OKC Animal Welfare enters busy season

Spring kicks off the busy season at Oklahoma City Animal Welfare.

Spring is mating season, and litter after litter come through the shelter doors, especially kittens. The shelter struggles with overcrowding and needs the community’s help to ensure that does not happen — and that lives are saved.

What can you do?

Many of the puppies and kittens are too small to make available for adoption. Getting them out of the shelter as soon as possible is a priority. Their immune systems are weak, and illness can spread quickly. Many of them are not weaned and need to be bottle fed for several weeks. This can be overwhelming for shelter staff and there just isn’t enough time or space to care for all of them in the shelter environment.

The good news is the shelter has a program to help care for them. The shelter’s foster program is vital in saving the lives of these animals. In 2020, nearly 3,500 animals were saved through this program. There can be as many as 400 to 500 animals in foster homes at any given time during this peak season. The shelter provides everything the foster home needs, from food to any necessary vet care. In most cases, the animals only need a couple of weeks to grow and become healthy, and then they can return to the shelter for adoption. The shelter also provides training in the proper care, so there is no experience necessary. This program is very rewarding for the foster parents and helps teach the importance of spaying and neutering.

And don’t cat-nap the kittens! Wait until 8!

If you find a litter of kittens don’t be too quick to bring them into the shelter. Chances are, the mom is not far away, and she is their best chance at survival. Kittens’ best chance of getting out of the shelter alive is after they are 8 weeks of age. This is the age they begin to thrive and can do well on their own. If your cat has a litter of kittens, please wait until they are at least 8 weeks old to bring them into the shelter. Also, be sure to ask the shelter staff about Oklahoma City’s free spay/neutering program when you do.

Oklahoma City Animal Welfare has the goal of saving 90% of the animals entering the shelter. In 2020, they fell just short of that goal, saving 89%. It will take a community effort to save the lives of these animals, and they need your help.

To find out more about Oklahoma City Animal Welfare and what you can do to help, visit the shelter, 2811 SE 29, or go to www.okc.gov/animalwelfare.

PROVIDED One of Oklahoma City Animal Welfare pet foster parents bottle feeds a kitten.