"Kitten season" underway: Bradshaw Animal Shelter seeing kitten influx
SACRAMENTO — As the weather heats up, there is a forecast of "kitten season" in Sacramento. The Bradshaw Animal Shelter is seeing a flood of tiny felines come through their door — and they are now asking the public for help.
More than 200 kittens and cats are currently residing at the Bradshaw Animal Shelter, with hundreds more in foster care. Luna Anona with Sacramento County Animal Services says their shelter has dozens more kittens arriving each day.
Anona says the shelter needs more fosters to keep up with the influx.
There are four different ways to get involved as a foster — from eight-week commitments to emergency overnight care.
Bottle-baby kitten fosters: These fosters will take care of orphaned newborns who can not eat on their own. The kittens will need to be bottle-fed every 2-4 hours for the first few weeks until they transition to food. The average time for fostering them is around eight weeks.
Mom and nursing kitten fosters: These fosters will take home an entire family unit. Mom does most of the work, these cat families just need space in your home. The average time for fostering them is around eight weeks.
Fostering older kittens who need to gain weight: These kittens are eating regular food, but need a couple of weeks of care to gain enough weight to be ready for spay/neuter surgery (they need to be 2 lbs.)
Emergency overnight bottle-baby foster: These fosters are added to a list and called when a need arises. If bottle-baby kittens arrive at the shelter shortly before doors close, they can't survive on their own overnight. These fosters will pick up the kittens, bottle-feed them overnight and bring them back the next day. These kittens will then be placed in long-term foster homes.
"We will provide all of the training, all of the supplies, all of the medical care and also all of the support," Anona said. "We have an amazing foster team. They're there to answer your questions if you have any of them."
If fosters fall in love with the tiny fur balls – no harm, no foul.
"If you're a foster and you fall in love with your pet, you can have first dibs and have them forever," Anona said. "Some people just love fostering – they say it's really rewarding. You can adopt, you can foster… you can do both. It all helps save a life."
For more information on how to become a foster care provider, Sacramento County Animal Services has more information on how to get involved.
