Take a look at the two pictures above. Ok, they are cute puppies & kittens. But when you at them, I’m sure you quickly realize it : they do seem fragile. Delicate. Immature. And I’m sure we can come up with a very long list of adjectives showing that those newborns will have a lot to go through in order to survive and make it through adult age. Those ones however are lucky : as you can see on the pictures, they have a mother. She will take care of basic things they need. Provide shelter. Feed them. Protect them. They will deeply rely on her. She will make their life way easier. Somehow, she is their savior.
That’s how things should be in a perfect world. In shelters, we know all too well that life is not always that perfect. Think of what can happen when, all of a sudden, the mother is removed from the equation. You end up just with newborn puppies, newborn kittens. For them, under those circumstances, life just got way tougher…
This is one of those real-life situations you might run into when you work or volunteer at an animal shelter. Orphaned puppies & especially orphaned kittens will show up at your doorstep. You will have to fully replace their mothers. And here I will quote our friend Spider-Man (yep, this is my geek moment!) : “ With great powers come great responsibilities.” You will need to know what you’re doing. Especially because, on this journey we are about to take, they are lots of traps lurking in the dark.
DR. EMMANUEL FONTAINE 