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TRANSCRIPT
Jax Kitten Army Boot Camp
Agenda• Who am I anyway?
• What is Kitten Army?
• What to do if you find kittens
• Ways to foster
• Basics of fostering, by age
• Supplies you will need
• What to do if kittens get sick
• Importance of spay/neuter
• Tips for finding homes
• More resources
Your humble facilitator
• Janet Dahlseid
• Not an animal welfare professional, just a pretty
good amateur
• Started TNR & fostering in 2010
What is Kitten Army?
• Program designed specifically for kittens in
Jacksonville, supported by The Jed Fund.
• Our goals are to recruit, support, educate and
retain foster parents for kittens.
• Every year, there is a "kitten season“ when all
the unfixed cats reproduce ... and reproduce and
reproduce.
• This leads to thousands of kittens being born,
overwhelming shelters.
• Foster parents are needed to save their lives.
• Originally just ACPS but expanded this year.
If you find baby kittens
• Clean, quiet kittens are usually healthy – mom
could be hiding nearby.
• Wait & watch - always better to get mom too.
• Remove if:
• Dirty, injured, unsafe location or obviously sick
• Mom doesn't return after several hours
• Warmth first, then food
• Please get mom spayed – TNR if necessary
Option#1 – work through an agency
• Work with foster coordinator(s) and
follow their rules
• Vet care provided
• Municipal shelter (JACPS, CCACC)• Most need since they must take any and all strays.
Supported by taxpayers so limited funds
• Non-profit (JHS, rescue groups)• Pull from shelters, take in strays
• After dropping off for surgery, your work
is done!
• Also means you don't control adopter, etc.
Option#2 - on your own
• You have control
• Keeps kittens out of the shelter system
• Kitten Army is here to support you!
• Kittenarmy.org
• Facebook group
• Resources available for vet care, spay/neuter
• See appendix
• You find a home when ready, you pick the
adopter
• Coming soon – info about JHS grant
How long do I have them?
• Depends on the kittens' age and needs.
• Bottle Babies: up to 8 weeks.
• Moms & Babies:
• Up to 4 weeks for Mom
• Up to 8 weeks for babies
• Mush Babies: around 4-5 weeks
• Kittens eating on their own: 2-4 weeks
Basics of fostering
• Make sure everyone in your household is on
board!
• Littermates together, separate litters separate
• Wash your hands and thank us later!
• Keep your own pets up to date on vaccines
• Keep kittens separate from your other pets
• Safe, secure area that can be easily cleaned
• Spare bathroom
• Spare bedroom
• Cage/crate/playpen
Supplies - Basics• Heating pad w/o shut-off or Snuggle Safe disc
• Blue Dawn or baby shampoo for baths
• Food (depends on age – formula, canned, dry)
• Bottles, nipples, syringes for babies
• Baby wipes for quick clean-ups
• Paper plates or small bowls for older kittens
• Small pan/litter box and NON-CLUMPING litter
Supplies - Extras
• Small digital scale
• Miracle Nipples
• Flea comb
• Whelping collars for identical siblings
• Cage/kennel (2x2x3 works great)
• Pet playpen
• Baby wipe warmer
• Karo syrup or Nutri-Cal
Bottle babies
• Cannot eat on their own.
• Most at-risk group.
• Only need small crate at first
• Need feeding every 2-3 hours to every 4-6
depending on age.
• Formula: 2 parts water to 1 part powder. Warm
before feeding.
• Never feed on their backs!
• Require stimulation to urinate and defecate.
• Extremely rewarding to watch them grow!
Moms & Babies
• Require a safe space to rest and nurture babies.
• Great option if you work and can't keep bottle
babies.
• Ensure mom is taking care of all equally.
• Once babies are weaned:
• Mom can be spayed
• Babies need another ~4 weeks.
Mush Babies
• Transitioning from bottle to wet food
• May require supplemental bottle/syringe feeding
until they get the hang of it.
• Don't need hourly feeding, but need to be
monitored for food intake.
• Messy ... but so much fun!
Kittens Eating on Their Own
• Goal is to get to 2 lbs!
• Will need help learning litter box skills and lots of
interaction.
• NON-CLUMPING litter only!!
• Great for those who work away from home.
• Lots of energy and lots of fun!
When you get home...now what?!?!
• De-flea
• Assume they have 'em
• Bathe with dish detergent or baby shampoo, dry thoroughly, pick off the rest
• If with mom, she will keep clean
• Warmth
• Heating pad, Snuggle Safe, rice sock
• Tiny kittens can't regulate body temp
• Safety
• Spare bathroom, playpen, metal cage
Sick kittens - when to Monitor
• Kittens get sick. If you see these
symptoms, notify your foster coordinator
and monitor:
• Sneezing/coughing
• Ocular/nasal discharge
• Mild-short lasting lethargy
• Did not gain weight
• Soft stool/small amounts of red blood in stool
• Occasional vomiting
• Decreased appetite but still eating
• Unusual behavior
• Drinking less than normal
Sick kittens - when to act• May need immediate attention!
• Not eating/did not eat during last meal
• Weight loss
• Liquid diarrhea or dark blood in stool
• Dehydration dry/sticky gums, skin does not bounce back when pinched
• Listless little to no movement or energy
• Repeated vomiting
• Bleeding
• Neurological symptoms: fainting, dizziness, seizures, walking funny (drunk), disoriented or confused, sudden aggression
• Small patches of missing fur
Spay/Neuter and TNR
• We love kittens but there are still too many!
• Unsocialized (or not!) cats can be fixed via Trap-
Neuter-Return (TNR)
• Even if you've never trapped a cat you can learn
– we all had a first time!
• Low-cost/free options available (see appendix)
• Many individuals feed without fixing. Lack of
knowledge, good intentions, lack of
transportation or funds.
• Help a neighbor = help a cat = prevent more kittens!
ACPS-JHS Kitten Intake – 3 yrs
9,262
10,138
11,364
8,000
8,500
9,000
9,500
10,000
10,500
11,000
11,500
12,000
2014 2015 2016
Tips & Tricks for Finding New Homes
Now that you’ve got foster kittens it’s time to start
searching for homes! Here’s 6 simple steps:
1. SNAP: Great pictures produce great results.
2. SHARE: Start early, use social media.
3. NAME: Cute, creative names get attention.
4. BRAG: Need we say more? Your kittens are
the best ever!
5. WORK: Share and share some more.
6. DOUBLE: Two are better than one!
Full document on kittenarmy.org
Fostering Saves Lives!
Congratulations soldiers!You made it through Boot camp!
Additional Resources (local)
• Low-cost veterinary care, spay/neuter:
• Jacksonville Humane Society• 8464 Beach Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32216
• 904-725-8766 www.jaxhumane.org
• First Coast No More Homeless Pets (also TNR)• 6817 Norwood Ave, Jacksonville, FL 32208
• 904-425-0005 www.fcnmhp.org
• St. Francis Animal Hospital• 2727 Atlantic Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32207
• 904-674-7223 www.saintfrancisanimalhospital.org
Additional Resources (cont'd)
• Online:
• Kitten Army: www.kittenarmy.org
• Kitten Lady: www.kittenlady.org
• Maddie's Fund: www.maddiesfund.org/orphaned-kitten-care-how-to.htm
• Alley Cat Allies: www.alleycat.org
Sources for Supplies
• Playpen a/k/a “Pop-up”
Amazon: Yaheetech 45“
• Snuggle Safe
• Amazon link
• Revival Animal
• Miracle Nipples
• Squirrels and More
• Henry's Pets
• Digital Scale
• Amazon - up to 5#