The start of Spring marks the start of “kitten season” for animal shelters across the country.  Since most kittens are born in the Spring, many shelters become inundated with kittens in need of homes.  This recently happened to the Wise County Humane Society, and they reached out to the Fairfax County Animal Shelter for help.  Thankfully, the FCAS was in a position to help and transferred in 7 moms with their kittens.

As most of the kittens were too young to be separated from their mothers, the shelter called upon its awesome team of fosters and quickly arranged for loving foster homes in which the moms could raise their babies until they were old enough to be adopted.Over the last two weeks, I have had the pleasure of photographing a number of the kittens that are currently being fostered by volunteers of the Fairfax County Animal Shelter.

What fun these last two weeks have been! The first family to visit was a mom with 6 kittens. This petite girl was sweet as could be. She was very comfortable around people and happily jumped up on the posing table to be with her babies.  She even lied down to nurse them right on the table.

My next visitors were a pair of orange tabby kittens. These two little babies were abandoned and had to be bottle fed until they were old enough to start eating solid food. For the first several weeks, bottles babies need to be fed as often as every two hours, even through the night. The fosters who take on this labor of love are truly heroes with incredible dedication.

These little tabby kittens were so much fun! They definitely had different personalities.  Clive was quite outgoing and the other, Simon, was much more cautious. Both were equally adorable!

The next day it was a mama and four long haired kittens.  They had just been to see Dr. B from Pender Veterinary for their first set of vaccinations.  Mama was feeling a bit upset after her shots, so we opted not to try to photograph her. The four little long haired babies were such good models! They must have been a little tired from all the morning’s activities because they sat more calmly than most kittens their age usually do.  One even started to fall asleep while sitting up and posing!

 

One of the more remarkable things about this particular littler is that two of the kittens have no tails. One has just a little nub of a tail and the fourth has a normal tail.

The final group to visit was another Mama with three kittens. This Mama was content to let her babies be the stars. She preferred to sit in a nearby chair and watch the action.  The little tabby kittens were as cute as could be! One was a little more timid about sitting on the table. The other two loved being with each other and posed like pros!

Here is what the foster mother had to say about this family…

What a unique and thrilling experience to watch Candy (mama), mother and nurture her 3 kittens (Caramel, Lollipop and Peppermint).  We started fostering the kittens when they were 1 week old and now they are thriving, active little ones becoming more independent everyday.

Candy is an affectionate, sweet 3 yr. old who is delightful and is the best mother. She knows  just when her kittens need her the most and when to start backing off. She is a true joy and loves to play and be petted and also knows when she wants time to herself.

Peppermint, male, is definitely the head of the pack and is affectionate and sweet and seems to take the lead. Lollipop, female, is a joy and a little more reserved.

Caramel, male, is the smallest and  cuddliest of the three, but is now chowing down more solid food than his siblings!

All of these adorable babies and their mamas will be available for adoption soon.  Check out the Fairfax County Animal Shelter on Facebook for updates. For more information on animals currently available for adoption, check out the Fairfax County Animal Shelter’s page on Petango.