Kitten season sounds like a magical time of the year, but to animal rescuers and shelters, its mere mention creates a sense of panic as preparations must be immediately put in place to address the multitude of mother cats with their litter of adorable kittens in tow who will soon be appearing on our doorstep. In most places across America, animals mate and give birth in springtime due to longer days, lovely weather and more access to food, which means a higher survival rate. In Florida, however, kitten season is basically, year-round. Cats, many merely kittens themselves, can have litter after litter, throughout the year, making this quite the vicious cycle.

At times, orphaned kittens who are under four weeks old and unable to eat on their own, kittens who must be manually stimulated to urinate and defecate, requiring hands-on care every two to four hours, appear at our farm. With their fragile immune systems and labor-intensive care and socialization needs, these precious babies are, tragically, the most vulnerable of species.

Beauty’s Haven Farm and Equine Rescue, Inc., is not only dedicated to saving these precious kittens by caring for and nurturing them, but is actively addressing the situation with a trap-neuter-return (TNR) program, a program that has met with great success across communities nationwide.

Beauty’s Haven provides these kittens and cats with shelter, food, toys and “catios” to keep them safe and warm prior to their veterinary care (spay, neuter, vaccines) and subsequential release and many oftentimes return knowing that they will be safe, warmly welcomed and be fed a nutritious meal.

With a herd of thirty horses, mules and donkeys, as well as four dogs and five cats, with little monetary assistance for our TNR program, we would be forever grateful for any contribution or item from our Wishlist, specifically food, which would greatly assist us in this most important and much needed endeavor.

Thank you, in advance, for your love and support.

Sincerely,
Theresa