Pet Of The Week

When people call seeking help, they often tell Community Animal Network that they enjoyed watching the tiny kittens running, jumping and playing in their backyards, and now it is time for them to find homes.

Unfortunately for the animals, there is a small window of time for kittens born outdoors that live without human contact to be tamed easily into becoming pets.

The network has to be the bearer of bad news when the kittens are older and to explain about “the birds and the bees” of cats beginning to reproduce. The choice is to trap spay/neuter and release and care for them for their lifetime, or trap them all and send them to the local shelter.

The pretty Bengal tabby kittens we call Fiji and Sage were found in a back yard at 5 weeks old, which is a perfect age to tame them. The pair was so hungry that they walked right in the carrier and were rescued.

The amount of manpower and donated dollars needed to help stray cats after having kittens in backyards is more that it would be to help only a stray. If people would call and learn solutions when a stray cat first arrives or the first sign of kittens, it would save lives.

Meet the Fiji and Sage by calling (949) 759-3646, or come to the weekend pet adoption events at Fashion Island, from noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, sponsored by Russo’s Pet Experience.

See photos of available animals online at https://www.animalnetwork.org.

Note: The network thanks Peggy Calhoun for the donation of dog and cat food.

Community Animal Network needs your help. Mail your check to Community Animal Network, P.O. Box 8662, Newport Beach, CA 92658. Memo the check “Local Animals” Tax ID No. 33-0971560.