Margot

CRAN receives requests for help every day for feral kittens. A good samaritan had noticed feral kittens on his property. He had already caught two of the kittens and found them homes. There was one left, could we help? One of our volunteers that lived near him told him to catch the kitten and she'd come pick it up. She got a call not an hour later. Margot was probably about 7 weeks old. She was extremely scared when she first arrived at her foster home. She hissed which is a very common behavior of cats and kittens when they are scared and feel threatened. She was placed in a large dog kennel with a place to hide which her foster could easily get her out if necessary, a litter box, and a food and water area. It makes it easier to socialize feral kittens when they are contained. You really want to avoid having to chase them (which is really truamatizing). Things go even faster if you can contain them in a room people frequent but that wasn't possible for Margot. After a little bit of time to decompress, her foster started doing socialization activities with her. She received all of her wet food by hand and was coaxed closer and closer with food rewards like churus. Her foster read to her and spent time in the room she was in. She responded quickly and within 2 weeks was purring and soon playing and was no longer fearful of her foster. The length of time it takes to socialize feral kittens depends on both age and their personality. Margot was young and outgoing so she made really quick progress. Shy kittens and/or older kittens can take a month or months to learn to trust people.

One of CRAN's adopters had been following Margot's progress on Facebook and reached out about adding her to her family. She had two cats (one a CRAN graduate). She was fine with slowly introducing Margot to her new home and her other cats. Feral kittens often need a cat-savvy and patient owner to continue working with them when they are adopted. Margot wouldn't need socialization exercises due to her progress and personality but she would need to be slowly introduced to her new home, people and cats.

Margot went to her new home approximately 2 months after she was trapped. Her adopters were very careful with introductions to their resident cats. Their CRAN graduate was initially upset by the newcomer but they slowly introduced her using different methods like initially keeping her in her own room, "Kitten TV" (keeping Margot in a wire kennel but out with the rest of the cats), feeding in close proximity, and structured group play. It took about 2 months and Margot is now a member of their tribe and thriving. From her adopters "All three girls are super cuddly and people-oriented, they’ve become a great fit together. We couldn’t imagine a more perfect kitten for the group."

It is so rewarding to work with these kittens and teach them to trust people. If you are interested in fostering a kitten that needs socialization or adopting a shy kitten or cat, contact us. PS Take a look at Wilbur and Ferrn below who are ready for their forever home.

Time spent with cats is never wasted. - Sigmund Freud



It's that time of year! Have you read our Summer Campaign letter yet? You can learn a little more about what we do and meet some of the special cats we have helped. Our campaigns are a critical part of raising the much-needed funds we need to continue helping cats. Our goal is to raise $30,000. Can you help? You can donate online here: https://kindest.com/991599-summer-campaign

To view the letter online: https://catrescues.org/wp-content/uploads/letterpdf.pdf

Why train your cat to come to you? Training your cat can not only strengthen your bond but could save her life if she gets out. A strong recall can get your cat to turn around and come back to you or bring her out of hiding if she has escaped. This is something that can be done at any time and is also something that is great to teach foster cats.

1. Choose a recall sound or word. It doesn't matter what it is as long as you are consistent. Sounds are recommended as they are more unique and your cat won't become desensitized to them like they might a common word. Sounds to consider are: "kikiki", "psst", or a clicking sound.
2. Choose a high value reward. Typically, this will be a treat but can also be an activity they love like play if that is what motivates your cat or being brushed. If you choose a really high value treat, only use it for recall so it won't lose its meaning.
3. Repetition.  For the first month, several times a day, you will walk up to your cat, and say their name and your word or make your sound while you are rewarding your cat. So, if your sound is “ki-ki-ki”, feed your cat a treat and say her name then “ki-ki-ki” as she gets the treat. Not before, not after — during the feeding.
4. Distance. After a month, your cat should associate the sound or word with the reward. Start distancing yourself and using the word and reward your cat when she comes to you. You may need to start just a foot away and reward any movement towards you. As she comes to you, start increasing the distance.

We are getting requests to take kittens every day. To help us care for all of these kittens, we are having a Kitten Shower! It's an easy way to support CRAN and help kittens. Simply go to our registry at: https://www.amazon.com/baby-reg/cran-catrescueandadoptionnetwork-august-2023-springfield/1AMBHYNSNT497 or go to your Amazon account and click on Baby Registry and search for Cat Rescue and Adoption Network. You can then purchase supplies to help us care for the kittens and Amazon will send them directly to us. Keep a copy of your invoice for tax purposes as all donations to CRAN are tax deductible.