Newborn kittens abandoned in Effingham as ‘kitten season’ ramps up
EFFINGHAM, Ill. (WCIA) — The Effingham County Animal Shelter & Control is asking volunteers to help care for pregnant cats and their kittens as the feline breeding season continues. The shelter was already dealing with five litters when a sixth was found abandoned on Monday.
Officials posted on Facebook that four kittens were found in a gas station trash can. Their mother was not nearby.
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“We know this is horrific, but right now our focus is getting them into a foster home,” officials said. “We are currently working on getting camera footage to find who did this to these poor babies.”
Speaking with WCIA, Chief Warden Michelle Shoot said that since the Facebook post was published, staff placed the four kittens with two cats, a pair of sisters, who had recently given birth to their own litters. The sisters and their kittens are already being fostered.
“It’s better to be nursing off a cat, even if it’s not their mother,” Shoot explained.
However, bottle feeding still works and Shoot said the Animal Shelter is always looking for people who can feed kittens this way. Anyone interested can fill out an adoption application by emailing [email protected] and indicating they want to foster.
Shoot warned that kittens require a specialized formula, not regular milk.
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With the feline breeding season ramping up, Shoot advised that if people find a litter of cats with no mother, they should initially exercise caution.
“If you find kittens with no mom, monitor them and don’t immediately take them,” Shoot advised. “Mom might be off and might be back. After an x amount of time, reach out to the animal shelter.”
As for the person who abandoned the four newborns on Monday, Shoot said the Animal Shelter & Control is working with the Effingham County State’s Attorney’s Office to track them down. Shoot could not comment further on the case.
WCIA reached out to the Effingham County State’s Attorney’s Office for more information and did not immediately hear back.