PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA – Pima Animal Care Center Pima Animal Care Center is reminding people not to panic when they see kittens alone in their community.
Mother cats, called queens, will leave their litter several times a day to get food. Unless the kittens are in imminent danger, their best chance at survival is staying with their mother. People can monitor the kittens overnight to see how they are doing by sprinkling baking soda in a circle around them. After a day or so, check to see if paw prints have disturbed the circle. That means mom is keeping an eye on them.
Monica Dangler, Director of Animal Services, said people may not realize that the best place for a kitten is to remain with its mother.
“We know people have good intentions when they bring kittens to PACC, but the truth is the very thing they are trying to prevent, might unintentionally happen when the kittens are removed from their mother,” Dangler said.
Pima Animal Care Center has taken in more than 750 kittens since the beginning of the year. There are a couple of factors adding to this boom of babies. The warmer months make up breeding season. Cats can become pregnant at as early as four months old and can go back into heat very quickly after giving birth. The size of a litter varies, but on average it’s about four to six kittens.
Until they are about 8 weeks old, kittens are very dependent on their mother. When they are younger than that, it’s difficult for them to survive without mom, even with round-the-clock care. PACC has a helpful graphic on their website to explain when a kitten should be brought to the shelter.
There are a number of ways to help:
- FOSTER: PACC has an immediate need for 300 fosters who can be on-call as litters and singeltons come into the shelter. Interested people can look at the foster website and then stop by the shelter.
- DONATE: The neonatal foster program has a variety of needs that are very different from in-shelter pets. Kittens – as well as puppies – need warmers, milk replacement, nonclumping litter and more. PACC’s official nonprofit partner, Friends of Pima Animal Care Center helps maintain an Amazon Wishlist to help purchase these items. People can also make a donation to the Friends of PACC website.
- ADOPT: The shelter has more than 400 pets in need of homes at the shelter. There are more than 1,230 animals in foster care that also need adoptive homes. All pets have $0 adoption fees. There may be a $20 licensing fee.
Pima Animal Care Center is located at 4000 North Silverbell Rd. The shelter is open Monday to Friday, noon to 7 p.m., and 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Every pet comes up-to-date medical care, a microchip, current vaccinations, and a free spay or neuter surgery. There are currently 400-plus pets at the shelter in need of homes, along with another 1,230 in foster care in need of adoptive homes.