Humane Society of Elmore County News
“Kitten season” may have started late this year but we are definitely in the height of it so no better time than now to give a kitten a loving home and why June is Adopt a Cat month. All Shelters are being simply inundated with kittens this time of year – orphaned kittens, single kittens, multiple litters of kittens, momma cats with kittens, sick kittens, feral kittens, just kittens and more kittens every day.
From 1 January – 6 June we have taken in total of 739 cats of which 475 are under 6 months old. To better paint the picture of what we deal with in regard to ‘kitten season’ take a look at the increasing kitten intake each month and the very definition of kitten season starting in May this year (and ‘kitten’ is defined as under six months old):
Month Kittens Cats Total
January 23 45 68
February 36 49 85
March 64 49 113
April 84 70 154
May 227 48 275
Jun (1-6) 41 3 44
Total 475 264 739
Kitten season is generally about three-four months long, and we are likely to be inundated with kittens well into August. At the rate of this first week in June intake we may very well take in another 238 kittens this month. Another sad fact is that for every kitten surrendered to our shelter there are that many and more out in the community looking for homes. Just a quick gander at Social Media, signs in yards, free kittens in parking lots, Vet Clinics, friends and acquaintances advertising kittens tells you that there are simply more kittens looking for homes than there are takers.
While our Shelter kittens are all spayed or neutered prior to leaving us when adopted, far too many of the hundreds of kittens being given away in the community will not be spayed/neutered in time to prevent their ‘oops’ litter and the vicious cycle of kittens with nowhere to go will only continue. The staff at the Alabama Animal Alliance Spay/Neuter clinic can also attest to how many pregnant 4-5 month old kittens they see which means delaying that appointment with your Vet is a recipe for yet another unnecessary litter.
So, yes, of course we encourage you to go to a local Shelter for a new kitten but if you do get a free kitten, please take it to your Veterinarian immediately to get checked out and get its vaccinations started. Please also make (and keep) that appointment for the kitten’s spay or neuter no later than 5-6 months old so you don’t end up with a litter in need of a home in the fall. For those who get a male kitten – it takes two to tango, so boys need to be neutered as well!
Our $50 adoption fee means your kitten will have had basic immunizations and de-wormings, will already be spayed or neutered, microchipped and so much more. We can pretty well say that adopting a kitten from a shelter will be the most economical way to give one a good home and make sure your new kitten does not contribute to a very real problem of pet overpopulation.
And for those wondering – oh yes we have been taking in puppies, just that they come all twelve months of the year. So far this year we have taken in 352 puppies & 441 adults for a total of 793. Getting that spay/neuter appointment for your new puppy is just as vital – please do your part to prevent our very real pet overpopulation crisis. Like kittens all of our dogs & puppies are also spayed/neutered, vaccinated, microchipped – all for an adoption fee of $100.
