The ‘Tail’ of the 10 Mile Road Kittens

With the start of 2012, we find ourselves in an unusual predicament for a winter in Michigan.  Normally at this time of the year, we find ourselves knee-deep in fresh snow, our noses and ears tingling with the sting of the bitter cold of January and February.  It’s this cold weather that usually brings a lull in breeding activity amongst the intact cats wandering your community; natural instinct in the cats causes them to largely forgo breeding with less favorable weather, instead focusing on finding food and staying warm until warmer weather rolls in.  Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) during the winter is easier when there’s a bigger likelihood that the female you brought in isn’t nursing a litter somewhere and kittens born in the harsh winter months rarely survive long unless born in a warm, stable shelter.  Overall, winter is generally a calmer, less kitten-heavy time of the year.  However, this winter is turning out to be anything but light on kittens right now.

How could anyone dump a face like this on the side of the road?

This past week, we were alerted to a discovery of a litter of kittens found alongside 10 Mile.  A family was driving along 10 Mile just before our last recent major snow fall and saw a large cardboard box on the side of the road.  Relatively harmless, right?  Now imagine their horror when a tiny four week old kitten scaled the top of the box and tumbled to the ground, dangerously close to certain death on the street.  They stopped and picked the box (and the wayward kitten) off the street immediately; within the box were four more kittens of the same age.  These kittens were too young to be fully weaned and had no business being outside, let alone on the side of the road with no protection from the elements other than a flimsy box.  After discussion amongst the family and friends, we were contacted as being the best chance these guys had for survival.

Kendra, our vet tech, enjoys an armful of snuggly kitten goodness.

These tiny little ones came to us last Sunday and were in surprisingly good health minus the mess of fleas they carried.  Thankfully, all five were up to eating solid food exclusively so we didn’t have to worry about bottle-feeding and they were energetically darting about the minute you let them have their paws on solid ground.  Within a few hours, we had a foster situation arranged with Beth (one of our most experienced fosters) and she picked them up and got them settled in their new ‘home’.  They’ll be with her for the next four to six weeks as they gain weight, get healthy, and learn to be good, adoptable kittens before we find them homes.  They have been dubbed the ‘Dexter Litter’, named after Carol and I’s love for the TV show ‘Dexter’ (no Dexter in this litter though, as we had a Dexter last year who found a home).  The two orange boys have been named Harrison and Batista; the girls have been named Quinn, Maria, and Debra.

Harrison catches some Z's in his foster mommy's lap.

This isn’t the first litter to come to our doorstep this year.  Another litter of five came to us through regular TNR hours at the age of about four months old, born under a porch and left outside exclusively; if this had been any regular snowy winter, the odds of survival for this brood would be slim to none.  These kittens were all very small for their age, malnourished, and full of intestinal parasites (including coccidia, which can kill if left untreated in young kittens).  We have also had reports of other litters come in from around Grand Rapids and other surrounding areas, all very young kittens born in the recent ‘off-season’ winter months.

If you have ferals and strays in your neighborhood, now is the time to contact us about borrowing equipment to trap them and get them spayed or neutered.  The warmer weather is throwing off our usual cycle of less litters at the start of  the year and is allowing kittens to be born during an unpredictable time when a sudden major blizzard can come through and kill fragile, tiny kittens with the misfortune of being caught outside in the elements.  Those kittens that survive to breeding age will be sexually mature this year and will produce litters of their own.  Help us stop the overpopulation of strays and ferals by engaging in TNR within your neighborhood and getting your own household pets spayed or neutered through low-cost options like C-Snip or Spay-Neuter Express.

From top, clockwise: Batista, Harrison, Maria, Quinn, and Debra.

Our organization is funded by the generosity of our supporters.  If you would like to help us with continuing our mission of controlling the population of strays and ferals and finding homes for cats that shouldn’t be on the street, please donate.  Your generous gift will go towards situations like the 10 Mile kittens, all of which need deworming, shots, and their spays/neuters. Any amount will help us continue our lifesaving work. Thank you.