Jaqueline Cap-Waller                                                               FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 3/17/2022

ASPCA

(212) 876-7700

JAQUELINEJ.CAPWALLER@STU.BMCC.CUNY.EDU

KITTEN DAY HAS BEGAN

ASPCA Kicks Off Kitten Season as Shelters Become Flooded with Homeless Kittens.

NEW YORK, NY: Today ASPCA begins to prepare for their annual Kitten Season. Between the months of April and November animal shelters, across New York, are flooded with homeless kittens. These animals often require exceptional care until they are ready to be adopted into their new homes. ASPCA strives to give these kittens the care they need.

On their website, ASPCA highlights the steps it takes to care for these kittens. With the help of the public, they can do this. As stated on their website ASPCA writes, “We help thousands of kittens every year with your support. Kittens have many needs when they enter a shelter: medical treatments, vaccinations, microchipping, food, love and more.”

Here is how ASPCA’s Kitten Nursery’s care the new felines

• 1:00AM: Bottle feeding has commenced for the neonatal kittens and laundry and clean-up has begun.
• 4:00AM: Another round of bottle feeding for the newer kittens. Older kittens who have moved passed the stage of bottle feedings are hand fed using tongue depressors and encouragement from loving staff. Staff also begins daily cleaning of kittens and their kennels in the Kitten Nursery.
• 7:00AM: More bottle feeding for Kittens. New kittens require feedings every three hours so they may grow into healthy strong cats. The staff also prepares kittens that are ready to be spayed or neutered on that day
• 10:00AM: Again, more bottle feeding. ASPCA staff will recreate the warmth and love that their mothers would give the orphaned kittens. They do this by mimicking a mother’s cat tongue by brushing the kittens with a soft toothbrush.
• 1:00AM: Kittens from partner shelter arrive. The medical team will do intake exams and if needed give the new kittens a soothing bath.
• 4:00PM: It is important for kittens to have exposure to humans to prepare them to be future pets. ASPCA Foster Volunteers sit with the kittens and play with them introducing them to stuffed toys, cardboard scratchers, and new scents.
• 7:00PM: After each feeding newborn kittens need help relieving themselves. Since orphaned kittens do not have a mother to help stimulate them, the staff give a lending hand. Older kittens’ litter is changed by staff and monitored to ensure kittens are using their litter boxes correctly.
• 10:00PM: Bottle fed kittens are still being fed every three hours. Staff ensures the temperature of each bottle is 102 degrees the same as it would be if they were feeding from their mothers.

As we can see ASPCA takes great care of these orphaned Kittens.

About ASPCA: The American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), was the first humane society created in North America and is now one of the largest in the world. ASPCA’s belief is “that animals are entitled to kind and respectful treatment at the hands of humans and must be protected under the law.” ASPCA’s headquarters are in New York City but have anti- cruelty missions throughout the nation. They are a privately funded not-for-profit corporation and are proud of their over 2million supporters across the country. Founder Henry Bergh stated in 1866 that the mission of ASPCA is “to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States.”

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