There is a very disturbing anomaly that is being experienced now. Animals are having babies later this year, and we are receiving newborn puppies, kittens, and wild animal babies. Usually the shelter is inundated with babies in the spring, and by late summer or autumn we do not have any young ones. This year is different, and this worries us. We do not know what caused it, and we do not know when it will end. We just worry about the onset of cold weather.

I’d like to introduce you to three of those special late-in-the-season kittens. They are available for adoption at the shelter at this writing. We call them our pitiful kitten collection.

The first little one is a female gray tabby, about eight weeks old. A couple of weeks ago, we received an anonymous call informing us that someone had moved out of house and had left two kittens to fend for themselves. When we arrived at the address, it was obvious that the house was unoccupied, although household trash and garbage were piled up outside. As Lynn Shelton, the board president and dedicated shelter volunteer, walked across the yard, a young kitten ran towards him and practically jumped into his arms. Although she was skinny and anemic because of a very bad flea infestation, the rescued kitten purred all the way to the shelter, during her flea bath, and during her meal of canned cat food. It was apparent that she was relieved that someone was finally taking care of her, and she curled up on a towel in her cage for a nap.

The second kitten in our pitiful kitten collection came to us two days later. People on Riverside Drive had seen a kitten go in and out of a storm drain. April Hogan, shelter manager, and Lynn Shelton (see, I told you he was dedicated) left to try to rescue the cat. They saw an emaciated black cat with some white markings in the storm drain, but they were able to reach him and pull him out. His left eye suffered some kind of trauma, and he is blind in that eye. The veterinarian assured us he is in no pain. He is so happy to be out of the storm drain and off busy Riverside Drive. He also purrs constantly.

Our third pitiful kitten is only about three weeks old. Some people from whom we have taken dogs and cats in the past called us to say that someone had dropped a litter of kittens at their house a few days before and two of the kittens had already died. They felt that the other three were in danger of dying. When employees went to get the kittens, they found two gray tabby kittens who were almost dead from flea anemia. Their tiny little bodies were covered with hundreds of fleas, and their gums and paw pads were white from loss of blood. They were dying, and all we could do was end their suffering. The last little kitten, a male tan tabby, was stronger, and we felt he had a chance of surviving. He was given a bath, and employees spent a long time picking all the remaining fleas off of him. He was offered kitten formula and canned cat food, and then he seemed to rally. He is now being fed by a nursing mother cat and gains strength every day.

Even though we have named these three our pitiful kitten collection, let me hasten to assure you that most of the animals, whether they be cats, dogs, hamsters, iguanas, etc. all come to the shelter with pitiful stories. We invite you to visit the shelter to meet them.