They hiss and spit because they’re frightened. Cuddling isn’t easy for feral kittens, but they can be taught to trust. Hence “Angry Kitten University,” a socialization program for feral-born kittens run by the nonprofit group LEASH, Inc. The latest crop of adorable graduates will be available for adoption at a PetSmart in Leesburg, Florida on Saturday, according to the group’s Facebook page.
LEASH relies on volunteer “professors” to socialize feral kittens using the “purrito” approach, which consists of gently wrapping a skittish kitty in a towel like a burrito and cuddling it, according to a news story by Jerry Falstrom of the Orlando Sentinel, who interviewed the organization’s executive director.
“The transformation we have seen in our kittens has been so encouraging and is a testament to the dedication of our volunteer ‘professors’,” Luckhart told the Orlando Sentinel. “We have a ‘terror-alert’ level system,” Luckhart said. Level red is for kittens that are a pound and a half and hiss, spit and strike. Orange is for angry kittens under a pound and a half. And yellow is for kitties that hiss but don’t strike.
All LEASH kittens have been spayed or neutered, vaccinated, micro-chipped, de-wormed and put on flea prevention. The adoption fee is $25. A second kitten is available for free.
About half the cats in the program are located by volunteers who work with the county’s trap-neuter-release program. The other half are from the Lake County Sheriff’s Offices Animal Services. All of them are so adorable that we hope they find forever homes right away.
