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Kitten season heats up

Happy Springtime Sonoma! I’ve missed you.

  It is officially kitten season with the birth of three kittens in the shelter on March 25 by a feral mom brought in the day before. Two one-week-old orphaned bottle babies came in the next day and are in the care of a foster parent. And so it begins.  

  Now is the time to assess your area for ferals who may be enjoying a springtime romance or two. We have a wonderful trap/neuter/release (T/N/R) program that affords spay/neuter for only $30 as long as you are willing to take them back and return them to their colony. We will give you a trap and teach you how to humanely set and trap the cat. This is for cats only.    

  If you suspect you have kittens around you, then please give us a call about how to humanely trap them so you can bring them to us for care and fostering until they are old enough for spay/neuter and adoption. If you find kittens and you intend to keep them, please get them to a vet as soon as possible. If you really don’t intend to keep them, we encourage you to bring them to Pets Lifeline as soon as possible, so we can give them a fighting chance to survive.

  When you get a new puppy, it is very important to understand how fragile their little immune systems are. I know it is always a priority to potty train your puppy, but a common misunderstanding with a new puppy is to let them walk around outdoors before they have had all their vaccinations. Our network of veterinarians have told us about a number of parvo cases that have been sighted, so please be careful. Always carry your puppy from place to place and practice newspaper training until your veterinarian gives you the OK to let them outside to potty train. 

  So, let’s talk more about dogs, shall we? We have such wonderful pooches here at the shelter, but in all honesty, they don’t always make the best first impression when you first meet them in the kennels. Especially the little ones, who tend to be a bit on the barky side. We have Lucy, Timmy, Domino, Remy and Charlie, who are all awesome chihuahua mixes; and our sweet little Oreo, the Boston terrier mix with food allergies, all of whom need their forever homes.

And speaking of tailwags, don’t miss our second annnual Tailwags and Handbags Ladies Luncheon on Friday, April 20, from noon to 2 p.m. at the beautiful and scrumptious Estate restaurant. Spend a couple of hours with your girlfriends for a nosh, a sip (or two) of Sonoma’s best wine and most important to shop for designer, one of a kind and vintage handbags along with other festive pet fashion accessories. For more information, call 996-4577, ext. 109, or go to our website at www.petslifeline.org.