Kittens in foster care until old enough to be adopted

With kitten season upon us, the Animal Rescue League of Boston’s (ARL) Field Services Department is constantly receiving calls regarding kittens being born in the wild, and recently took in a quartet who were living on their own in a wood pile!

The call came from a resident in Carver who was planning to move a large cord wood pile when they noticed the young kittens and, fearing for their safety, reached to ARL for assistance.

Upon arriving on scene, ARL Field Services agents witnessed one of the kittens pop its head out of the wood pile, then quickly darting back inside.

For the next hour, agents carefully moved the wood around, until they were able to get better access to the kittens.

Although elusive, the four kittens were safely secured and transferred to ARL’s Dedham Animal Care and Adoption Center to under veterinary exams and were then placed into foster care where they will remain until they are old enough to find their permanent homes.

Kitten Season is Here

Community cats – friendly strays, feral, semi-feral or abandoned – are incredibly resourceful and can be found in a variety of places — under decks, porches, in woodpiles (as we’ve just seen), window wells, anywhere where they can find relative quiet – they’ve also been known to sneak into basements!

Should you spot two or 20 stray cats or kittens, ARL’s Field Services Department is ready to help.

Through ARL’s Community Cats Initiative, agents will assess a reported colony to determine the possible number of cats, their overall health status, and whether or not a local resident in the area is feeding the animals and can continue doing so.

Once the colony is assessed and staff checks for signs of ownership, a Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) plan is formulated to have the animals spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and determine whether the cats will be returned to the field, or placed up for adoption.

With an estimated 700,000 community cats in Massachusetts, TNR is one of the most effective ways to stop the cycle of homelessness among cats.

Healthy Moms, Happy Litters

Additionally, if your cat or dog gives birth to a litter of kittens or puppies and you are looking for support, ARL has you covered.

Through the Healthy Moms, Happy Litters Program, ARL provides FREE spay and neuter services for the mother and father animals, who will be returned to the owner after surgery.

The litter will be spayed/neutered, and when they reach the appropriate age, placed up for adoption.