• · Kittens tend to be very active at night. A single kitten is likely to keep the owner awake with constant jumping, pouncing and other “hunting” behavior directed at any portion of the owner’s body which moves under the bed linens. With a companion to play with after the owner has gone to bed, this behavior is minimized, as the two will occupy each other finding Interesting shadows to chase and games to play until they finally tire and fall asleep too.

• · Kittens want and need interaction with others of their own kind for healthy social

development. A kitten learns a lot in the first several months of life from its mother and

littermates. Separating a kitten from its mother is often a necessity in order for it to be

adopted, but taking it away from its littermates and isolating it can delay the kitten’s

development emotionally, socially, and sometimes physically. Kittens who are able to remain with one of their littermates or a similarly-aged companion tend to be healthier and happier, and in the long run, better socialized pets than those who are isolated from others of their kind at an early age.

• · Anyone who has observed kittens knows they want to bite and wrestle with one another—this behavior is normal. You can’t prevent a kitten from doing what comes naturally, any more than you can force a two year old toddler to sit still. Though it’s not acceptable for a kitten to bite and wrestle with its human companions, in the absence of having a littermate or companion its own age to play with, this is precisely what a single kitten will want to do. Even if you are willing to allow (and can tolerate) this behavior from your kitten when it is small, by the time the animal matures, you will end up with an adult cat who has developed very bad habits, i.e. biting and scratching as “play”.

• · Particularly if there is already an older cat in the household, a kitten should not be brought in as a lone companion. As mentioned above, a youngster has boundless energy, wants to play and run constantly, and requires very high amounts of interaction, all of which are likely to overwhelm and irritate an older cat in short order. Likewise, a kitten is apt to be frustrated that its companion doesn’t have the same energy level as itself. At the very least, this can lead to two very unhappy cats. Worst-case scenario, behavior problems such as litterbox avoidance or destructive scratching can occur as one or both cats act out their frustrations on their surroundings. An older kitty is better matched with someone of his or her own age, who has a similar temperament.

• ·We understand and accept that someone out there will probably adopt or sell you a single kitten (even if all the major cat shelters in Chicago will not). With that in mind, please think long and hard about forcing a kitten to become “an only child”. Mother Nature knew what she was doing when she created kittens in litters!

First, know the facts about overpopulation… and the crisis in the U.S.:

- For every person born in the U.S., 45 kittens are also born.

- 3,500 kittens are born each hour in the U.S.

- Only 1 of 12 kittens finds a home through a humane society (national average).

- Female cats can breed as young as 4 months old, and will continue to produce an average of 3 litters per year, with 4 to 6 kittens per litter. If each of these offspring is not spayed and neutered, this one fertile cat can theoretically produce more than 420,000 kittens in only 7 years…11.5 million kittens in 9 years…and so on (these figures are based on a conservative average of 2 litters per year with 2.8 surviving kittens per litter).

What can be done to stop the suffering?
- Spaying and neutering. Stop the unwanted babies from being born in the first place. We love babies, but not when there are no homes for them.

- Foster care. Foster care homes are lifesaving. When there is not enough room at the shelters and rescues, foster care is these homeless pets’ only option until there is room at shelters and rescues or until they can be adopted directly.

- Tell your friends, family and co-workers to adopt a homeless pet. Adoption is the only option – don’t buy when homeless pets die.

- Spread the word about the overpopulation crisis. We have come a long way, but there are still millions of homeless pets killed every year in the U.S. because there are no homes for them. Please, be part of the change. Because every life is worth saving.

Our rescue efforts focus on saving the lives of homeless kittens and special needs cats. We take in these pets primarily from other shelters and rescues when they are overfull or do not have the resources to do so. Our special needs pets include FIV-positive cats, blind cats, deaf cats, cats with deformed limbs or other unique special qualities that make them one-of-a-kind. We care for them in loving foster homes until they find their new forever families.

To adopt, follow these simple steps:

1: View our adoptable pets on www.petfinder.com.

2: Fill out an adoption application – you can request one by e-mailing emily@wishuponapaw.org

3: We will process your application and arrange a time for you to meet your new companion

4: If all goes well and you decide to adopt, you can then bring your new family member home

Easy ways to help:

- Foster a homeless pet – we are in  need of foster care homes to care for homeless cats or kittens temporarily until we can find new forever homes for them. We provide all medical care, food and supplies for their stay. All you need is a small spare room – we could not save their lives without our foster care homes!

- Fundraise for our efforts – we need creative, driven people to find ways to fundraise for our organization…every little bit helps tremendously in our efforts to reduce the homeless pet population! Hold garage sales, sell candy bars, collect change, sell craft items…it doesn’t have to be complicated. We are open to all ideas – every penny helps save a life!

- Volunteer: we will soon be updating the site with volunteer opportunities to help with our Trap-Neuter-Return programs and other efforts.

- Donate – check back soon – we will soon have online donations available. In the meantime, if you would like to make a donation to help us help homeless pets, please make a check out to Wish Upon a Paw and send it to our temporary office:
Wish Upon a Paw
518 County Road G
Neenah, WI 54956

We are 100% volunteer-run and 100% of donations go to help homeless pets. Please note that we have applied for 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. Until we receive confirmation of this, donations will not be tax deductible.

Thank you in advance for your kindness and generosity to help us help homeless pets!