Playing with kittens...Answer Animal Shelter Newbie's Questions, please. Thanks!?

[Johnny G]

I am probably going to a local animal shelter next week. From what I understand we will be playing with (or caring for) some kittens there. I am sure we will get more information next week since I am going as part of an animal club.

Anything I should know about handling animals at an animal shelter, and what I should expect. I have never had a cat but we will all be helping each other out. Thank you for answering. I LOVE hearing from other people who give their time to this, and hope to learn from other people's experiences.

 

[BiPetual]

Wow, that's terrific. Playing with kittens makes them a lot more adoptable, and since there's that small window where they're cute little kittens, it makes a BIG difference.

It's hard to know exactly what it will be like, because every shelter is different. The kittens may be housed in stainless steel cages, and you may be taking them out and playing on the floor. Or they may be running around a "kitten room". You could just go visit the shelter to see what it's like, or check out their website and look at the pictures. A lot of shelters have nice photos on their sites because it helps raise money and bring in adopters.

The best advice I can give you is to lavish love on all of the kittens, but most especially the shy ones. The ones that climb all over you and are totally outgoing are going to find homes. The shy ones are going to have a very hard time. I'm sure the crowd hanging out in this cat forum are the exception (in fact a lot of us probably own cats that were "unadoptable") but generally people want ready-made pets that they don't have to work with.

You can also read some books about it. I haven't read them, but I was able to find a few books on the subject that sounded good. "Lost and Found: Dogs, Cats, and Everyday Heroes at a County Animal Shelter" by Elizabeth Hess, and "One at a Time: a Week in an American Animal Shelter" by Diane Leigh and Marilee Geyer. They both received excellent ratings by reviewers, and if you read them, I'd be interested in hearing what you think.

Good luck on your new adventure. It's a wonderful thing you're doing. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.

 

[Alex]

it is really important that you wash your hands after holding these kitties - especially before touching another animal. mites and the like can be spread this way, and sometimes aren't caught by the shelter staff.
the kittens will need you to be very calm and gentle, and to speak softly. loud laughter or shouting will scare them, and if you are nervous they will be too. the best thing is to treat them like you would a small child - and have fun!