Today, I started out my day earlier than normal. Today, because one of the Animal Control Officers suffered an injury in the field, I had to cover his shift starting at 7am. I don’t mind it at all, it gets me away from my desk and back out on the road where I started so many years ago. About an hour into my patrol I had already found a lost shibu inu and went looking for a sick fox, pretty normal for an Animal Control Officer (ACO) but never-the-less it felt good to be back.
No sooner did I clear the scene searching for the fox, we received a call from some workers that were cleaning out a house. They found a momma cat and her kittens buried by leaves on the side of the house. When I arrived I found a very friendly mommy cat with 5 kittens at the bottom of the stairs. The leaves were about to completely swallow this small family so after I introduced myself to mom and put her in a crate with a can of food, I went to work uncovering her babies from the leaf pile. Five little kittens who were hungry and cold and crying for their mommy were uncovered. The workers said that the woman that lived there before was feeding the cat, but just up and left one day and of course the cat stayed behind.
The family was all taken back to the adoption center on New York Ave where staff gave them plenty of food, a warm blanket and basic exams. Thankfully, everyone seems in good health! Unfortunately, this same situation will be repeated by Washington Humane Society’s staff countless times over the next few months as we enter “kitten season”. You can help Washington Humane Society prevent calls like this by helping to secure a spot for us in the ASPCA’s $100,000 Challenge. By voting today and everyday until the 15th for Washington Humane Society at www.votetosavelives.org you can help us help them.
Submitted by: Liam Hughes, Director of Animal Control Field Services, Washington Humane Society
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