Spring has sprung and along with it comes kitten season! This week our featured pets are Lil Travis and Jo Jo, two kitties available through Home To Home™.

Lil Travis is a 6-month-old kitten that loves to be petted and snuggled. He’s not yet neutered so his new family should take care of that right away and make an appointment with their vet or a clinic: https://www.dbchs.org/spay-neuter-clinics

Jo Jo is a neutered 1-year-old cat who likes going outside. He’s a sweet, affectionate cat and who gets along with small dogs and female cats.

Visit https://dbchs.home-home.org/ to contact Lil Travis or Jo Jo’s current home. You’ll also find other cats and dogs looking for a new home.

Did you know? According to the Humane Society of the United States, “It’s common to see baby wild animals outside during spring…Whether an animal is orphaned and needs your help depends on its age, species, and behavior. Babies of some species are left alone all day and rely on camouflage for protection, while others are tightly supervised by their parents.”

Visit https://www.dbchs.org/wildlife-resources for tips on how to tell if a baby animal needs your help, and read on to learn more about kittens.

Like baby wildlife, kittens should be left alone, too, unless they are in distress.

Here’s a guideline to help you determine what to do if you find kittens:

1. If you see kittens outdoors who are still nursing – leave them alone. Their mom is best suited to care for them, so please don’t be a “kit-napper”! The shelter cannot care for neonatal kittens, and few fosters can take them on.

If the mother cat has been killed or if the kittens are in a dangerous situation (i.e., on the shoulder of a busy road), please call the shelter at 859.238.1117 or email us at dbchs@bellsouth.net to discuss the next steps.

2. If you see kittens outdoors who are older than 8 weeks (fully weaned from their mother) – they may be humanely trapped, spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and returned to their outdoor home to live with their family (TNVR). Please call 859.238.1117 to schedule an appointment for free spay/neuter surgery.

3. If you have kittens born to one of your cats, and you need help placing them for adoption, please visit https://dbchs.home-home.org/. Definitely check out www.dbchs.org/spay-neuter-clinics for places to get the mom cat spayed!

If you see an ear-tipped cat, that feline has already been fixed and vaccinated, so you don’t have to worry about it contributing to unwanted litters or the spread of disease.

The best way to prevent a population explosion every spring is to spay and neuter as many cats as possible year-round. We are grateful to the many caretakers who have embraced TNVR and work with us to ensure that the cats they feed do not breed!

The Danville-Boyle County Humane Society is a non-profit 501 (c)(3)  established in 1972 to promote companion animals’ humane treatment through sheltering, adoptions, community education, and spay and neuter programs.