We're awash with kittens - please help us to care for them

Like all cat rescues, we are often asked to take in kittens and pregnant cats.  In the past there has usually been a defined "kitten season" with very few kittens being born over the winter months.

This year it's different!  We have kittens kittens and more kittens.

Please can you help us to pay some of the costs we'll encounter.  Every penny will be gratefully received.

Updated at July 2024

Angus and his sibs

Angus came to us aged only five days, along with his four brothers and sisters.  Their mummy had been run over and killed and so they were in imminent danger of death if no one stepped in.

Our team will take it in turns to care for the kittens and will do everything they can to ensure their survival.  This will entail two-hourly round the clock feeds and toileting.  It's always a worry but without this they will have no chance of survival.

The kittens just keep on coming - we really have never known a year like it.

Lucy

Lucy was a heavily pregnant stray living on the streets.

She was taken in by a lovely YCR supporter who was taking care of her. The lady was in touch with us and we were offering support. As we were full the lady was happy to look after Lucy with our support.

Lucy’s rescuer noticed she was distressed overnight but there were no signs of any kittens.   The lady contacted us desperate to get care for her as she knew things were not good.

We immediately organised for Lucy to be seen by a vet even though we didn’t have a partner vet in her area. Lucy had a scan and we were advised we should do an emergency C-Section, even though it might have meant that we lost the kittens.  If we had not agreed we would probably have lost Lucy as well as the kittens.

Lucy underwent surgery and was neutered at the same time. She had 4 beautiful kittens but sadly one died within the hour.  Thankfully the other 3 survived.  Mum and babies went back to the kind lady.

Things were going well but 2 weeks later Lucy stopped producing milk and developed mastitis. The kittens had nothing to drink and again the situation became critical for the kittens.

One of the kittens was luckily able to be added to another mum's litter and was successfully accepted. That left 2 kittens that had no food and needed bottle feeds every 2 hours. The lady looking after them followed our advice and was able to feed the kittens and keep them going until she could bring them to our centre which is an hour and a half away from her.

When the kittens arrived Lucy was brought along too, unfortunately as she couldn’t feed them and she needed medication that would be dangerous for the kittens they had to be separated.

These kittens are Chewy and Leia. These kittens have been hand fed replacement milk every few hours day and night by a dedicated fosterer. Hand reared kittens only have a 25% chance of survival and generally need lots of vet trips until they are bigger and stronger.

Both kittens have had issues pooing, this is because synthetic milk tends to bung kittens up. So every few days they have needed to see the vet for help with this or to be checked. A kitten this young can go downhill in a matter of hours so they have to be constantly monitored and taken to the vets day or night when needed.

These are extra vet costs on top of the emergency costs for Lucy’s scan, emergency C-Section & then treatment for mastitis. Along with general care costs, food for the next 3 months, neuter, chip, vaccinations, flea treatments and wormers for mum and kittens are crippling for charities like ours and are in excess of  £3000.

The 3 Flea Bags

These babies, Circe and Hestia, came into the centre with their mama from a family that could no longer keep them. They absolutely did the right thing by contacting us and asking for our help. Unfortunately not everyone does this and we have seen a huge increase in cats and kittens that are just turfed out onto the street which only makes the issues worse.

We always try to help in situations like this but it’s getting harder for us with our constant rising costs and the sheer amount of people needing support and help to re-home their cats. Over the last 12 months more families have needed help for various reasons and we are supporting where we can.

As Circe and Hestia are old enough we have separated them from mum as she was very stressed out and needed some quiet time.

These poor babies are riddled with fleas.  We have sprayed them with a treatment but at a young age once the problem becomes this bad the spray isn’t that effective and we have to manually remove the fleas.

Fleas can get out of control very quickly when they are not treated which can cause kittens to become anaemic and very ill. Sometimes tiny kittens actually pass away due to blood loss when they have so many fleas.

Our team are combing them multiple times a day to try and remove as many live fleas as they can. You can see the bowls with the dead ones we have combed out. Unfortunately the pink in the water is actual blood from the fleas feeding on the kittens.

Circe and Hestia will need repeated treatments to get rid of this infestation. This takes time and vet appointments as over the counter ointments are not strong enough and vets have to see kittens to treat them for fleas now.

This is why we desperately need your help.  Please help us to keep helping cats and kittens like these by donating to our kitten fund appeal …..

If you can afford it, please consider making a regular monthly donation.  But remember, don't leave yourself short.

We are so grateful to you for your support

Some of our kittens at April 2024 are:

The Spices

Have you heard of spicy kittens?  Don’t worry, this isn’t a baby cat covered in garam masala!  The term “spicy kittens” is one we use for kittens that haven’t been handled.  Typically, they come from backgrounds where there has been little or no interaction with people and so they react by spitting, hissing and biting as a way to protect themselves.

Recently we were asked by a local vet to take in 11 kittens aged about six to eight weeks that had been left at their practice.  The kittens are probably from two litters, and some are much more spicy than others.  This probably means that one litter has been handled more than the other.

Typically when we take in a litter of small kittens we put them in a foster home together where they remain until they are 10 weeks old and big enough to be neutered and rehomed. It’s also good for kittens to be with other kittens so that they learn to pounce, play and interact with each other well.  But for spicy kittens their need is different.  They need to learn to trust humans and they won’t do this if there is another cat or kitten to bond with. 

So we have had to assess each kitten individually to see if he or she needs one to one fostering or would be OK with a sibling.  As you can imagine, the resources this requires is enormous - it blocks up many of our foster homes for weeks which means that we may have to turn other cats away.

Jinx

Jinx and her new litter of kittens on the morning of April 29th and they have already stolen the hearts of everyone at Yorkshire Cat Rescue.

All the team are thrilled to bits that Mummy Jinx and her kittens seem to be all healthy and happy. 

Imagine the joy on Jinx's face as she watches her little kittens grow and play, knowing that they have a safe and loving environment to grow up in. 

Jinx and her babies may be tiny, but their impact on our hearts is huge. By donating to us you will not only help us care for these beautiful kittens but will also enable us to continue our work in rescuing and providing shelter to other cats and kittens in need. 

Together, we can make a difference in the lives of these precious babies and ensure that cats like Jinx and her kittens have a bright, happy and wonderful future.

The Friends Kittens

These beautiful adorable kittens were found dumped in a ‘Bag for Life’; they were found by someone in their garden and immediately taken to the vets. 

The fur-babies are now with a fosterer who is providing them with the love, cuddles, and attention they deserve. In honour of their resilient and fun spirit they all have been named after various characters from the TV series ‘Friends’.  

To continue to care for these kittens requires your help. By donating now you can help us ensure they have regular check-ups, vaccinations, and plenty of food to ensure they grow up buoyant, healthy, and happy.

By donating to us you will not only help us care for these beautiful kittens but will also enable us to continue our work in rescuing and providing shelter to other cats and kittens in need. 

Please help if you can, and if you can afford it please consider making a regular donation.

Thank you for your support.