HOULTON, Maine — The snow is starting to melt and hopefully the weather will stay warm and we can open the windows and breathe the fresh air. With the warm weather approaching, we are all bracing ourselves for kitten season. We are hoping for a mild kitten season, but we are already off to a bumpy start.
We have had two mom’s deliver babies in the last couple of weeks, so we currently have seven newborns. Every year we think that maybe this is the year everyone will finally get it and neuter and spay their cats, but every year we are very disappointed.
The two cats that had kittens — neither delivery was normal. Goldie the first cat had six kittens, but one did not survive. We are not sure what happened. Perhaps she was just too young to have kittens? The one thing that is certain, Goldie held onto that tiny little kitten until we took him from her. She kept him warm and cuddled him but he was too weak to survive.
Two weeks later Marigold went into labor and there was nothing normal from the time she went into labor. She went into labor at around 8 a.m. and tried to have her babies on top of a cat carrier. She had no idea what she was doing. We managed to get her into a large cat carrier and close the door so she could have her babies safely. By noon time Marigold had delivered four babies, but two did not survive as they were not fully developed. The two surviving kittens are now 2 weeks old and one is growing, but the other remains the same size as the day it was born. We are hoping for a miracle and that the little kitten we have named “Tiny” will survive.
I should mention that both Marigold and Goldie were owner surrenders from the same person. The one thing that we keep asking is, were the three newborn kittens that died worth letting the cats who were just kittens themselves get pregnant? I guess out of sight out of mind. It is just easier to let someone else deal with the problem that you created. If you don’t see baby kittens gasping for air because they are too small to survive then life is good and you don’t have to deal with that harsh reality.
For us, the ones that believe 100 percent in neutering and spaying animals, it takes its toll at times. We are the ones that watch these tiny creatures being born into this world and we are the ones holding them as they take their last breath and we are the ones to wrap them in a blanket and give them a proper burial.
I have heard every excuse in the book like it was their “God given right to have kittens” or “My cat causes no harm so I would never neuter him.” Some of these excuses come from very well educated people. As long as people continue to have this mindset there will always be kittens having kittens, many of which will not survive. There will always be an overpopulation of unwanted pets and there will always be unnecessary pain and suffering for these poor animals. Change can start right here today with each and every one of us, but only if we care enough to make a difference.
The Ark Animal Sanctuary is located on 101 Old Woodstock Road. To contact Lorraine Monfils call 532-7387 or check out their Facebook page.
