Little Hearts Need Help

Calling all Helpers. It's Kitten Season.

She was just 5 feet away, eating from a bowl as I sat watching so she’d get used to me. Not thinking, I moved one hand a few inches and the mother cat was gone.

I thought, “I’ll never get near her” and she was so pregnant.

But, the very next day, she let me carry her inside, where she gave birth to four kittens three days later.

Heather inspired this portrait with her tender loving care. Prints are available at

https://www.artmajeur.com/deidra-smith/en/artworks/18972097/tender-mother-cat-washing-her-happy-kitten#print

What to do when you find kittens.

Kitten Season, from spring through fall, is when kittens are at greatest risk. Here’s Dr. Katribe’s advise from Best Friends Animal Society:

“The best thing to do for healthy kittens is to leave them with their mother, who is often nearby planning to return and care for her babies.”

Tiny kittens are the most at risk to be killed animals in pounds.

They often do not have enough staff to keep these fragile creatures alive, especially those who need to be hand fed.

If kittens appear sick, they need immediate veterinary help, of course.

If mom doesn’t return for 10 to 12 hours, you can care for healthy kittens right from the comfort of your home.

Bestfriends.org offers resources and a video on caring for kittens. Local groups may provide supplies, spay or neuter surgery and adoption resources. Some also help with trapping kittens, and I bought a trap easily and succeeded in using it.

What to do when you find a female cat.

A cat who would let me touch her was skin-and-bones thin. She came three times a day for 5 ounces of wet cat food and left right after eating. I had to follow her a few times to keep track of her. She was very careful, walking behind bushes and evergreens.

She stopped when she realized I was on the other side of an evergreen tree. I stepped out and talked to her and she got up and led me around a building corner. Four tiny kittens eagerly rushed out to greet her.

We trapped three, but couldn’t catch the last one. Mom had to stay out over night and protect her. By morning, mom had moved her under the neighbor’s patio right next door. For an hour and a half, mom tried to coax her kitten to walk through our open door to the food inside.

For the next hour, mom rubbed against me while the kitten rubbed against mom until I was fast enough to get the kitten in my hands and carry her upstairs to reunite with her siblings.

Moms nursing kittens need a lot of food.

This mom was so malnourished that she only had short hair. It took about five months of three meals a day before she could grow out her long black hair again. Without touching her, I never would have known she was starving.

Helping kittens already at shelters is another way to save lives.

Volunteers can help by bottle feeding, preparing food, doing laundry and cleaning cages. You may also want to support Best Friends Animal Society. They run the largest no-kill animal sanctuary and work with more than 3,200 partners across the United States to reduce killing companion animals.

When Best Friends was founded, an estimated 17 million companion animals were being killed each year. They’ve reduced the number to around 625,000 and continue to work to save them all.

Here’s another portrait of Heather and her daughter who spent a lifetime snuggling. Greeting cards, framed prints, puzzles, ready to hang canvas prints, throw pillows and more with their portrait are available at

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/beautiful-green-eyed-cat-snuggles-with-kitten-deidra-smith.html