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

• janet.dahlseid@gmail.com

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

• Instagram

• 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#