SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — Kitten season has sprung upon Savannah and many rescues are overwhelmed by the number of cats currently under their care. Many are so overwhelmed that they are no longer able to take in new cats. So, what do you do if you find a litter of kittens?
Nina Shultz, the adoptions manager at the Humane Society for Greater Savannah, said that the first thing you want to do is see if the mother is around.
“Their best chance of survival is to be with mom,” She explained. “Any time you pick up a stray kitten, you lessen that chance by 20%.”
You will want to wait and see if mom reappears, even if this takes several days of monitoring.
“If after a few days you’ve noticed that mom is not around then you know what? You are able to get them,” she said.
However, you better be prepared for a lot of work, and get ready to keep those kittens in your home with you for an extended period of time.
“You have to be willing to foster them until a facility can get them into a foster,” Shultz said.
Right now, many facilities are not taking in new cats because of the sheer number of cats and kittens currently placed with them due to a lack of spaying and neutering of local animals.
Cat Green from One Love Animal Rescue said in an email that the rescue has over 100 cats and kittens under their care as of June 24.
“The number of homeless pets in our community is simply overwhelming,” She wrote.
The Humane Society for Greater Savannah has a foster coordinator who is able to help with the fostering of the kittens and most rescues will offer assistance on caring for the babies. If you are unable to care for the kittens you should know that it can take more than several days for a rescue to find a foster home that is open.
You can find more information about the humane society by clicking or tapping on the link here.