Springtime is kitten time: A visit with The National Kitten Coalition

My guest today is Dr. Emily Coleman, a veterinarian and the executive director of The National Kitten Coalition.

Dr. Coleman talks about the organization, including its history, when it was started, and its purpose and goals. In addition, She discusses The National Kitten Coalition's educational programs and the most pressing concerns of the organization.

Next, Dr. Coleman helps listeners understand why fostering kittens is crucial, as well as why people should consider fostering. She explains what potential foster parents should consider before bringing kittens in their home, plus special preparations kitten fosters need to make for kittens in their home. She also talks about her recommendations for daily monitoring of a kitten. 

The National Kitten Coalition website has an article about potential health issues when mixing kittens from different litters. Dr. Coleman explains why that is an important concern. She also discusses the kinds of health issues kittens are susceptible to and how can parents of kittens can reduce the chance of illnesses in kittens. 

Finally, Dr. Coleman talks about how can people deal with allergies to kittens.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

This is the 15 feline tech. The 15 feline features experts and other cat features. To share their knowledge and perspective to that feeling with trades and ferals to adopt and help a cat technology. We hope the topics give you helpful and interesting insight into the world of cats. Now, here's the host of the Histing Feline, Clark Freer.

SPEAKER_00 0:34

Thank you for joining me for this week's episode of the Histing Feline Podcast. I'm your host, Clark Freer. You've landed on a podcast that is everything cats. If this is your first visit, welcome. I love cats. My wife and I have a calico and a tabby. But I just can't resist kittens. But as cute as they are, kittens are also vulnerable and require special attention. With me today is Dr. Emily Coleman. She is a veterinarian and the executive director of the National Kitten Coalition. Emily is not only an expert in neonatal kittens, but fosters the little ones as well. Emily, it's great to have you on the show today.

SPEAKER_02 1:15

Hi, Clark. Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_00 1:17

Let's talk first about the National Kitten Coalition. Could you talk to me about its history and when it started and purpose and goals?

SPEAKER_02 1:26

Sure. Our founders, Rosemary Crawford and Susan Spaulding, met over 20 years ago while fostering kittens in the Washington, D.C. area. They found that there was a need for highly trained volunteers and staff in the shelters in the area, and that led them to start hosting informal classes to local shelters and rescue groups. And we have evolved over the last two decades into the current National Kitten Coalition. Our mission is to increase kitten survival rates and transform their lives through the power of education. We focus most of that since COVID on our internet learning, but we do still go to conferences in the area in the United States.

SPEAKER_00 2:14

You have uh quite a number of educational programs. That's a really big part of what the National Kitten Coalition does. You want to talk to, I assume, veterinarians. You were talking about being at conferences and so forth. What types of uh outreach does the organization have?

SPEAKER_02 2:30

Um we offer two virtual conferences a year, the kitten conference we co-host with Community Cats Central in the summer, and then we have the National Kitten Coalition Veterinary Conference in the fall. We also have an online kitten resource library with articles, downloads, and references, and we provide live and on-demand webinars and certificate courses in our e-learning center.

SPEAKER_00 2:56

I've been to the website and looked through a lot of areas of it. You have some really good content if somebody wants to find out more about kittens and care and those types of things. But what are some of the most pressing concerns that the National Kitten Coalition has that uh perhaps you could talk about a bit for us today?

SPEAKER_02 3:16

Sure. I think that we are currently facing what a lot of nonprofits in this country is facing, and that's a problem with funding. That's our biggest concern. We like to keep everything that we do as low cost or even free if possible. All of our webinars are free, but they're not free to produce, as you know. So we are always asking for help with funding and looking into grants and other opportunities, sponsorships, things like that. Um, we are also always looking for like-minded individuals to join our coalition and help us create content or give um webinars or just participate in any way that they're able.

SPEAKER_00 4:00

Now, uh you you were talking about uh people to be able to help with that. Do they have to have a specific type of background in let's say uh veterinary science or those types of things? Uh what type of volunteers are you looking for that could help you get your message out?

SPEAKER_02 4:16

We are in the process of uh expanding our development department, which would be more of fundraising, marketing. And we're always looking for individuals for editing purposes. You don't necessarily have to have a veterinary background. You can have a financial background or a background in um education or really anything. I mean, we're willing to work with anybody that seems to be interested in just providing more support for our mission.

SPEAKER_00 4:46

Now, you were we were talking uh just several days ago about fostering and um how important that is. We've my wife and I have known people that have fostered, and we actually even talked about it today, is at some point we'd like to bring in some kittens uh uh to foster. Why is fostering uh so important to especially the the little ones when you think about you know taking care of them and putting them in an environment that is important like that?

SPEAKER_02 5:14

Fostering is often the difference between life and death during kitten season, which on the East Coast we are entering into here in the next month or two, which is when there's an influx of kittens born because the weather is conducive to that. So shelters and other rescues are flooded with kittens during that time period. And so fostering is, like I said, often the difference between life and death, because if we can get those kittens into a safer environment in a home where there is 24-hour care or someone overnight, then that is definitely something that will really help the rescues and shelters in the area. And NKC is here to provide the information that's needed to be prepared and become a successful foster.

SPEAKER_00 6:00

Sure. So if somebody's interested in doing that, and my voice is reaching out to a lot of different communities of listeners to this podcast, they should check with perhaps their own veterinarian first, or should they check with a uh a uh a shelter? What is the best way to get started in the process?

SPEAKER_02 6:18

I think that checking with a local shelter or independent rescues is the best place. Veterinarians might have a list for you to go to, but a lot of times starting with your local even animal control and carefully.

SPEAKER_00 6:32

Why should someone uh consider uh fostering? You were we're talking about how important it is, especially this time of season when there are going to be so many kittens in different facilities. Uh somebody's thinking about it. Why would it be important for somebody individually to consider that?

SPEAKER_02 6:51

Um I think that fostering does take some forethought. And so it is best to consider if you have the space and the time required, but it really does not take as much time as you may think. And I think that it's something that a lot more people are actually capable of doing. They just haven't really had the experience or the exposure to see that it is possible.

SPEAKER_00 7:18

If somebody's gonna bring uh fosters into the house, especially uh kittens, and they have they have other cats or dogs, is that gonna be an issue? Or obviously you have people that do that, but but can that be an issue? Well, what are some things people should think about in relationship to that?

SPEAKER_02 7:36

So I think that the best thing to do when you're considering fostering is to dedicate a space in your home for them. Um and the the main reason is is you don't want to expose the kitten who is not necessarily fully vaccinated or has been completely dewormed. You don't want to expose them to your pets, and then you don't want to expose your pets to these kittens. And so I think that's the first consideration. Do you have a small room, do you have an office or a bathroom or somewhere that you can keep these kittens separate for their health as well as the health is your pets, but also allowing you enough space so that you can spend time with them and socialize them?

SPEAKER_00 8:23

It it does take some time to do that, and uh, but I think fostering can be a lot of fun. Do you do you find that people who foster end up adopting some of those uh little kittens?

SPEAKER_02 8:36

I think that definitely happens, and people sometimes call that foster failure, but I still consider that a successful adoption. I think that if you connect with one of the kittens that you foster, then by all means provide it a permanent home. You do have to be careful because if your ultimate goal is fostering, you don't want to fill up your home by adopting everybody and then and then not being able to turn over. But I will say that most of the time when you first start fostering, you would you end up adopting somebody. I feel like that's pretty common. But then after you go through it a few years, you get used to the the rhythm of it, and it's it's just really rewarding when you can get these kittens ready to be adopted, and then they can have their their spin-neuter surgery and their final vaccines. And then depending on the organization where you work, sometimes you even get to meet the adopters, and I think that's pretty rewarding. But yes, I I really think that everybody that's in animal rescue can say that they have had a foster that never left.

SPEAKER_00 9:40

Yeah, I would I would think it'd be pretty difficult having these kittens in a home, and then after uh several weeks is having to say goodbye to these kittens. I mean, that would be really hard for me to do that.

SPEAKER_02 9:54

Yeah, that that can be it can be difficult. I I agree. I think that you just have to keep in mind that the the more that you can bring through your home during a season is the the you know that many more that are finding homes, and um you get kind of addicted, I think, to a certain age group of kittens. So everybody's different, but you know, some really prefer those those zero to four-week-old kittens, some prefer the slightly older ones, but yeah, I think that you you find the the age that you like, and a lot of times by the time they're up for adoption, adoptable age, then um you're ready for that you know younger set again.

SPEAKER_00 10:36

When somebody fosters kittens, will they take another, I was gonna say, group of kittens in after the after those have been uh adopted?

SPEAKER_02 10:45

Depending on the organization, um typically you foster indefinitely it's your schedule sets it, but you can drop off your kittens that are ready for adoption, and then whenever you're ready, there's always more. So I find that a lot of times people have fosters year-round, or they might have them just for like say the summer months during kit during the height of kitten season. But yes, I think a lot of people really enjoy the experience and repeat it over and over again.

SPEAKER_00 11:22

A little while ago you were talking about uh a space for the kittens if you're fostering or something like that. Do foster parents, or let's say even new pet parents, need to make special preparations for kitten in their home? Uh, much like they would for a small child. Are there some other things that they should consider?

SPEAKER_02 11:42

Yes, there's actually a list that we provide on our kitten resource library on how to prepare your home and also what supplies you need in order to be able to foster successfully, or even adopt and have a kit a new kitten in your home. There's a list of supplies that it it depends on the age of the kitten, but the list of supplies usually include that safe space I mentioned, the you know, appropriate food for the age kitten you have, uh food and water bowls that are the right size for that size kitten, uh, litter boxes, and one thing that's very important is non-clumping litter for kittens because kittens tend to eat litter because they're exploring their or their world and they they you know sniff and might eat it, and you don't want that clumping in their stomachs. And then also anything that makes their environment more comfortable, something we call environmental enrichment, so soft bedding, maybe a heat source of some sort, uh toys, scratching posts, things like that. But there's a pretty comprehensive list on our kitten resource library.

SPEAKER_00 12:50

Good. And and they'll then they can read more about the National Kitten Coalition and the folks who are there, and as well as some really helpful, helpful things, as you just mentioned, uh about about caring for kittens. Uh, what do kittens need most when they're first brought into a home?

SPEAKER_02 13:08

I think that the first thing that they need is to feel safe. So as exciting as having a new kitten in the home is you have to be cognizant of how they're feeling in the situation. And so a lot of times we have that safe space already set up for them, and we put them in there and let them decompress a little bit, kind of relearn their situation. They might have come from a foster, they might have come from outside or a shelter. And so giving them some time in the beginning to really figure out their new environment, um, slow, gentle interactions with them is important. And then, you know, having all the things that I listed before, of course, but I think that that that calm, very like settled environment is important.

SPEAKER_00 13:54

All right. We're we're pretty much talking about kittens, but what needs do kittens have that older cats might not have to deal with when they're brought into the home?

SPEAKER_02 14:04

So one thing I think that often gets missed in kitten care, because adult cats don't need this, but it's really best to weigh kittens once a day, especially if they are in foster care and under eight weeks of age, but even when they first move into a new home, because that is a very important way to monitor how well they're doing and make sure that they're eating enough and that they are thriving. And so kittens are supposed to be gaining weight every single day, and they can become much um, they can become sick much quicker than adult cats, and so change in weight or uh loss of weight or um even just like a no weight change at all can be significant and can kind of show you that something's going on. Maybe they aren't getting enough to eat because say you have a litter of them and they need to be separated during you know wet food being fed to them or something, or or maybe they're fighting a virus or something and you need to have them seen by a veterinarian. But I think having a having a small scale that can do grams or uh low low pounds is fine. A baby scale works just fine, just to weigh them every day around the same time, just to make sure that you're progressing.

SPEAKER_00 15:20

Right.

SPEAKER_02 15:21

It's a yeah, easy way to check.

SPEAKER_00 15:23

We're gonna be back here in uh just a minute, and we'll be talking more with uh Emily Coleman. She is the executive director of the National Kitten Coalition. And uh so stay with us here to the hissing feline coming back in a minute.

SPEAKER_01 15:45

The young couple were dyed in the wool dog people who dreamed of someday having a faithful mud. Cats were not even on their list. That was until they adopted a timid gray tabby they named Sadie. The cuteness quickly turned into reality when Sadie took charge of the house. The good news was that on her best days, the cat was only slightly difficult. Yet, over two decades, Sadie became a beloved part of the family. The Striped Tornado, Life and Times of a Rotten Cat, is Sadie's story. A memoir that will inspire readers to rise above their challenges, to find companionship and love in the most unlikely places. The Striped Tornado, available on Amazon.

SPEAKER_00 16:39

Welcome back to the second half of today's episode of the Kissing Feline. I'm your host, Clark Brewer. Today's podcast is about all things kittens. My guest for this episode is Dr. Emily Coleman, Executive Director of the National Kitten Coalition. The National Kitten Coalition website has an article about potential health issues when mixing kittens from different litters. Why is that an issue?

SPEAKER_02 17:06

We don't recommend mixing kittens from different litters because they could be harboring any number of unknown diseases and parasites. And so limiting exposure is very important when you are trying to keep as many kittens healthy as possible. We do recognize that same species interaction is very important. And so that is something that needs to be addressed. But the separation of litters is important in the beginning to make sure that they are not harboring something that could then spread to the other kittens in the other litter that might have otherwise been just fine.

SPEAKER_00 17:45

When somebody's either going to foster or bring a new kitten into the home, what do they need to watch out for as far as the kitten's health is concerned?

SPEAKER_02 17:55

The main things I recommend people to watch out for is their daily intake of food. Are they interested in their food? Are they eating well? Monitoring that litter box, it gives you a lot of information. Um, we won't go into details about that on this, but the monitoring of the litter box output is really important. And then just get, you know, kind of giving them a once over every day, making sure that their eyes are bright and that they don't have any discharge from their eyes or their nose. Make sure they're not sneezing or they don't have evidence of a parasite like a flea, um fleas on them, or um make sure that they are active and playful according to the age, depending on how you know everybody, every kitten is different depending on what age they are, but making sure that they are hitting the appropriate behavioral milestones. Um, which we do have a nice one-page printout on our website where you can print that out and it helps you age your kittens, and then also gives them behavior milestones too.

SPEAKER_00 19:00

Are kittens susceptible to specific types of health issues? You were you were giving us an overview of some of those things that you need to watch out for. Are they are they susceptible to specific types of things?

SPEAKER_02 19:13

Yeah, I think there's three big ones when you're dealing with kittens. The first one's parasites, and you can have internal parasites, like intestinal worms, and then external parasites, which is on the outside, you can have fleas and earmites. Those are concerns with kittens, especially if they come from outside. Um, the the second thing is upper respiratory tract infections, so those little colds that are pretty common that can turn into more of a problem if they're not treated appropriately in the beginning. And the third one being stomach upset. That can be from something as simple as the adopter changed the food from what the foster was giving, and their tummy gets a little upset, or it could be uh anything uh related to the parasites, or even sometimes there can be viral infections that cause problems.

SPEAKER_00 20:05

And just by monitoring, that probably helps people reduce the chance of illnesses in kittens. Are there some other things that that that people can do? Obviously, food and the environment, those types of things. Are there any any other things that can that can help reduce that those problems?

SPEAKER_02 20:21

I think the two main things would be making sure you're scooping your litter box multiple times a day for kittens. The more often the better, because they they're kittens and they they eat their litter, but they also play in the litter box. So keeping that as clean as possible helps prevent the spread of parasites. The other thing is make sure you don't skimp on those vet visits when you're going in every it depends on the veterinarian, somewhere between three and four weeks typically, where you're going in for exams and vaccine boosters and uh appropriate care.

SPEAKER_00 20:56

Allergies to cats is an issue. And I was I was talking to somebody uh just recently that said, Oh, we'd love to have a cat in the house, but but the person's significant, in other words, is really allergic to cats. Um, can people deal deal with allergies if they want a cat in the in the house?

SPEAKER_02 21:17

Yes, that is definitely a possibility, and an exciting new product that's available is Purina has come out with a food that actually reduces the human's allergic response to the cat. It's a food called LiveClear that we have just published an article on our website that goes in depth about all this information, but it helps without having to do allergy injections and allergy medication and things like that on the human side. It it helps allow the allergic individual to live with the cat with less symptoms. And I have had people use this successfully. So I've been pretty happy with this um new research that came out over the last few years.

SPEAKER_00 22:05

Yeah, that's really helpful. I uh when I was growing up I was fairly allergic to cats. I I would love cats, I'd pet them and so forth. I just couldn't touch my eyes because that was gonna be a problem. And I've learned over the years because we've we've had cats for a long time now, and it's just uh okay, I've got an allergy, what are some things I need to to watch out for? So so it is possible to actually to to go through that and um and just to be careful about uh what be might be causing the allergy for the for the person then.

SPEAKER_02 22:36

Right, exactly. And a lot of times if you ha start off with a kitten, kittens are less likely to cause the allergies because of um the biology of the kitten, and then if you grow up with that or that kitten grows up in your home, then typically your reaction to that particular cat is less. And you might go to a friend's house and have your same typical allergic reaction to cats, but the cat you live with usually doesn't cause a severe symptoms.

SPEAKER_00 23:06

Interesting. Okay. So if if somebody's interested in learning more about kittens and health and some of the things you talked about today, would you give the uh web address one more time so that uh somebody can go and get answers to some of these things?

SPEAKER_02 23:20

Yes. If you're interested in finding out more about the National Kitten Coalition, please go to kittencoalition.org.

SPEAKER_00 23:28

All right. And uh also be sure to buzz through the website uh on things that are related to kittens, and there's a lot of really helpful information uh for for them there. My guest today on the Hissing Feline has been Dr. Emily Coleman. She is the executive director of the National Kitten Coalition. And uh thank you for visiting with me about the organization and caring for kittens, fostering, and having a kitten in the home.

SPEAKER_02 23:54

Thanks, Clark. I'm really happy that I was able to talk to you today.

SPEAKER_00 23:57

This has been a really nice conversation today. The next episode of the Hissing Feline will examine how research improves the lives of cats. Be sure to subscribe to this podcast and remember to share the program with other cat lovers. Also, please submit your questions about cats for future guests and suggest future topics for this podcast. I also want to give a shout out to my producer and wife, Georgia. I'll be back next week with another episode of the Hissing Feline. Until then, keep hurrying.

SPEAKER_01 24:29

Content on the Hissing Feline Podcast is for information and entertainment purposes only, and it's not intended to provide medical, veterinary, or legal advice. Please consult your veterinarian and local and state authorities before dealing with feral and stray cats. Opinions expressed are those of the hosts and guests and not necessarily those of Duracho Cat Media LLC. References to products or services do not imply an endorsement. The Hissing Feline Podcast is a production of Doratio Cat Media LLC and has been blessed by our rescue cats, Bridget and Maddie. All content is used with permission or under fair use.