By: Kiersten Kiene [Design Editor]

Life is not fair. Not just for humans, but for animals too. There are hundreds of animals, such as cats, living within the city without homes or somebody to take care of them. Walking through back alleys, living in old sheds, and abandoned houses, they are there weather you see them or not.

Stray cats are a common thing around the flood zone in Cedar Rapids. So many cats and kittens were displaced when the flood happened, but most of them stayed in the area and became strays. This created a problem because now that they are stray, they start to breed, creating kittens.

So what is one supposed to do when a kitten is found? According to aspca.org, there are ten things that one can do to help a stray. Number one is to look for the mother cat. If the mother cat is found, call a local cat rescue group for help, they know what they are doing. Number two, catch the kitten, but only do this if it is friendly. Even offer some food to have them come closer. number three, determine the age of the kitten, use this to determine how much food to give it. Number four, keep the kitten warm.

Number five, make the kitten feel at home, even using a box. Number six, feed the kitten. Depending on the age, dry food should be fine, for smaller, younger kittens, find a vet, do not feed it regular cow milk. Number seven, teach the kitten to use the restroom, they do normally do not go on their own until they are two to three weeks old. Number eight, check for fleas. If they have fleas they can become anemic. Number nine, visit the vet. Stray cats usually carry diseases. Finally, number ten is to spay and neuter the cats. It is the best way to reduce the number of other stray cats and kittens.

Stray kittens are a great thing to help. Somebody somewhere always wants a kitten. It would be awesome if it has a new home and a new life. It is unfair that kittens have to be stray, save a life and save a kitten.