1. Our 30 associations are joining forces to feed 1,261 kittens who arrived without their mothers, sick or starving.

Photos taken by the 30 associations of Kitten Rescue Collective

We are 30 associations, from France, and we have 1,261 kittens to feed! None of us can manage alone, so we have decided to join forces to collect this wet food together and share it equally among our 30 organisations.

These kittens come from litters nobody wanted. They are born outdoors to mothers who were never spayed. We find them abandoned in garages, weak at feeding sites, or orphaned because their feral mothers did not survive.

Many are so young that they need feeding day and night. And this year, more and more keep arriving: at L’Arche de Pouchka, which is currently caring for 60 kittens, this is by far “the worst year” the association has ever experienced.

2. Illnesses, parasites, diarrhoea: without suitable food, our kittens cannot regain the strength they so desperately need.

Photo taken by SPA Annecy Marlioz

A kitten only a few weeks old can deteriorate very quickly. At Le Gang des Matous, three-quarters of the kittens rescued arrive with health problems. At Les Chatgabonds, little Eve, aged 3 months, was found too late: an ulcer caused by cat flu meant she had to have an eye surgically removed.

Our kittens face one diagnosis after another: cat flu, conjunctivitis, worms, fleas, anaemia, ringworm, giardiasis, lung infections… We can treat cat flu, give deworming medication or hospitalise the most vulnerable. But none of these treatments can help if the kitten does not then eat to regain strength.

For these sick little ones, recovery also depends on tender, appetising wet food suited to their age: food they want to eat and can manage to finish.

When a kitten has a blocked nose, they can barely smell their food and quickly lose their appetite. Strong-smelling wet food can help them want to eat again. When they have diarrhoea, they also become dehydrated very quickly: wet food provides some of the water their bodies so desperately need.

3. Together, we are launching this wet food collection to feed our kittens.

A kitten only a few weeks old cannot eat adult dry food, and ordinary wet food is not formulated for their growing body. They need food made specifically for kittens.

You can help by donating this Animonda wet food, designed for kittens:

• a tender texture that is easy to chew with baby teeth;
• a recipe tailored to their growth;
• moisture in every bite for those who arrive dehydrated.

With this wet food, at École du chat d'Ollioules, our little feral kittens gradually become more approachable: placing a bowl a little closer each day also helps a kitten born outdoors learn to trust.

The food will be delivered by Animal Webaction, which has been organising product collections for more than ten years, delivering to over 1,000 associations in 15 countries. You will receive photos.

4. Too young, too sick, less likely to be adopted: our kittens stay with us longer and use up our food supplies.

Photo taken by Association Une Patte Dans la Main

It is October, yet kittens keep arriving: at the Association LISA shelter, the influx has continued for more than six months. Many arrive before they are weaned and stay with us for a long time before they can be adopted.

Adoptions are slowing down while our food needs keep growing. At Societe Protectrice des Animaux du 47, adoptions even had to be suspended completely while an outbreak of giardiasis was treated.

We need your help to replenish our supplies and feed the animals in our care until they find a family.

5. All we are asking for is wet food to help our kittens grow up healthy.

Photo taken by Association Une Patte Dans la Main

Food specifically for kittens is difficult for us to obtain through food drives or donations, as we mostly receive adult food. Buying it is often beyond the means of our small organisations, which rely mainly on donations from individuals.

APATE, a very small association, has suffered a sharp reduction in its municipal funding. At Sauvetage des Animaux Domestiques de France, veterinary fees already absorb the entire budget. At L’Arche de Pouchka, they can even reach €10,000 a month.

Under these circumstances, only donations of food allow us to obtain what our kittens need.

6. The donated wet food will be shared equally among the 30 associations of Kitten Rescue Collective.

The donated wet food will be delivered by Animal Webaction, which will divide it equally among the 30 independent associations in our collective:

• SPA Annecy Marlioz
• SPA de l'Yonne
• SPA Montpellier
• SPA Vauclusienne
• Assistance et Secours aux Animaux
• Association LISA
• Association rémoise les Amis des Betes
• Societe Protectrice des Animaux du 47
• Association APRES
• Association Ch'Amis pour la Vie
• École du chat d ollioules
• Ecole du Chat Libre de Bordeaux
• L'association Liberté Animale
• Les Chats de Feelin’ Good
• Patounes de chats
• Sauvetage des Animaux Domestiques de France
• Une Patte Dans la Main
• APATE association de protection des animaux du territoire d'Eyguières et environs
• Association chats errants val de nievre
• Association la Voix Des Animaux
• Bon’Eure Kawin
• Choupi Matou Dit
• Ecole du chat d'Évreux
• Ecole du Chat Libre de Poitiers
• Ecole du chat libre du Bocage bressuirais
• L’arche de pouchka
• L'école du chat Saint-Denis Langevin
• Le Gang des Matous
• Les Chatgabonds
• Les chats libres de Mirepeisset

Every container of wet food counts. Donate a few today: photos of the delivery will follow.