1st Volunteer Experience

I spent my first day in animal processing Sunday. When I got there, there were 7 one pound kitties that needed baths. They were feral kittens as well that had gotten into their litter and food during the night and decided to have some kind of food fight! There were two torties, two white kittens, and one black and white kitten. It was a learning process, but I learned quick! I would fill the basin with a bit of warm water, get the kitten a little wet, and then apply the shampoo. The hardest part was getting out all the food from their heads. It was caked and dried on! Then I rinsed with new warm water because the old water was soooo dirty. I had to hold each of them and dry them off for about 10 minutes each because they were so small and got so chilled. The poor black and white one had to be the test kitty - he definately took the longest and didn't benefit from having the other kittens to cuddle like the rest did! It was so cute when they were huddled together and licking each other to speed up the drying process. On the white kittens, I did notice some black spots. I couldn't figure out what they were until I tried to scratch them with my finger nails, and they squirmed away! I told the volunteer I thought the kittens had fleas, and she confirmed they were, in fact, fleas. I had never seen a flea before, but I think it was a good thing to learn what I am looking for! After I was done, they told me I was the official bather. The staff told me most people would have had scratches and had a lot more commotion. I told them if they had told me that before I started bathing I probably wouldn't have done it. Ha ha. I am supposed to start being a "greeter" the weekend after next. Basically, that means I stand at the front with a dog or a cat and show people where to go. The hands-on training is all filled until mid-November! I can't ever picture my "princess" going back!