Preparing for the “Future” Umm… that future is not so far away :) We’re talking about kitten season, a misnomer if we’ve ever heard of one! Why? Because “kitten season” in rescue begins when the first kittens start popping out late in March, hits a peak from late April through September, winds down through the beginning of December. There are really only 2 months that are normally kitten free – January and February. So why do we in rescue refer to kitten season? Makes more sense to talk about “non-kitten season”… ha! Anyway – preparing. This year, why not use this lull before the storm to truly prepare? That means making a plan :) Starting with where will you hold them? – and those most experienced with wild babies will highly suggest a large cage, or an area that is so small and confined they cannot get away from you. NEVER put them in a room with a bed they can hide under – you may never see them again! It scares feral babies to be chased – never should you put them in such a large area that they can run and hide, and if you do, don’t do a chase. Scaring them only imprints the fear reaction even more. Here are four different styles, and all of them are right – this is just to get you thinking “if kittens show up, where will I put them?” • Janis – starts her kids in carriers. The carrier is SO small, those babies cannot go anywhere. You need to be able to read the kittens – meaning the difference between the ages, the degree of “feral-ness”, learning to know when you can just reach in, or when you need to use a towel to cover your hand. But Janis tames dozens of kittens every year and is a firm believer in starting very small! • Sue – starts her babies in small cages. Sue has been taming kittens for many years now, and while she has a double cage set up to give them room, if they are too spooky she puts up a divider and makes it smaller. • Nancy – built 2 “kitten taming cages”. One is 14”x14”x 42”; the other is 4’x4’x6’, and is elevated 4’ off the ground. Really wild ones start in the small, others go to the big. They can hide, but since she can crawl in that cage with them they cannot get away. What she has found is elevating the cage makes a big difference, cats or kittens put in this cage calm down quickly as they watch the rest of the house from a safe vantage point. • Jennifer – starts them in a small bathroom. There’s nowhere for them to go, and she is in and out several times a day – they get used to seeing/interacting with the “whole person” pretty quickly. However you choose to set things up, what we are suggesting is you start thinking about this NOW. Because “kitten season” is just around the corner… Ps – a kitten taming class will be coming this spring! Pss - click the pics for explanations...
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 03:40:19 +0000