Spring brings many things to life. It is also traditionally kitten season.
What to do if you find kittens?
First, determine if the kittens are visibly sick or injured. If yes, contact an animal welfare organization or shelter that can help you assess whether the kittens need intervention. If that isn’t possible, take the kittens to a veterinarian immediately.
If not, try to estimate the age of the kittens by how they look. Avoid handling the kittens and watch them from a distance for 10-12 hours. If the kittens seem healthy and content, mom will usually return when she feels it’s safe. If the kittens are exposed, attempt to find a safe hiding spot nearby, move them and monitor them from a safe distance for 10-12 hours.
If mom returns, great! Leave kittens alone for now. When the kittens are eight or more weeks old they can be scheduled for spay/neuter surgery along with mom.
If mom doesn’t return after 10-12 hours, these kittens may need your help. If you can’t foster them yourself, contact a local animal welfare group for guidance.
Taking newborn kittens to your local shelter should be a last resort. Many animal shelters can’t provide the kind of around the clock care that kittens need.
The best way to help most kittens is to leave them with their mother, and then when they are more than 8 weeks old, contact your local shelter for information on spay/neuter resources.
With a motto of “Save Them All,” Best Friends Animal Society, headquartered in Utah, works locally with both the Farmington Regional Animal Shelter and the Aztec Animal Shelter.
Looking for a new buddy? Meet Pal. At approximately 2 years old, this friendly, full of life male mixed breed was brought as a stray to Farmington Regional Animal Shelter.
Approximately 48 pounds, this beautiful boy is an indeterminate number of breeds, all melded together into one fluffy mutt who is 100 percent “good boy.” When he came to the shelter he had an injury on one of his front legs which has been treated and healed, but he was left with a little limp. He is full of energy and really enjoys going for walks.
He is good on leash, having been walked by various shelter volunteers. Drop by the Farmington Regional Animal Shelter and say hello to Pal, who would love to be your new best friend.
The Farmington and Aztec shelters have a great of valuable information on their websites. To find out more, visit www.aztecnm.gov/animalshelter or www.farmingtonnm.gov/173/Animal-Shelter.