1. You must text or email multiple clear images of you holding the kitten. This is critical, because we do not take in feral kittens. We do not have the time to rehabilitate them after they reach 2-3 months of age. We will take in semi feral babies if they are under 2 months of age.
Email: admin@secondchancekittenrescue.org
Text: 480-382-4578
2. We must receive up close pictures of their faces to see if they have an upper respiratory infection. Its ok if they do, but we must know in advance since this is highly contagious and we can not jeopardize our current kittens health. Knowing what we are dealing within advance, allows us to safely intake a kitten and make sure we have the necessary space provided for that particular kitten's situation.
3. We need an up close picture of their ears to confirm if they have ear mites. Ear mites are also highly transmissible and take at least 3-4 weeks of segregation, sometimes longer, in order to eradicate this particular bug. This also requires availability of a long term space that can be provided for a kitten with this issue. If you are unable to get a photograph of the inner ear, then we need to know if they're ears have black or brown debris inside.
4. Please check the kitten carefully for any signs of fleas or ticks. If you find any, we may be able to provide medication for you to apply while keeping the kitten in your care for several days, until the infestation is fully resolved.
In cases where we have space available to manage infestations directly, we can consider taking the kitten in—but only after they’ve received multiple thorough baths using DAWN dish soap. DAWN works by breaking down the flea’s protective outer layer, making them lose their buoyancy & drowning them. It may take 3, 4, or even 5 consecutive baths to eliminate hundreds of live fleas from a single tiny kitten.
If this is the route you take, we’ll need visual confirmation that the baths were done with DAWN. Please have someone take clear photos during the bathing process and send them to us.
If you’re unsure about bathing a very young or sick kitten, or feel nervous about handling them safely, please reach out before proceeding. We’re here to help guide you through it.
Not all dish soaps are equally effective at killing fleas. DAWN is widely used because of its specific formulation:
🧪 High surfactant content
DAWN contains strong surfactants that break down the flea’s waxy exoskeleton and reduce water’s surface tension, causing fleas to sink and drown. Many other dish soaps are milder or formulated for hand softness, which may not be potent enough to kill fleas reliably.
🐾 Veterinary and rescue community trust
DAWN (especially the blue original formula) has been tested and used extensively in shelters and rescues. It’s known to be safe for animals when used properly and effective in emergency flea removal.
🚫 Avoid scented or antibacterial varieties
Dish soaps with added fragrances, moisturizers, or antibacterial agents can irritate a kitten’s skin or be toxic if ingested during grooming. Stick to plain, original DAWN if possible.
Because there are so many people in the community that are not honest we require photographs. If this is something you don't want to do, you will have to find another rescue that does not require pictures, although most do for the same reasons. If for any reason you do not want to take pictures, we are unable to help you. However, if you are elderly and do not know how to go about this process, let us know so we can find an alternative solution.
5. If you have noticed diarrhea, it's extremely important we know. This could be an important indicator of some extremely contagious and very deadly infections. This does not mean that we will not take them in. We just need to know about. Again, jeopardizing the health of kittens already in our care is not an option. Your honesty is expected and critical to save lives.
