North Carolina Shelter Offers 'Bottle Feeding Class' in Anticipation of 'Kitten Season'

The Wilmington Animal Centrix in Wilmington, North Carolina is offering a free seminar on bottle feeding kittens. As adorable as this sounds, the reason behind this is because there is a huge need for more families to foster kittens that need to be bottle fed since it requires training and round the clock care.

Typically lasting between the months of April and October, kitten season refers to the period of time when female cats are often giving birth to litters, however so many shelters have noticed an alarming trend that contradicts this.

Kitten season is now being seen year round.

Even if you don't live near Wilmington, chances are your local animal shelter or Humane Society could use your help during kitten season, and there are many ways you can do this.

Make a monetary donation.

Shelters can always use donations, to be used towards buying much needed supplies for cats, dogs, puppies and kittens.

Check your local shelter website to see if they have a wishlist.

Kittens who are orphaned or have been separated from their mother may require kitten formula to meet their nutritional needs. Your local shelter can probably tell you which brand they prefer. Shelters also need things like feeding bottles, wet and dry kitten food, litter boxes and litter, soft blankets, towels, heating pads or heat lamps, medical supplies, cat carriers and toys. Check with your local shelter to see what they need most.

Volunteer to bottle feed kittens.

Consider becoming a foster parent for kittens in need. Fostering helps alleviate overcrowding in shelters and provides kittens with individualized care and socialization in a home environment. Kittens that need to be bottle-fed usually require feedings every 2-3 hours but your shelter can provide you with instructions.

Foster a mama cat and her babies.

If you have a quiet room with a door you can help your shelter free up space by fostering a mama cat and her babies. Like in the post above, most shelters will provide all the supplies you need.

Make it a neighborhood effort.

Host a bake sale or car wash with your neighbors or social group to raise funds for your local shelter. Get your classmates, sports team, drinking buddies or church involved.

Adopt a cat.

Kitten season is a fantastic time to adopt your own cat. You'll be freeing up shelter space and giving resources to another cat that needs help and a chance to find their own forever home.

Spay or neuter your own cat.

Most importantly, spaying or neutering your own cat will result in less cats in your community needing homes. It's just what responsible pet owners do.

Spread the word and educate others.

Share articles like this on your social media pages. Encourage your friends and family members to donate and volunteer at their local shelter, and tell people why it's so important to spay or neuter their cats.

Kittens are amazingly adorable, but there are more than enough kittens in the world. If we want to end kitten season where shelters are overwhelmed and understaffed we all owe it to the greater cat community to love them in the best way possible, by helping to end this influx of kittens to our local shelters.

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