a kitten than to leave it on the street. In fact, a kitten approaching people means that it is hungry, thirsty, lost and asking for help. “They will not do it with the mother around,” Jeangeorges said.
In general, kittens exposed to hot sun or heavy rain, with dirty fur and low body temperature, are probably orphans in desperate need of help.
To give the kitten proper care, you need to estimate its age. Wang suggested evaluating age by body weight. “The neonate kitten is about 100g and gains 10-15 grams a day on average. For example, if we find a 500-gram kitten (just over 1 pound), the age is around 5 or 6 weeks.”
Kittens under 2 weeks can’t open their eyes.
The most common problem of homeless kittens is dehydration.
Symptoms include white mouth, a weak meow and less urine.
Feeding cool (not cold) water and a little of glucose in a syringe can save kittens from dehydration.
STEP 2: Create a warm home
Kittens under 2 months old can’t moderate their body temperature, so you must provide blankets to make sure they are not cold. A hot water bottle can replace the mother’s warm body. For kittens less than 1 month old, it’s better to carry them in your arms as much as possible. They love feeling the body temperature and hearing the heart beat. Wang gives this tip for providing a constant temperature: Use rice socks heated in a microwave oven. “Don’t let the hot rice socks touch kitten’s skin,” he says. “Use a blanket to cover it.”
Wang also listed a detailed recipe in accordance with a kitten’s age. Neonates should be fed by commercial replacement milk. If owners can’t find it, there is a makeshift method: Put 1/2 cup whole milk, 1/2 cup water, 1 tsp salad oil, 1 drop multivitamins, 2 egg yolks and 2 TUMS (antacid) crushed together in a blender and keep refrigerated, then use within 48 hours. It provides 1.2 kcal/ml, which is the same as commercial diets. Neonates should be fed 22-26 kcal/100g body weight for the first 12 weeks. Kittens over 5 to 6 weeks old can gradually start to eat kitten dry food, which is better to soak with warm water.
Immune systems are not yet fully developed in kittens, so they are easily exposed to virus infections. Wang reminds adopters to look out for symptoms that include sneezing, coughing, runny eye, oral ulceration, vomiting, diarrhea or loss of appetite. If these occur, the kitten needs to go to the vet for a check, he says.
For the first three weeks, neonates have to be stimulated to urinate and defecate after each feeding. The kitten should be held securely in one hand, then use a soft moist tissue to rub the genitals gently. The feces should be soft but not green or yellow or watery.
STEP 3: Find the kitten a new adopter
If you want to find the kitten a new home, it’s best when the animal is 10 to 12 weeks old, after it has been fully vaccinated, dewormed and treated for flea control. It’s better for the kitten to live with the foster owner for a while and learn to trust people, because cats are very sensitive animals that can feel stressed when put into new environments.
To find an ideal host, you need to check their motivation, job, life stability and their apartment. Ideally, the owner won’t travel a lot because cats tend to feel depressed and stressed out when the owner is not at home, says Wang.
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