Kitten season has started and we can see an increase of kitten population all throughout San Francisco. San Francisco Animal Care and Control is giving away free kitten care kits for residents who will find stray and foster them.
This will help the kittens survive since Animal Care has limited services during the novel coronavirus outbreak and cannot rescue trapped cats and kittens. They also need to make room for injured animals and pets, and those who are positive for COVID19.
Read More: Cat Climbed 80ft Tree And Was Stuck There For 40 Hours
Because of limited services, they cannot perform spraying and neutering, which is a standard procedure for rescued cats. This is because of the shortage of medical supplies such as masks, gloves, and other medical equipment. They reserve these supplies for medical personnel servicing COVID19 patients.
Deputy Director John Skeel said that each kit has important items to keep the animals healthy. They have two sets of care kits to provide for both weaned kittens and kittens less than five weeks old.
For kittens less than five weeks old, their kit includes supplies of milk powder, bottles, heating stones, and a weighing scale. The weighing scale is used to monitor the weight of kittens to make sure they are growing. Additional blankets, beds, toys, wipes, and kitty litters are also provided.
For weaned kittens, they will provide the same kit but with the addition of solid food.
If a resident chooses to care for the kitten themselves, San Francisco Animal Center has provided guidelines on how to care for the stray in their website. Guidelines include a method on how to determine the age of the kittens to better understand which kits they need and what food to feed them.
Read More: Dog Waits 9 Hours For Owner To Return After Being Dumped And It’s All On Camera
They also advise residents to watch Kitten Lady Youtube channel for a step-by-step care guide. They can also find an article about cat age in Alley Cat Allies How Old is That Kitten Guide.
If still unsure, they can contact the center through email at FosterKittens@sfgov.org. They can also reach them daily between 8 am to 5 pm through 415 554 6364. The center encourages residents to foster the kittens they found as it is the best way to help them right now.