Help Save A Kitten This Spring

On Thursday, a customer rushed into the store after discovering a box of dead or nearly dead kittens in a nearby parking lot. Although Lead Associate Thomas Herzceg hurried to check for vital signs, the kitten was already dead. Assistant Manager Marci Surh took the kitten home with her for a proper burial.

This incident occurred as Pet Food Express’ Save A Kitten campaign got underway, highlighting the importance of the program.

Running April through May, the Save A Kitten campaign collects money and supplies for the Homeless Cat Network and Peninsula Humane Society.

“It was a sad but very inspiring moment for our team. The compassion and care shown by everyone—from our customer to the Burlingame team—was so intense,” said Manager Chris Vega in a statement. “It was a very real world example of how important the Save A Kitten campaign will be to making sure little critters are given a fighting chance at life.”

The Save A Kitten campaign also emphasizes the importance of foster care. Many of the kittens that end up in the Humane Society or other shelters are pre-weaned feral cats and in need of 24-hour care from their mothers. Foster families are able to give kittens the care they need, often including bottle-feeding and close supervision until the kittens becomes more independent.

“The shelters and cat rescue groups are doing all the can, but they need our help. The Save A Kitten program was developed to provide that help,” said Mike Murray, director of community outreach for Pet Food Express. “Taking kittens into your home to foster for a short period of time or donating products or money to those that are taking care of these helpless kittens will make a tremendous difference and will save lives.”

Generally, kittens need foster care until the age of 8 weeks old, at which time they can be returned to a shelter.

In the spring, tens of thousands of kittens are born throughout the Bay Area, either feral or the result of unsprayed or neutered neighborhood cats, said Murray. By the time summer rolls around, many of these cats will have been euthanized.

“[There are] many more kittens than local shelters can handle,” said Murray. “Thousands of cute, cuddly and perfectly healthy kittens are put to sleep.”

All merchandise purchased for the Save A Kitten campaign comes at a 20 percent discount.

Last year’s campaign raised $21,000 in the Bay Area. So far, more than $8,000 has been raised.

For more information on fostering kittens, visit www.peninsulahumanesociety.org/volunteer/foster.html or www.homelesscatnetwork.com/volunteer.