This has been a horrific month for me. The joy of bringing five tiny kittens into my home for fostering was blotted by three of their deaths within 24 hours. To top that off, a neighbor’s hunting dogs found a litter of ferals in the bushes and killed them all.

The mom and her newborns were rescued in Santa Maria on Saturday 9/18. The five kittens had been born three days earlier, and were in their most fragile state. The mother was in poor condition, being dehydrated and thin adding to the vulnerability of the family.

By the time they were brought to me on Sunday, there was an added problem of a copious amount of mysterious smelly yellow liquid discharge from the queen, which had soaked the kittens as they lay in their nest of towels.

Wet kittens are not good as it causes their body temperatures to drop drastically. It is a life-threatening situation as a chilled kitten (below 94) will die quickly. The main reason that kittens always sleep in a pile is to help insulate each other. As the ones on the bottom get too warm, they will wiggle to the outside to cool off and let another take its place.

If you find or have a kitten that feels cool to the touch, wrap it in a warm towel and take it immediately to the vet.

If this is not possible, hold it against your skin while you prepare a warming nest for it. A heating pad set on low makes a good constant source of warmth. A bag of rice, beans or other similar substance can be warmed in the microwave, but be sure not to let it get too hot. Wrap the kitten in a towel or soft blanket scrap then lay it on the bag.

NEVER try to force warm kitten formula or mother’s milk into a cold kitten as it can be fatal. Not only can it cause metabolic shock, but aspiration may occur. Take it to the vet as soon as possible as it will require fluids to prevent dehydration, another deadly scenario that kills quickly.

Unfortunately for the kittens I had, the damage had already been done and no amount of warming or willing them to live would save them.

Actual death does not come quickly to a failing kitten, however. It takes a matter of hours with each breath taken further and further apart. They resist, fighting to stay alive, lifting tiny heads and crying out repeatedly at 30 second intervals, sometimes even struggling to their feet or rolling over as if in pain.

Momma literally pushes it away from her and the other healthy kittens, leaving the little one to die alone. Perhaps she is trying to help it along by removing the life source of warmth, but it is so distressing to witness that I reach in to cradle it to myself, stroking the soft kitten fur and murmuring, “It’s okay to let go.”

Of the family I took in, this tragic story could have easily been prevented if the mom had been spayed instead of contacting us after the litter arrived. These kittens were not wanted in the first place, so with three of them dying needlessly on my watch, I am the one haunted by their sad cries as they slipped into death.

One only has to experience the lingering death of a kitten to understand one reason we advocate spay/neuter.