Well in June, I got an unsuspecting email that they could use some help in the office. Hey, that is right up my alley and no special training required. So I went in on a Sunday and spent 4 hours scanning and attaching documents to volunteer profiles. That was easy and something I can do. I also figured out they were recruiting to work at their kitten nursery. That sparked my interest.
So I read the volunteer profile, watched the video, filled out the application and waited. I only needed to wait a few days and I was ready to start. They take the kitten nursery very serious. In fact, there is 10 hours of training before you can really be considered a volunteer. And the nursery is at a different location in South Salt Lake. I started with orientation where they talk about the program. The kitten nursery was started in 2013. The peak season is from May - November. They take in kittens under 5 weeks old from local shelters. These are the most at risk kittens. Kittens under 5 weeks old do not have a good survival rate because the shelters don't have the manpower to care for them. So in an attempt to put a positive dent in the survival rate of kittens, they opened the nursery. They are currently housing about 170 kittens at the kitten nursery. They expect 1,700 this kitten season.
Most these kittens come in without a mom. So it is up to the volunteers (and a handful of staff members) to play "mom kitty" for these kittens until they are old enough to be spayed or neutered and adopted at about 9 weeks old.
To say the nursery and process is overwhelming is an understatement. There are several rooms of cages of kitten litters. They keep the kittens in their litters. There is also a "Mom's Room" which volunteers don't get to go into but this is where mom's and their kittens go. It is always best to keep the kittens with the mom if possible.
I work in 2 hour shifts. In 2 hours, a new volunteer can potentially cover 2-3 cages of kittens. Some of the kittens are bottle fed. Some are weaning. Some are called independent eaters because they are eating on their own. Most the kittens have not received immunizations because they are so small. So they have extensive procedures to keep the kittens from getting sick. Parvo is one of the biggest threats. To work with the kittens, you must suit up, wear gloves, use extensive cleaning and sanitizing procedures, and DO NOT KISS THE KITTENS! I am not lying when I say I dream of the procedures and when I use a gloved hand versus when I don't. But it is very important.
Today I finished my last training buddy session so I am ready to work on my own. Once trained, they require you to work a 2 hour shift a week but I can see myself doing more. There is so much need in there. Those kittens are begging and crying for food and attention.
Tonight, I worked with one of the youngest kittens I've seen. I saw him Tuesday when I was in. He was between 1-3 days old. He still had his cord! Eyes are still closed, no teeth yet. But boy is he a fighter. I was bottle feeding him and his little tiny paws were just kneading away at my fingers. It wasn't long before I had fed him all his food and put him back to bed with his heating disk. I also worked with some other kittens that were probably 1.5 weeks old. These were gray babies. These babies were bottle babies too still but eyes were open. Big round bellies and still learning how to do things. When they would drink from the bottle, their ears wiggle. I was sharing a bottle with a woman that was feeding his litter mate so between turns, I was playing with them. These little kittens love to roll on their back on the heating pad used while feeding them to keep them warm and have you rub their big tummies. While I did this, his little paws were in the air and waving like he was running. Then the most amazing thing happened...they started purring. So soft for little tiny kittens but so strong. Last I worked with 2 other kittens that were weaning so they eat gruel (kitty food pate' and formula mixed together). These kittens are the hogs. In fact, we were only allowed to give them a certain amount of food (all weighed in grams) to avoid them gorging. Their bellies were ginormous! And they ate their allotted amount very quickly and I had to take the dish away because they wouldn't stop. I know the feeling kitties...believe me. They were very sad when dinner time was over. But they will be eating in a few hours again.
This is way more involved and physically demanding than I expected but my sense of fulfillment is significant and each day I walk out knowing I made a difference for a few kittens that wouldn't have made it without this great organization moving to action.
Today I had a chance to take a few photos between sessions.
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| This is the tiny baby. Only a few days old. They keep him in a "den" with a heated disk. He is really really small. He is smaller than the palm of my hand (about the size of a small rat). About 74 grams today. He is considered high risk because he is so young but seems to be fighting well and is a great eater. I am hoping he makes it. |
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| I'll just call these ladies the porker girls. There are two in this litter. While they look big here, they just about fit in the palm of my hand with their head hanging out. |
One comment I get when I talk about it is "Oh I couldn't do that, I would want to bring them all home." I was afraid I would feel that way too but I don't. You work with different kittens each time and you don't really get attached. You also don't get to bond with them like you might otherwise. No holding them close. No significant play time. Plus I know my job is to get them big enough to be able to be adopted. And since it is a no kill organization, I don't feel the pressure to rescue the kittens. Plus one big reason I won't be bringing any kitties home is my girls would NOT be okay with that. They make it very clear, we are a two cat family!
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