Did you find kittens? Don’t Kit-Nap!

Spring is the onset of kitten season and due to Arizona’s climate, our kitten season lasts several months. It is not uncommon to see cats, especially kittens, flooding our local shelters from April to October. Summer is the most challenging time for Valley shelters and we need our community’s hands-on support to help save these little lives while also ensuring that they don’t continue to reproduce.

What if you find stray kittens?

If you find stray kittens, please leave them be. When we find a litter of kittens, our good-hearted instincts tell us to rush to the aid of these fragile felines. Thankfully, human intervention is typically not required.

In fact, the best thing you can do is leave the kittens alone. Mom will likely return shortly, and it’s critical that the kittens remain in her care as she offers the best chance for survival.

What if you know these kittens are abandoned?

If you are extremely certain that the kittens are orphaned (mom has not been back for at least 8 hours), you can then step in and help by caring for the kittens until they’re old enough to find homes, as this time of year Valley shelters are overcrowded and limited on space and resources.

The Arizona Humane Society also offers Care In Place kits. Those who find kittens can call AHS’ Pet Resource Center at 602.997.7585 ext. 3800 and they will provide a free Care In Place kitten care kit, or you can create your own kit here. Due to limited supplies, free kits are limited to one kit per client per season.

So Many Cats or Kitten Lady is another great resource for tips on how to care for and feed young kittens, and has a great guide if you need help figuring out how old the kittens are.

If the kittens are safe with their mom, what do I do next?

Let mom care for her kittens until they’re 8 weeks old. Then make sure you get both mom and the kittens spayed and help the kittens find homes! Be on the search for friends, family, or neighbors who are looking to adopt a loving, fixed feline.

Always remember, if adult cats are present, or you have any outdoor cats that need to be spayed/neutered, be sure to contact the Spay/Neuter Hotline at 602.265.7729 (SPAY) or by filling out the Animal Defense League of Arizona’s online form to ensure that the animals can get fixed and no longer reproduce unwanted litters.

Under The Tuscany Sun

It’s the perfect movie plot: A strong, independent woman has a life-changing event thrust her into uncertainty, her fears manifest at every corner, and the world begins to slip away around her. Will she again have the happiness she remembered? Will she persevere against the odds? Will her life finally give her the purpose and love that she deserves? Slowly, with her newfound courage, her new world emerges. A community filled with loving people help her tackle the smallest of challenges, but the biggest barriers. She leans on others, but grows strong enough to rely on herself. She realizes the world is what you make of it, and home is where you are surrounded by people you love. This is life, Under The Tuscany Sun.

You didn’t think this was the 2003 “feel good movie of the year”, did you? While she deserves her name in lights, this is the story of our girl Tuscany; the longest resident currently at AAWL.

Found as a kitten living on the street by a good samaritan, Tuscany has been in and out of AAWL for 5 years, and has been a current resident since last April. Moving, family lifestyle changes, Tuscany has always come back to AAWL trying to see the silver lining, but it weighs on her. The world is not always kind to strong women; She likes her space, she has an opinion about everything, and knows what she wants in life (it’s treats. Lots and lots of treats). None of these are bad, they are defining characteristics and she should be applauded for her courage to be the best cat she wants to be. Social norms be gone, live your life girl. She loves on her terms (and she is very loving), she plays by her own rules (LOVES to play, like a jungle cat), and she wants a family that will accept here for who she is.

We are here for Tuscany, as we are for all our animals, and we know someone out there will be there for Tuscany soon for her new home.

Learn more about Tuscany HERE, and make an appointment to meet her HERE!

“She did me dirty”: How sassy Chelsea was too sassy for a show about sassy cats…

(Begin Rant)

Chelsea, you know I love you, we’ve spent the last two years together at the shelter! I’ve brought you treats and new toys, we’ve hung out writing emails. I’m allergic to cats, and I take drugs so I don’t miss my time with you. We’re friends.

So imagine my surprise when you did me dirty last week when I got a film crew here to make you famous! The List is a great show that loves interesting topics to help their viewers across the country.

When they learned about our reigning “sassy cat” and how people have passed you by for two years because they didn’t know how to talk to you, they created a segment about “sassy cat diplomacy” to help you get adopted.

For you. And you had ONE JOB – climb on your cat tree and be sassy, it’s literally your favorite thing in the world. What was the one thing you didn’t want to do when we stopped by? You can guess where I am going with this…

You were too sassy to be in a sassy cat show!!! But that’s why we love you. You have this enduring, independent spirit that makes spending time with you so great. I LOVE my time with you because I’ve earned every cuddle, every head butt, every purr. And man, it feels great. I will not give up finding you a family, we will not give up until you have a home. That’s what we do here at AAWL, we don’t give up.

(end rant)

Sincerely,

Michael, one of your many human servants at AAWL

Dolores: abandoned and hurt, now saved and loved.

We first met Dolores at AAWL when she was dumped through our front door as a 6 week old kitten. Terrified, she ran everywhere on a dislocated foot trying to hide. After a lot of coaxing and treats, we were able to catch her and start tending to her injury. During her exam, our veterinarian knew something else was wrong, proved by a very scary x-ray: Dolores’s stomach was full of trash! In the weeks of surviving on the streets, she had eaten plastics, sticks, and other pieces of garbage. If they didn’t operate now, Dolores would surely die. After a touch and go surgery, Dolores woke up with a healing foot and an empty belly. Due to her unique situation and injuries, she was placed in foster care with one of our veterinarians and then one of our vet techs over a 4 week period. If they had not been the ones to save Dolores, they never would have believed how hurt she was when she first arrived; she was tearing around their houses, climbing up furniture, and bossing around the other kitties! From a terrified kitten who may not survive, to a completely lovable hooligan, they were so happy to see how far she had come and knew she would find a loving home of her own.

Dolores is one of over 1,300 kittens that will come through AAWL this kitten season. All with their own stories, all with their own trials of life, all looking for a new home. Stop by and visit our kittens today at either our main shelter in Phoenix or our Chandler mall location, we know you will fall in love.