Heroes needed to save underage kittens

On Saturday, July 18, residents of Long Beach and nearby towns participated in the Underage Kitten Training at Long Beach Animal Care Services (LBACS). The program is a collaboration between LBACS and Helen Sanders CatPAWS intended to save lives of the most vulnerable populations that enter shelters: kittens under 8 weeks old.

“Fostering a shelter pet brings numerous rewards — not just for the individual animal but for the entire community,” said Alma Vera-Lima, shelter superintendent at Long Beach Animal Care Services (LBACS). “By opening your home, you're making a significant difference in the lives of many animals.”

Vera-Lima cited LBACS’ Compassion Saves model, whose mission is to save the lives of as many pets as possible. Through partnerships and volunteer efforts, veterinary medical treatment is used in both emergency surgeries and curing diseases like ringworm and mange; seeking behavioral training and special placement for animals who have suddenly shown aggression; and championing spay/neuter, which prevents unwanted pets from being born in the first place. In many shelters, when newborn kittens are brought in without the mothers, the staff scrambles for care.

Great numbers are euthanized because of staff shortages and the lack of shelter programs and partnerships. In fact, kittens under 8 weeks old comprise one of the most euthanized populations in shelters.

Now, during the height of kitten season, cats are breeding everywhere, in crawl spaces, in bushes, in your backyard. TNVR (trap/spay-neuter/vaccinate/return) helps prevent kittens from being born, but the ones brought into shelters without checking whether mom has gone off to hunt increase the need for help. Like many shelters, LBACS is limited in resources. That’s where volunteers who are willing to perform heroics come in.

“Volunteers are really critical in saving the most vulnerable populations that we have, which are always, always unweaned bottle baby kittens,” Vera-Lima said. “Oftentimes, it's because we just don't have fosters to put them up. So, whether you're fostering for us or any other organization, it’s very appreciated because this is the most vulnerable population.”

Fostering is rewarding but not a simple matter. Newborn kittens require around-the-clock care, which they can’t rely on at a shelter. Even kittens eating on their own are still frail and are at risk of contracting diseases, viruses and respiratory infections.

Fosters will have to figure out how to feed them every few hours — some couples and families do it in shifts — weigh them at specified intervals, bring them in for vaccinations, provide post-spay/neuter care, and recognize an emergency and call the emergency team. People who are willing and able learn what’s involved and then do it are invaluable. The prospective fosters at the workshop seemed more than up to the task.

Vera-Lima introduced Deborah Felin-Magaldi, cofounder of Helen Sanders CatPAWS and a rescue partner with LBACS. CatPAWS, an all-volunteer nonprofit, pulls adoptable-age and underage kittens from the shelter, provides any necessary medical attention, and keeps the kittens with fosters until they find forever homes. LBACS supports CatPAWS’ low-cost clinics with vouchers to spay and neuter community and owned cats.

Felin-Magaldi has cared for underage kittens for over 20 years. She shared her experience and knowledge, answered questions, and gave the attendees encouragement.

“Half the battle is just being willing to try and believing that you can,” she said. “So be willing, be curious, be always learning.

Felin-Magaldi, using a slide presentation created by LBACS, gave a timeline for underage-kitten care at each developmental stage of early kittenhood and described specific needs that must be met to help kittens stay alive and thrive. Keeping the body warm and taking their temperature are essential, she said, because kittens up to 4 weeks old cannot generate their own body heat and can crash and die if their temperature drops to a critical level.

Kittens will need to eat, and without mom, you have to be chef and waitstaff. You’ll need to bottle- or syringe-feed them formula until they’re 4 weeks old and then clean their little faces and whiskers, gradually transition to gruel — warm formula mixed with kitten food, and finally help them into eating independently without them face-planting in the dish.

And as unappetizing as it may sound, tiny kittens cannot poop or pee on their own, so you’re going to have to do that, too. Honestly, though, it’s not as off-putting as it sounds. Mom’s not around for box training, either, but you’ll be able to deal with that, too.

Fosters also must be vigilant about warning signs and emergency indicators like failure to gain weight, diarrhea or constipation, high fever, seizures, breathing problems and lethargy. They must immediately call the LBACS 24-hour emergency number if the kittens show any of these signs.

Just the reality: through no one’s fault, not all of them may make it. That can be tough.

“It’s a vulnerable population with a really high mortality rate,” Vera-Lima said. “No matter what you do, even with experienced fosters, it just happens for reasons that are often beyond our control no matter what we do. But no matter what happens, you're someone who did something, and that something you did will make a difference.”

As the kittens grow and develop, you’ll need to bring them in for vaccinations. At 8 or 9 weeks old, you’ll bring them in for spay/neuter. Finally, you’ll return them to LBACS for adoption. That’ll be a bittersweet moment, sort of like sending the kids off to college.

Unless, of course, you can’t part with a couple of them. That’s what they call foster-failing, and it’s the best way ever to fail.

If you missed the Underage Kitten Training and a tingle in your heart is telling you that you want to do that, too, access the LBACS foster page and apply. You’ll get training and support. It’s not an easy job, but heroism never is.

“[Fostering] will change your life, I promise, knowing that a real creature is alive because of you and maybe will go on to be somebody's best friend,” Felin-Magaldi said.

YOURS DROOLY

Like many nonprofits, Helen Sanders CatPAWS wears many hats, and there’s at least one cat in each one: bottle-feeding and providing medical care to newborn kittens, saving lives of damaged kittens, giving glee to residents of assisted living homes by bringing kittens for them to cuddle, free and low-cost spay/neuter, among many other things.

And fostering and adopting out shelter cats. CatPAWS pulls kittens and, sometimes, at-risk cats from LBACS and a couple of other shelters. Under the CatPAWS umbrella, the cats and kittens thrive with fosters and take turns meeting the public at the playroom at the Seal Beach PetSmart. The little guys who made a guest appearance at last Saturday’s Underage Kitten Training may well become CatPAWS alumni unless they’re scooped up at LBACS or their bottle feeders decide to raise them the rest of the way. (That’s called foster fail, and it’s the best way to fail at anything.)

All CatPAWS adoptables can be seen here along with the application to adopt. You can play with some of them at the Seal Beach PetSmart. Most of the playroom residents are kittens, and kittens are self-promoters when it comes to adoption. Here, then, are three adult kittens in foster — they’re as winning as any kitten and just as worthy of forever.

Anakin and Kylo are two beloved young brothers who suddenly found themselves looking for a new home through no fault of their own. Adopted together as kittens by a military couple, these sweet boys were cherished from the very beginning — and it shows. When both the humans were unexpectedly deployed and assigned overseas, they were heartbroken to return Kylo and Anakin to CatPAWS.

With an uncertain deployment ahead and no clear path to keep them safely together, they made the painful decision to ask for help finding their boys the stable, loving future they deserve. Kylo and Anakin are barely a year old, and while they are understandably a little confused and anxious right now, their gentle spirits are already shining through.

They may be shy at first, but they are friendly boys who want to be petted, loved, and reassured that everything is going to be okay. Because they have grown up together and take comfort in each other, CatPAWS would love to see Kylo and Anakin adopted as a pair. A patient, kind home that can give them time to settle in — and plenty of affection once they do — would mean the world to them. Let’s rally around that military couple by making sure their beloved kitties find a wonderful new home quickly.

If you can open your heart and home to Kylo and Anakin, please reach out today. If you cannot adopt, sharing their story could help connect them with the family they are waiting for.

Asrael is the prettiest cat, matched by her sweet and loving personality. Her original adopter passed away, so she’s looking for her new best friend. She’s not big on cuddling, but she likes to lie close to her people. She’ll also sit on a lap for a bit and is playful and enjoys toys. She has always lived as an only cat, but with a savvy owner, she could be introduced to another friendly animal or two to enrich her life.

TAIL-WAGGIN' AND NOSE-BOOPIN' EVENTS

Whiskers & Words open mic night

Think you can get a word in edgewise with a bunch of cats milling around? Feline Good Social Club (FGSC) would like you to try! The cat lounge invites local writers, musicians and cat lovers to Whiskers & Words, a unique open mic night dedicated entirely to the pointy-eared characters in the audience and at large. Human attendees can step into the spotlight or settle into the audience while the lounge’s free-roaming, adoptable resident cats do their best to distract. Performers may share original poetry, read favorite cat-centric literature, or strum acoustic songs inspired by their four-legged muses. It’s the perfect opportunity for animal advocates and creatives to express their devotion to felines in a cozy, supportive community space.

“Our resident kitties make the absolute coziest audience in Long Beach,” said Pam Leslie, Chief Feline Officer (CFO) of FGSC. “Whether you are stepping up to the microphone or just soaking up the creative energy, you get to cuddle with adoptable cats the entire time. It is a wonderful way to balance local art with vital animal socialization.”

Whiskers & Words takes place Saturday, July 25, 6:30 p.m.–8 p.m. at Feline Good Social Club, 301 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach. Tickets are $19.99; purchase tickets or sign up to perform at this link. All proceeds support local cat rescues.

Benny’s Birthday Bash and Love Your Pet Party

Benny the Cat is turning 9 years old in August! That’s reason for celebration because the shelter vets didn’t expect him to make it past 3. Benny survived horrific abuse as a kitten with the combined help of LBACS, Helen Sanders CatPAWS and the profound love of his adoptive mom, Bev, who fell hopefully in love at first sight. Celebrate Benny and every pet we’ve shared a good life with at a pawsome party featuring music, games, raffles that include a pair of JetBlue tickets, adoptable kittens and dogs (whee!), face painting, vendors, arts and crafts, and a big, cat-face birthday cake!

Tickets are just $20 each and include entertainment, activities and lunch! Kids 12 and under are free. Celebrate Benny and the lives he’s impacted, the adversity he overcame, and his special bond with so many fellow pet lovers and humans all over the world who are living their best lives after surviving abuse.

Benny the Cat’s Birthday Party takes place Saturday, Aug. 22, 11 a.m.–3:00 p.m. at Seal Beach Marina Community Center, 151 Marina Dr., Seal Beach. Tickets are $20 (kids 12 and under are free as Benny’s special guests) and are available here.

Pet Loss and Illness Support Group

The worst day in the life you share with a pet is the day you have to say goodbye forever. Grief is personal on the one hand, and on the other hand, you have a lot of company who get what you’re going through. Helen Sanders CatPAWS rescue gets it, too, and offers a space for anyone who also gets it, who’ll never say to you, “But it was just a cat.” Or a dog, or a rabbit, or a horse, or a goldfish. The members of this group will listen, connect, and support you, and you’ll do the same for them.

The Pet Loss and Illness Support Group takes place Saturday, Aug. 22 at 11 a.m. at the Bay Shore Church, 5100 E. The Toledo, Long Beach. No cost for the meeting.

 Need a low-cost veterinarian, information about trapping community cats, places to volunteer, pet food, veterinary assistance, rescues and shelters to adopt from — anything pet related? Follow this link for resources. Please add your own ideas in the Comments section.