'D' Kittens: Huntington Adoptable Pets Of The Week

HUNTINGTON, NY — Two boys — the "D kittens," who are around 6 weeks old, are the Grateful Paw Cat Shelter's Huntington Pets of the Week.

Both furbabies were trapped with their feral mamma in Baldwin last weekend, according to Debbi Larkin, president of the shelter.

"Our friend and rescuer, John, received a call about a mamma and her two babies living under their backyard shed," Larkin said. "He quickly set out to assess the situation, and while on site after trapping them, we received a call inquiring if we could help with the babies…of course we
said 'YES' without hesitation."

Both tabby babies are in foster care and will remain there until the beginning of June, Larkin said.

The rescue does not have names for them yet — it leaves it up to foster families to choose the names. They are being called the "D kittens" for now based on the letter of the alphabet the rescue assigns them. The rescue had many suggestions on its Facebook page following a sneak preview last week.

The kittens were checked by the rescue's in-house veterinarian last week after arriving. They tested negative for FELV and FIV and negative for parasites, received their first set of vaccines,
had their hearts and ears checked, nails clipped and they are litter box trained, Larkin said. They will receive another set of vaccines in three weeks, and then three weeks after, they will be neutered and receive their last set of vaccines.

"They are both a bit timid but with extra TLC from the foster family they will relax and realize we mean no harm," Larkin said. "They had a very traumatic week when they were trapped and taken away from their mom (they were already eating on their own) and then brought to us. I am sure they didn’t know what was happening. They were placed in a large cat cage in one of our free roaming rooms so they could settle in and see all of the other cats and not be afraid."

They both have hearty appetites and often eat at the same time – side by side, Larkin said.

"And it is a good thing they always finish their food because we have two cats in the same room that love the kitten food and are always sticking their paws in the cage to try to steal anything left on the plate!"

They love sitting on the shelf in the cage and looking out and will usually bring one of the furry mice onto that shelf and then toss it into the water bowl.

"I guess they are trying to see if the mouse can swim! They also like to play with the feather toys..I
think they are pretending to be hunters," Larkin said. "And when they are finally worn out they curl up together to take a nice long nap."

If you are interested in meeting the "D kittens," you may call the shelter at 631-757-4517, email cats@laphuntington.org, visit the Facebook page or visit at the Grateful Paw Cat Shelter. The shelter will give updates from the foster home and let people know when they will be arriving.

The rescue is at 3 Verleye Ave., East Northport, and visiting hours are Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

The shelter is also open from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday nights only for those who cannot make it during the daytime hours.

"These cuties should be ready by the first week in June, as long as they meet the weight requirements, and that would be exciting if they were to be adopted at that time," Larkin said. "June is 'National Adopt a Shelter Cat Month' and what better way to start of the month with both of these babies going to their forever home. Just remember, when it comes to kittens, two is always better than one."