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"The animals have no voice but ours..." |
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Can You Foster?
May 23, 2008
Did anyone else just get a glimpse of Lucy with Little Ricky or Laura with Ritchie? No? I’m the only one getting flashbacks to sitcoms of the 50s and 60s during the arrival of their first-born? Good to know. What I mean is it’s time for kittens. So technically it is about babies. OK. I’ll stop. We’re starting to see the first litters of kittens arrive at the shelter, some with moms and some without. For our kittens, we wait until they are 8-weeks-old or at least two pounds to have them spayed or neutered and put up for adoption. I’ve seen a lot of the little ones bounce back a lot quicker from surgery than the adults, so spaying and neutering them young is definitely a help to shelters everywhere. The problem we’ve got at the moment is a lot of them are too young to spay and neuter and we really need to find spots to hold them until that time. So I’m putting out a call for reliable, responsible foster parents. Our foster program is a great way to help CVAS and provide some TLC for babies waiting for their forever homes. Foster parents essentially open their homes as a temporary residence mainly for our kittens, sometimes with or without a mama. We’ll provide the food, bowls, towels, litter, medicines, vaccinations and sometimes even a crate if necessary for you to care for the animals. With litters of kittens who have a mama, it’s the foster parent’s responsibility to wean the kittens onto solid food before being returned to the shelter – and don’t worry, it’s not as difficult as you would think. The little squirts like eating a mixture of what we at the shelter call “gruel.” We combine a little warm water with hard and soft kitten food, mix it around until it gets mushy and nine times out of ten the little ones gobble it up. If the babies aren’t weaned and also don’t have a mama, the foster parents are responsible for bottle-feeding the little one until he or she can eat solid food. Keep in mind that in some instances, we’re talking about animals being in foster care for possibly up to nine weeks, so if you’d like to help, be sure you have the time to commit. Also remember that we usually need folks in the middle of the summer, when people typically go on vacation. Foster parents are solely responsible for the babies in their care and shouldn’t leave the animals with someone else while they vacation. It is quite a commitment, but one that not only supports the shelter, but also helps the little ones looking for a home. If you are interested in becoming a foster parent for CVAS, please give us a call at (717) 263-5791 or check out our website www.cvas-pets.org and click on the foster parent link to fill out an application. Naturally, if you fall in love with one of your wards, adoption is not only possible, it’s very welcome. Our foster parents help us give a chance to homeless pets and we not only appreciate them, we’re always in need. If you can help, please give us a call or fill out an application today. When you know you were responsible for a happy ending for one of your foster babies, you’ll be glad you did. ***** Jennifer Vanderau is the Director of Communications for the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter and can be reached at cvasoc@innernet.net. The shelter accepts both monetary and pet supply donations. For more information, call the shelter at 263-5791 or visit the website www.cvas-pets.org. Animals available for adoption can be viewed at www.petfinder.org. CVAS also operates thrift stores in Chambersburg and Shippensburg. Help support the animals at the shelter by donating to or shopping at the stores.For past columns, check our the Column Archive on our website.
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CVAS, Inc.