Salt Spring Cat Orphanage

Salt Spring Cat Orphanage Providing care for very young & orphaned kittens in partnership with other rescue agencies. Providing care for very young & orphaned kittens.

In partnership with other agencies taking kittens requiring special care.

Willoughby has opinions about medicine!
04/23/2025

Willoughby has opinions about medicine!

Emma has a lot to say!
04/22/2025

Emma has a lot to say!

Sweet Heathcliff!
04/21/2025

Sweet Heathcliff!

Look who is getting big? It's Willoughby!
04/20/2025

Look who is getting big? It's Willoughby!

Darcy is now 8 weeks old!
04/19/2025

Darcy is now 8 weeks old!

Today was bath day for the Literary Classics. I was surprised at how comfortable the kittens were having a shampoo and r...
04/18/2025

Today was bath day for the Literary Classics. I was surprised at how comfortable the kittens were having a shampoo and rinse, necessary to ensure all remnants of the Coccida Oocysts have been removed from their fur.

Afterwards, their room was completely sanitized with new bedding and toys. These kittens are so forgiving of the treatments necessary to get them healthy.

It's day three of cleaning. Although the standard two-week quarantine is over, I still kept Austen and the kittens in ar...
04/16/2025

It's day three of cleaning. Although the standard two-week quarantine is over, I still kept Austen and the kittens in areas that can be easily sanitized.

When Austen first quit nursing, I had to wean the kittens a bit early and quickly. They developed some unexplained gastrointestinal issues. Two stool samples were inconclusive, so the kittens were placed on a gastro wet food and KMR formula diet and given supportive care. This past weekend, their appetites continued to decline, and they all developed diarrhea. On Monday, we received a positive diagnosis of Coccidia.
They are now receiving antiparasitic medication, along with daily cleaning of their environment and daily replacement of their litter boxes, toys and enrichment activities. To make this easier, the kittens have returned to the small bathroom: it is bright and cheerful, easy to clean, and has a sink that allows me to sanitize all dishes, etc., after use. A generous donation of an Amazon gift card has enabled me to order steel litter boxes, which should arrive tomorrow.

Austen has been moved into another foster situation where her needs can be better met. Once she, too, is healthy, she will be available for adoption.

04/16/2025

I just love these sessions with Austen last week. Shortly afterwards, she developed a bad case of unexplained diarrhea. Feeling quite rough, she began to withdraw into her carrier. Not tempted by her chicken treats, I gave her forta flora in her churro and began to monitor her closely.

Emma, I have no words.... she's just so adorable.
04/12/2025

Emma, I have no words.... she's just so adorable.

Willoughby is a quieter kitten, who tends to sit back and watch his tabby siblings. He loves a warm lap and has the lou...
04/10/2025

Willoughby is a quieter kitten, who tends to sit back and watch his tabby siblings. He loves a warm lap and has the loudest purr.

Darcy is such a stunning panther and he loves to cuddle!
04/09/2025

Darcy is such a stunning panther and he loves to cuddle!

Heathcliff - at six weeks old. He laps up KMR from a plate as he transitions to solid food.
04/07/2025

Heathcliff - at six weeks old. He laps up KMR from a plate as he transitions to solid food.

04/06/2025

Knowing when to separate a mother from her kittens is a difficult decision. Austen is an undersocialized cat who was also trying to care for her kittens. Each day, I sat quietly in the room, allowing the kittens to approach me if they were interested, while Austen could observe.

As the days passed, her behavior became increasingly protective. However, when her stress caused her to stop eating and rendered her unable to nurse her kittens, I had to step in to bottle feed. This required handling the kittens four to five times a day. Each visit to the foster room heightened Austen's stress, and she began to exhibit signs of aggression.

Where is the balance between ensuring the kittens’ health and nutrition needs and their bond with their mother? What is best for the mother, who is nurturing her kittens but becoming increasingly stressed by my presence?

I removed the kittens for 48 hours to help them gain weight and eat adequately. During that time, Austen relaxed and started eating again. Upon returning the kittens to the foster room, the cycle resumed: the kittens refused their food, and Austen became very protective once more. I made the tough decision to permanently separate the kittens, who are now 6 weeks old.

In this video, it’s been three days of working to regain Austen’s trust, and the results are excellent. We have booked a spay surgery in a few weeks and are actively looking for a new home for her.

Oh Emma, you gave us such a scare last week! She has fully recovered and shows no ill effects from her sudden crash. Em...
04/05/2025

Oh Emma, you gave us such a scare last week! She has fully recovered and shows no ill effects from her sudden crash.

Emma is playful, inquisitive, and full of life. She loves to wrestle with her siblings, and join in a cuddle puddle when its time to sleep. She is already 5 weeks old.

Look who is 5 weeks old! Willoughby was the most challenging kitten to transition to solid food. He resisted the syrin...
04/03/2025

Look who is 5 weeks old!

Willoughby was the most challenging kitten to transition to solid food. He resisted the syringe, showed no interest in dry food and would not even consider eating off a plate. Given that he also had severe diarrhea, it was crucial to get food into him. The solution was a gruel mixture offered to him off a spatula. Over the course of a few meals, I slowly moved the spatula closer to the dish of food, where he finally began to lap up food independently.

Now, he readily laps up each meal and his daily weight gains are significant.

Darcy! What can I say? He loves his food but only when hand-fed by a syringe. He also prefers the syringe tip and not a...
04/02/2025

Darcy! What can I say? He loves his food but only when hand-fed by a syringe. He also prefers the syringe tip and not a miracle ni**le. Weaning is all about meeting the kittens where they are. He will let me know when it is time to eat off a plate

Look who is 5 weeks old! Heathcliff is the first kitten to eat food from a plate. Its been a stressful week since Aus...
04/02/2025

Look who is 5 weeks old! Heathcliff is the first kitten to eat food from a plate. Its been a stressful week since Austen quit nursing her kittens. It took many days of syringe feeding the entire litter around the clock. This chunky Monkey loves his food and quickly realized that he could lap it up off a plate all by himself.

Here's a little update on Momma Austen. Early last week, she started leaving her meals untouched. I began to worry about...
04/01/2025

Here's a little update on Momma Austen. Early last week, she started leaving her meals untouched. I began to worry about her milk production and started offering the kittens a mixture of kitten food and KMR. I also began weighing the kittens each day out of concern for their daily intake. This may or may not be related to the crash that Emma experienced.

I attempted to entice Austen with a variety of wet and dry food brands, but with little success. Ultimately, I found success with Purina dry food, freshly cooked chicken, and Fancy Feast combined with churro treats.

She is now eating properly but has no milk to nurse the kittens. Given her unpredictable nature, weaning the kittens presents a few challenges. I set up a carrier inside a large crate as her safe place. I can shut the door to the crate when she seeks the carrier's safety and then pick up the kittens, provided they are not sleeping with her. It presents a few challenges, but lets me keep Austen and the kittens together for now.

I am working to gain Austen’s trust during sessions when the kittens are out of the room. Her maternal instincts are strong when they are present, and she becomes a bit unpredictable. When alone, she approaches me for chicken pieces and takes churro treats from the lick mat.

Address

127 Rainbow Road
Salt Spring Island, BC
V8K2G5

Telephone

+12505377567

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