Category Archives: Kitten Season

#ThanksToMaddie, We Can Save More Kittens!

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Last Sunday, many of us from Tree House (staff, fosters, volunteers) gathered in our community room together with ten other rescue organizations to take a class from the National Kitten Coalition (NKC) that delivered important information about saving more kittens. Presented by Rosemarie Crawford, the class covered topics ranging from providing urgent care to kittens upon intake to dealing with infectious diseases and how to offer supportive care for illnesses like panleukopenia. Everyone walked away with a comprehensive handbook and much more confidence to go forward caring for little ones.

Tree House’s Dr. Emily and Rosemarie Crawford addressing our full house. (Photo provided by Rosemarie.)

Tree House was also able to host the NKC for an afternoon session aimed at helping shelters/rescues start or improve and expand their foster programs, a particularly important initiative during kitten season, when it seems like the little guys are falling out of the sky. This was all thanks to a grant from Maddie’s Fund to the NKC so that they are able to offer this lifesaving program to organizations who need it. Topics included information on how to find fosters, the benefits of fostering (For this writer, it has always been the joy of seeing kittens in my bathtub), how to fund your programs, and how to set your fosters up for success throughout the program. Thanks to Maddie, Tree House and all the organizations who joined us are now ready to improve our foster programs for this season and in the coming years.

A big thank you to both the NKC and Maddie’s Fund for making this day happen. We were so proud to host you and all of the wonderful organizations who joined us for the day so that, as a community, we can do more to help further our unified cause of saving lives.

Love,

Tree House.

P.S. For our readers who are curious about fostering, send us an email at fosterATtreehouseanimals.org to learn more. Olga and Kate, our fabulous foster team, will answer all of your questions with no pressure to go forward if you decide it’s not right for you. We’ll even be having a foster recruitment Kitten Shower this year on May 5, from 11 am to 1 pm (details to come) if you want more hands-on demonstrations. Fostering is a direct way to save a life (or many tiny lives) so if you’re even a little, kitten-sized bit interested in bottle feeding, snuggling, cuddling, and helping to raise a furry little friend who will always hold you forever dear as their very first loving human, send us a note. All you need is a spare room and a big heart.

Three Kittens Born Outside: Sick, Scared, Helpless

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It was a cold, wintry day and these little strays were frightened, sick, and struggling to survive. No food, no water, no mom in sight. The kittens were only six weeks old and weighed less than two pounds. Without help, they would die.

Luckily, Robert, William, and Larry were found by a Good Samaritan. This caring woman took them to a veterinarian to get medical treatment, especially for their eye infections, but the treatments didn’t work. They were getting worse. She knew Tree House could save them and brought them in for urgent care.

Saving These Tiny Strays

Thankfully, these kittens were found in time. All three suffered from eye infections, Robert with the most severe. They were riddled with fleas and were battling upper respiratory infections. These kittens were in serious condition and in need of immediate care.

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Emergency Surgery to Save Robert

By the time Robert was found, his simple infection had become a very serious issue. His eye began to bulge from his eye socket before it finally ruptured. If he did not receive urgent treatment, this little guy might not survive.

Robert was rushed to Tree House, where he received late-night surgery to remove his eye – which was his only option. After his surgery, he went to foster care to recover in a quiet and caring environment.

Three Long Months of Multiple Illnesses

In addition to Robert’s urgent care, we provided his siblings, Larry and William, the treatments they needed. Thankfully, we were able to save both kittens’ eyes. They also suffered from serious upper respiratory infections and ringworm and spent months recovering in our clinic isolation units. But these resilient little guys fought back.

Safe at Home

Robert (now name Willie), Larry, and William (now name Max) had a long and tough road to recovery. Despite all they have lived through, these little guys are all loving and gentle cats. Each was adopted only days after they arrived on our adoption floor. All are healthy and happy; thriving in their new homes with lots of purring, playing, and contentment!

These kittens are the lucky ones. There are thousands more like them who do not survive. 

Please Help Us Save Them

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