Georgetown Animal Shelter Asks Community to Follow “Don’t KitNap” Protocol During Kitten Season

The Georgetown Animal Shelter is asking the community follow “Don’t KitNap” protocol as kitten season begins in the area.

“Kitten season has begun, which means that we will see more and more babies brought into the shelter over the next few months,” the organization wrote on Facebook. “Please help the shelter by practicing the ‘Don’t KitNap’ protocol for kittens in our community!”

According to the shelter, by following four simple steps, community members can help the shelter best serve stray cats and kittens:

1. Be sure to look for the mother cat before you intervene. You can place a ring of flour around the kittens, and if you see no footprints after 5-8 hours, you can intervene. Your presence may deter mom from coming back to her nest. If the kittens are sleeping, clean and have full bellies, mom is most likely around.
2. If mom and babies appear sick or injured, please contact animal control at 512-930-3510 x 6 for assistance. If mom is friendly, call and schedule an appointment to bring the whole group in to us for medical treatment.
3. No mom? Now it is safe to check it out. If you are certain they are orphaned, we ask that you please consider fostering them in your home or that you find someone who can. The shelter is not an ideal environment for baby kittens and they tend to do better in the comfort of your home. It is easier for kittens to get sick in a shelter setting, as they are still building their immune systems. You can contact the shelter for tips and advice if you are unsure how to raise kittens.
4. If you do find mom, consider TNR (Trap-neuter-release) programs to prevent overpopulation.

“The shelter is often overcrowded during kitten season with litters that the public finds wandering the streets, or surrendered by families with intact female cats that give birth and have no room for babies,” according to the shelter’s website. “While the shelter is happy to take in these animals in need, it is important to keep mom with babies and for the shelter to have reliable foster parents on standby.”

For more information, visit the shelter’s website.

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